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Spain 2023, Day 3: Aranjuez

My trip to Spain had 12 days of sightseeing.  2 of those days were in Valencia.  Of the remaining 10, 4 were days sightseeing in Madrid.  The other 6 were day trips from Madrid.  So I planned the sightseeing using a pattern:  a day in Madrid, followed by 2 day trips.  The 1st day trip was to Segovia, the 2nd day trip was to the lesser known Aranjuez.  Aranjuez is located in the region of Madrid, but not in the city itself.  (In case you were wondering, Segovia is located in Castile and León.)  Aranjuez is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The main feature of the site is the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, along with its ornamental gardens.

Royal Palace of Aranjuez

As I approached the Royal Palace, I encountered the Fountain of La Mariblanca.

Oh boy, did I have a hard time finding the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.  I was surprised, considering how huge it is.  I took the bus from Madrid to Aranjuez.  As fate would have it, I was completely turned around, and after I got off the bus, I was walking away from the palace.  It took a few times asking “¿Dónde está el palacio?” only to find out it was a straight shot from the bus stop to the palace–if I had been heading in the right direction.

The main entrance to the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.

The 16th-century Royal Palace of Aranjuez was 1 of the 4 seasonal residences of the royal court.  Aranjuez was the spring residence.  In summer, the king and his entourage moved to the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso.  In autumn, it was time to pack up and move to El Escorial, which I visited on Day 7.  Everyone hunkered down in the Royal Alcázar of Madrid, where the Royal Palace of Madrid is now located (Day 12).

The palace’s main staircase is the only place inside the palace where photography is allowed.
1 of the 2 Fuentes de las Nereidas (Fountains of the Sea Nymphs) outside the palace.

The Island Garden

Fountain of Hercules and Hydra in the Island Garden.

The Island Garden (el Jardín de la Isla in Spanish) is so named because it’s surrounded by branches of the Tagus, the longest river in Iberia.

I can’t tell you how surprised I was to come across this fellow in the garden.

I was quite taken by the beauty of this peacock.  So I took a LOT of pictures!

He’s quite photogenic, isn’t he?
At this point, we were both sitting on the same bench. What a beauty!
Wearing his royal crown.
Okay, last peacock picture. Well, last picture of THIS peacock anyway.
A lovely tree in the Island Garden.
The Fountain of Bacchus. We should all be having such fun!

The Prince’s Garden

The main entrance to the Prince’s Garden.

After lunch, I spent some time in the Prince’s Garden (el Jardín del Príncipe in Spanish).

Pretty springs blossoms in the jardín.
The Fountain of Narcissus. “Look down! Look down!”
The Chinese Pond. You can see the classical temple here. What I didn’t get in the picture was the Chinese temple, which was sort of the point. But the lighting was probably bad at that time of day.
I was surprised to come across more peacocks in the Prince’s Garden. And I promise this is the very last peacock picture.
More beautiful spring blossoms.

After my sightseeing was done, I had a lot of traveling to do.  Fortunately I knew how to get back to the bus stop with no problem.  Back in Madrid, I had to pick up my bags at the hotel and head to the train station.  (I left behind a few things at the hotel because I’d be back a few days later.)  Next stop, Valencia via high-speed train!

[Factual information is primarily gathered from Wikipedia, so you know it must be true.]

Related posts:

Spain 2023, Day 1: Madrid, Day 1 Spain 2023, Day 2: Segovia Spain 2023 Food Diary, Day 3 Introduction to Spain 2023

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