Chapter Twelve – Royal Site of La Granja de San Ildefonso
May 30, 2026Celebrating España: MaiTaiTom’s Still “Insane For Spain”
Chapter Thirteen – The Palace Less Visited & Epilogue
Days Thirteen & Fourteen – Going Stag, A Quick Tour Through Riofrio, The Photo Comes In Handy, Heading Home & Reflections of España
Always the weirdest day of a vacation is the day before you depart for home. Even though there are one or two things left to see, your mindset is now geared toward leaving. Two weeks of non-stop walking made it hard to get started for the day, but we had one more palace to explore before heading to the Madrid airport hotel. Get that old guy some espresso!
We were soon on the road to a lesser known royal residence, the Palacio Real de Riofrío. Queen Elisabeth Farnese commissioned this in the 1700s, but it remained mostly abandoned and was used as a hunting lodge. It has only been occupied by a royal on two brief occasions, the king consort Francisco de Asís de Borbón who decorated the palace and his son, King Alfonso XII, who stayed here in 1878 while mourning the death of his young bride.
As we drove along the seemingly deserted road into the palace grounds, we were greeted by one of the property’s residents, who wondered what we were doing here. This guy and his friends have plenty of room to roam since the palace is surrounded by nearly 1,500 acres of forest. Unfortunately for these magnificent creatures, the area was also used as hunting grounds for the royals.
As Palacio Real de Riofrio is one of the least known royal residences, it was no surprise that during our visit we saw very few people. As Tracy quipped at one point, “We have entered the palace less visited.”
Through the courtyard, we entered into a stable surrounding …
… before ascending the grand imperial staircase featuring some allegorical figures.
A room with 19th-century Spanish paintings …
… was first on the agenda.
We took a break in the Billiards Room.
The Ancillary Room off the Dining Room was connected to a lift from the kitchen.
This is where they laid out the food …
… that would be served in the dining room.
Just like yesterday, the curtains were drawn to our attention.
The Antechamber was filled with paintings of the royal family.
The equestrian statue represents Francisco de Asís de Borbón, who was the king consort of Spain from 1846 to 1868, husband of his double first cousin Queen Isabella II. In 1868 he was forced into exile in France, but was able to retain his royal title.
From the Antechamber, we moved on to the Official Chamber with two large New Testament scenes dominating the room.
We wandered through the Study …
… to the bedroom of King Francisco de Asís.
I liked the “Tent Bed.”
Not to be outdone was the bedroom of his son, Alfonso XII, with its French “state bed.”
This painting depicts Alfonso XII and María de las Mercedes on their wedding day. He stayed at Riofrío while mourning his wife, who at the age of 18, fell ill after a miscarriage shortly after their honeymoon. She died only a little more than five months after her wedding from either typhoid fever or typhus. This is the only painting of the two.
The Oratory features 149 paintings on the life of Jesus.
Finally, from the main-floor gallery members of the royal family could attend religious services without having to go down to the chapel.
Palacio Real de Riofrío made for a nice stop, however coupled with the prior day’s visit to the magnificent Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso and having a bit of late trip malaise, it was a little anticlimactic. On the plus side, you will most likely have the palace nearly to yourselves.
It was an easy drive back to the Madrid Airport, where thankfully we had taken that photo of where to exit to drop the rental car with that large red sign being the key landmark. It was being repainted as we drove by and is no longer red. The exit comes up quickly and isn’t very clear where you should go.
The Hilton Madrid Airport was a good choice to spend our final night, and our dinner turned out to be quite delicious.
The hotel offered a shuttle the following morning, and we flew home via London Heathrow. We had applied for Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before we left, and it is now required for permission to enter the UK. Lunch at Heathrow Terminal 5 was at a very overpriced, self-service Gordon Ramsay restaurant. I’ll just leave it at that.
The flight home was uneventful except for the fact we kept seeing flight attendants disappear through a door near our seats where we could glimpse a staircase. It turns out we were on a double decker plane, and the 22 flight attendants would take turns descending into the bowels of the plane to get some rest.
Safely back home, Garbo and Sebastian wondered where the heck we had been for two weeks.
Epilogue:
Even though it had been ten years since our first visit to Madrid, once we started exploring it seemed like we had just been there. So many things were familiar as as we strayed from our hotel, Room Mate Collection Alba. Its location in Barrio de las Letras (Literary Quarter) can’t be beat in our opinion.
Our six days in Madrid were wonderful. I love the vibe of the city (hell, I love the vibe everywhere in Spain). From the first night where we were unknowing participants in a national celebration …
… to the fantastic interior of the Palacio Real de Madrid …
… to the colorful ceilings of Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena …
… to the relatively new attraction, Galería de las Colecciones Reales, our first full day in the city was incredible.
Add in sights like the extraordinary Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial …
… Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales …
… Basílica de San Francisco el Grande …
… or the “Sistine Chapel of Madrid,” San Antonio de los Alemanes, Madrid dazzled and delighted.
And don’t miss the hidden gem, Museo Lázaro Galdiano.
No, I didn’t forget the food!
Glorious food!
From our first hummus with pomegranates to perfectly seared steaks, to my new favorite garlic soup and the tapas which were as good as they look in the photos. Viva Madrid indeed!
Burgos is the town where I wanted to move to immediately.
Our tour of Monasterio de Santa María la Real de Las Huelga was a real eye-opener.
Cartuja de Miraflores (Miraflores Charterhouse) was visually stunning.
I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to return, but Burgos will not be forgotten.
León had fewer attractions to see, but still left an indelible impression.
The stunning stained glass windows and soaring arches of the Santa María de Regla de León Cathedral were a wonder …
I could hang out in El Barrio Húmedo and eat tapas all the time. And the cathedral on a rainy night made for quite a sight.
Finally, Segovia had so much to offer. It really deserves an overnight stay (or longer) instead of a quick day trip from Madrid.
From the Catedral de Segovia …
… to the majestic Real Alcázar de Segovia …
… to the magnificent Acueducto de Segovia.
And don’t forget that short jaunt down to the palatial Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso …
… and its spectacular gardens.
Gracias España. I hope to see you again some day.
As always, we certainly did …
Enjoy The Journey! Attitude Is Everything!
