Our first stop today was the Real Madrid stadium, which we reached on the public bus system.
We waited for almost a half hour while our guide bought tickets, so we had some fun playing games in the parking lot.
This is the 20th Century Cup, given to Real Madrid for being Fifa's best team of the entire 20th century. Naturally, no other team has ever one a Century Cup.
These are some VIP seats right at the center of the stadium. One cannot buy tickets for these seats. One must be invited by a club president.
We even sat on the team bench! Quite a line-up.
Afterward, we held a brief press conference.
Our next stop was lunch, and then a visit to the Prado Museum, where our excellent tour guide, Frederico, pretended to be several different painters in order to talk about their work.
Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take photos inside the museum. All the boys wanted to go back to the hotel after the long day of walking, so they went with two chaperons while a small part of the group went with Frederico to the Royal Palace, an enormous complex with 1800 rooms that functioned as a small town within the city of Madrid, housing not only the royal family but also many of their employees. Now the palace is a museum and a government office building, and the royal family lives elsewhere. We also could not take photos inside the palace.
This will be our last post because tomorrow we leave for Doha! It has been a great trip.
