A slow start ( I blame it on jet lag; a bit of laziness may have also been involved.) We got to our hotel’s buffet breakfast just before closing time; afterwards we packed up and headed first to the Plaza Mayor to wander through the weekly gathering of stamp and coin vendors. onward to the El Rastro street market, a gathering covering many city streets and plazas with vendors of clothing, jewelry, antiques, ripoffs, etc. My first encounter with the acclaimed Madrid pickpockets. I won.

Then up to Plaza Sol, back toward Plaza Mayor by a different route. Some tapas in a nice restaurant, then onward to the Mercado San Miguel. Maybe it used to be a Mercado, but now it is a high vibe tapas and wine center. We’ll revisit! A bit more wandering through the afternoon chill, then back to the hotel to regroup before dinner.

A few more impressions of this neighborhood…