Today was a museum day, and because we have very different tastes in museums, we decided to split up. But when we mapped out our routes, we discovered we were heading to the same general area, so we walked together. Along the way we passed the Palacio de Buenavista.

There was a large crowd on the sidewalk and we could hear a marching band. We briefly thought it was another protest, but it appears it was a military ceremony – perhaps a changing of the guard – it wasn’t clear. We didn’t stop to watch because we couldn’t see that much through the crowd, but a little further along we could see other ceremonial troops getting ready for action. I love the optical zoom on my iPhone…

Jan went to an art museum and I went to the Archeological Museum. I love Roman history, but this time I decided to learn more about the time before Roman Spain. I take my time in museums, so I only managed to get as far as the Phoenician trade with Spain, where I discovered that the rich families (oligarchs) controlled the trade routes to ensure that they got richer while everyone else … didn’t. I can’t decide if the fact that some things never change is reassuring or depressing. Probably a bit of each, I suppose.

When it was time for a late lunch we found a restaurant a little off the beaten path. We had another local salad, with wine, of course. As we were finishing, the server brought us complementary Orujo, a Spanish digestif similar to Marc or Grappa (but much better, Jan adds). It was a lovely end to the meal.

We headed back to the hotel to freshen up, and then I went for another walk to a large park that I’d spotted earlier. On our way to the museums we had passed two grand pianos on the sidewalk, with different people playing a song or two, and then getting up for someone else to have a go. On the way to the park, I passed two more.

After pausing to listen to the street piano music, I continued on to the park. It is huge. Here are a few photos to give you a sense of it.

A lot of the park was paths through trees, but there were also fountains and a large pond, where you can rent boats.

Later, we headed out for tapas, which was a perfect end to the day.