December 18th, 2003 | The lowdown by Wensi Cámara

Coffee and Fall's Light in Historic Madrid

The Fall's light in Madrid invites you to go for a walk and see the ancient splendor of Old town's places. During the cool evenings have a stroll from La Puerta del Sol, in the very center of the city (metro Sol, lines 1,2 or 3) to La Plaza de Isabel II. Go down calle Arenal and at the end of this street you'll find the square, where the Teatro Real is located.

The Teatro was erected in 1850 and now serves as Madrid's Opera House. Near El Teatro Real , at number 2 Plaza de Isabel II, there's a very lovely place to have coffee and simply talk with friends called El cafe del Real. Great coffee in a lovely setting, it's open Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m to 1p.m, Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m to 2.30 p.m and Sundays from 10 a.m to 12 p.m,

If you keep walking past the Teatro Real, you'll find some charming gardens � the Plaza de Oriente. There are two main walkways, both with statues of Spain's ancient kings. José Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother) ordered the Plaza to be built at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and it was finally finished in 1850.

In 1734 King Felipe IV ordered the building of El Palacio Real. Built in the baroque style and decorated with Spanish marble, the Palacio Real has a great art collection, with paintings, furniture, musical instruments, armour and porcelain.

Visiting hours are Monday through Saturday from 9.30 a.m to 5 p.m, Sundays and holidays from 9 a.m to 2 p.m. The Palacio Real is closed during holidays.