Bosque de los Ausentes

In the southwest corner of the Parque del Buen Retiro, the government planted a quite moving memorial, el Bosque de los Ausentes (Forest of the Absent).

In light of the 191 victims of the train bombings that occurred on March 11th, 2004, an olive or cypress tree stands for each victim.

This photo is a glimpse of the memorial at sunset.

El Ángel Caído

Of all the monuments in the Parque del Buen Retiro, perhaps one of the most interesting is the statue of El Ángel Caído (the Fallen Angel, aka Lucifer).

Madrid is one of the few cities in the world with a statue to the devil, which is quite odd considering the cultural influence of Catholicism in Spain....

Parque del Buen Retiro

Although it once served as the private gardens of the royal family and their intimates, the Parque del Buen Retiro is now open to everyone. Although the park boasts of marble monuments, landscaped greenery, and elegant buildings, its most popular feature is the artificial lake in the middle of the park where crowds gather to ward off the Spanish heat.