I’m delighted to announce that after months of hard work, my audio tour produced in collaboration with Voicemap has been launched. If you’re interested in finding out more here’s my sales pitch:
Visiting Madrid and want to find out more about the history of its most famous park? Why not buy my audio tour of Retiro? Beginning with the remains of a splendid pleasure palace and finishing at a stunning statue of Lucifer, this walking tour takes you on a fascinating journey through Madrid’s Retiro Park. In this audio guide, I’ll tell you all about the rich history of this UNESCO World Heritage Site while you enjoy a relaxing walk through beautiful scenery.
From the decadence of a playboy king to the destructive power of Napoleon’s army, the story will sweep you up through the ages into the present day giving you an insight into the story of modern Spain.
Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:
- Discover how a spiritual retreat by San Jerónimo el Real church was transformed into an enormous pleasure palace
- Find out why Retiro’s oldest tree survived the ravages of Napoleon’s invasion
- Hear the hair-raising history of the House of Beasts where lions and tigers would fight for the entertainment of Spain’s kings
- Take a peek at the peacocks that strut around a hidden walled garden that lies at the furthest reaches of the park
- Visit the beautiful Palacio de Cristal, a marvel of 19th-century engineering with a rather troubling colonial past
By the end of this tour, you’ll have discovered another side to Madrid’s most famous park, gaining an insight into its hidden history.
The tour begins outside the Prado museum by the statue of Goya
It continues on to what remains of the old palace
Before going into the park where you’ll learn about the madroño fruit…
…and hear the history of the Palacio de Cristal
… before winding up by a statue of Lucifer!
