We had made several one-day trips during our visit to Spain, and on one nice sunny day we decided to visit a small town near Segovia (also close to Madrid) called San Ildefonso, famous for its beautiful 18th century palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso.

This former summer residence of the Kings of Spain is now open to public as a museum which surely owes its fame to the splendid gardens surrounding it. Not that I think the palace’s interior isn’t majestic enough (all the contrary: how could I possibly not admire the stunning baroque furniture and paintings?!); I guess I have always preferred to admire the palaces, castles etc. from the outside.

The luxurious golden ornamented furniture, jewels and gigantic tapestries are definitely beautiful things for the eye, however what I enjoyed the most was our stroll in the gardens, with all the trees, bushes and birds chirping, along with the numerous statues and fountains (inoperative, unfortunately) telling a story from distant past – I hope you’ll enjoy the photos!