To the east of central Madrid, Parque del Buen Retiro (El Retiro Park) can be translated as "Garden of the Pleasant Retreat," and that's what it is – a sprawling swath of lush greenery filled ...

When I was living in Madrid in my early twenties, warm Sunday afternoons were for El Retiro park. My flatmate and I, normally a bit worse for wear from partying the night before, would walk from ...