Don Quixote and Sancho Panza ride out from the Cervantes Monument in Plaza de España.

Uni-topped sushi rolls in the sun at Ginkgo Sky Bar, high above the city.

An 18th-century fountain dedicated to King Carlos III, likely the Fuente de Apolo on the Paseo del Prado.

From the Ginkgo Sky Bar terrace, the Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral crown the rooftops of old Madrid.

A quiet moment beside Almudena Cathedral, with the bronze Pope John Paul II keeping watch behind.

Dalí’s ‘Girl at the Window’ looks out to sea inside the Museo Reina Sofía.

An ornate lamppost rises through the Retiro’s autumn canopy.

Rowboats drift past the Monument to Alfonso XII on the Retiro’s Estanque Grande.

A wall of Spanish Civil War propaganda posters inside the Museo Reina Sofía.

A mallard paddles beneath a small cascade in the Retiro’s ponds.

Almudena Cathedral’s dome and bell tower rise beside the bronze figure of Pope John Paul II.

A bench buried in fallen leaves along a Retiro Park path.

El Madroño, a red-shuttered taberna near the Plaza Mayor.