The AB evaluation of Aranjuez comes with a warning: we already have allowed 8 European Royal Palaces and their gardens on the List, this should be sufficient! The Spanish however were clever enough to propose this site as a Cultural Landscape, where the palace comes in as a side note. I found the nomination file very impressive; it does a good job of explaining the history of the manmade landscape, where the use of irrigation and dams has turned a swamp into a green oasis. It also emphasizes the importance of the parks for botany, as Philip II was an early collector of American and Asian tree species.

Except for a minor round around Aranjuez town to look for a restaurant (where I landed at the recommended La Venta for a 10 EUR 3-course Menu del Dia), I limited my visit to the palace and its gardens. I started with a stroll through the Island Garden, which is decorated with many objects including a number of statues of ancient gods. This is also where the waterworks can be seen, these include dams, canals, and bridges. And it displays the tree-lined paths that characterize Aranjuez.

Suddenly it started to rain a little, so I decided to check out the interior of the palace too. Whenever I visit palaces these days, Ian Cade's quote "palaces bore me rigid" directly comes to my mind. And yes, I too have shuffled from one boring room to the other in many palaces around the world. But I had some good experiences too lately, for example in Fontainebleau. I was lucky again now, as I was about the only visitor around. I paid for the audioguide, where the talks were informative and not too long. The number of rooms that it includes also is not too overwhelming. Among them are 3 that really stand out: the yellow rococo Grand Dining Hall, the Arabian Room and the unbelievable Porcelain Room where porcelain objects have been nailed to all walls.

On my final morning in Aranjuez, I visited the biggest garden, the Prince's Garden. This felt much more like a city park to me. It is very large and is used by joggers and local elderly going for a walk. Its strongest point is the high number of different tree species. It has less ornamentation than the Island Garden. The park ends at the Casa del Labrador, a small neoclassical palace that is also used by the Spanish royals.