Pilar greeted us cheerfully after a long international flight with a goody basket full of fruit and wine. The apartment was in a central location to the tourist spots--usually we'd walk the 15-20 minutes downhill at the end of the day from the plaza Major. There was abundant shopping and public transportation, and the Atocha train station was only 10 minute walk. The Metro going to the main bus station to go to Escorial was a two minute walk away