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| On September 7, the International Olympic Committee had their final vote to determine the host city of the 2020 Summer Olympics, and Madrid -- along with Istanbul and Tokyo -- was a finalist. The streets in central Madrid were shut down for the announcement, and this stage set up in front of the Puerta de Alcala in the Plaza de la Independencia. By the time we showed up, Madrid had already been eliminated by a first-round vote (Tokyo would go on to win) and a crew was at work taking down the stage, but the streets were still shut down and a large crowd still milling around. |
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| The Palacio de Cibeles, taken from the street in the middle of the Plaza de Cibeles. It can be hard to get a good look at the Plaza during the day because it is one of the busiest traffic thoroughfares in Madrid, so the street closures made for some cool photo opportunities. |
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| Then they cleared the streets. This is looking north up Paseo de Recoletos, one of the busiest streets in central Madrid. Kind of eerie. |
