I often wonder how wonderful it would have been if there was a time machine and people could travel through time. I would definitely take a step back and go back in history and see how things were in old times. You may not have the chance to visit the past, but you can definitely see the wonders of the past in present time. All you need to do is take a tour of a land that is rich with history, a land that has preserved the old beauty until today. And if you are wondering where you can come across something so magnificent, then Madrid is the place to go. Let your first stop be the Cathedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena. The construction of the building started in the late 1800's and was finished in 1993. The building is a combination of both neoclassical and gothic design. The primary material of construction is granite as well as marble. One interesting feature of this church is that it is oriented north and south, not the usual orientation of a church that is east and west.