Hotel Tryp Alcala 611 Madrid

... aren't really in caves - more like built under the Plaza Del Mayor arches. Meson de la Guitarra seemed to be a place for local guitarists to come practice. Upstairs they had a guitarist and singer (wailing and everything - very awesome) and downstairs where we were was a small group of guys that seemed to be practising their songs / guitars. As cheesy as it sounds it felt like we'd stumbled upon a part of real Spain. Short video here.

... spend I'd love to shop it up here! La Gran Via runs into what is considered to be Europe's most glorious fountain--at la plaza de la Cibeles--what was shooting everywhere!! We also saw The Bank of Spain--enormous building...though not sure what all would need to take place in there for such a small country--seemed excessive....Then we entered el museo Prado--wow!! Goya's work was extensive and impressive...my favorites including Saturn Devouring his Child, The Naked Maja and the ...

... and especially those in Madrid are night owls. Not really up my dad's alley there. So there were always tons of people out and about from probably more like 8:00 on. So I saw some of the Madrid action. After settling into my hostel, I went out to Plaza Mayor, which is another old square in Madrid. There was a mariachi band there and they were playing for these Spaniards and then this newly wed couple came up to them and they ...

... and those who died fighting against him. I had heard otherwise. On the ceiling of the church was a dome covered with millions and millions of mosaics, representing different groups in Spanish society, Tow was fascinated by the how they managed to construct the church inside a rock. Early afternoon After the tours, I went shopping for a few electronics I needed. I bought an 8-megapixel Olympus X-15 camera for 99 Euro ($200), a new memory card, adapter, and earphones ...

... issues as well. The move from Argentina's albeit mild winter to Spain's summer was a bit of a shock. Each day it seemed to get progressively hotter with highs reaching 39C (about 100F). As we also had jet lag, we typically fell asleep at 4 AM and starting our day at it's hottest--instead of taking a siesta as sensible people would. We visited many museums in Madrid: the Prado to ...

... wel goe lag, maja ik ben te groot voor zoiets, had ik ni zo goe geslapen en Sanne moest volgende dag naar de les om tien uur, dus ik eruit om 9uur na weinig slaap. Om half tien nog steeds geen Sanne te zien, ik voorzichtig gaan kloppen. Ze had zich overslapen, ok dan eerste les skippen en heeft ze me een parkje laten zien met een schoon uitzicht en zijn we een egyptische tempel gaan bezoeken. Daarna meegegaan naar haar universiteit en een lesje mee gevolgd. Het ...

... by Galileo, palaces, Cathedrals... you name it. Madrid is really a walker's paradise - it is compact enough to walk across the entire downtown without killing yourself, and the drivers will even yield to pedestrians. Unfortunately we didn't get to experience much traditional Spanish cuisine, as doing so would have annihilated our daily budget. We pretty much stuck to bocadillos, which are tapas sandwiches, about 3 inches or so long, for 1€ each ...

... la zona chic de Puerto Madero (con sus terrazas de diseño) y el cementerio de La Recoleta, donde se entierran a los argentinos ilustres. Hizo buen tiempo y eso ayudó bastante. Lo mejor de Buenos Aires, es, de todos modos y sin ninguna duda, los restaurantes. Los camareros son muy atentos (eso si, tardan tiempo hasta para cobrar, dan ganas de largarse de lo que hay que esperar). La comida es abundante y la carne es fabulosa, en su punto, ni cruda ni pasada y se deshace en la boca...

... you name it. A couple of bored looking cops turn up, they look at the blood on the floor and the bullet mark in the wall, before they decide to leave. The party continues. "Hey Roger, I think I'll just call it the night, ok?". "But Esteban, it's only 12:30AM, lets have a few more drinks". "Eh, maybe tomorrow, I feel a bit tired". I leave Santa Elena de Uairen the next morning without knowing what happened to the guy who got shot. I have never seen anyone getting shot ...

... several times just to get back to the airport. After all of this, I was running a little late for the flight, but I still had about an hour to spare so I was not terribly worried, since the flight to Madrid I got through security and everything in about 10 minutes. However, as I walked around the corner to check in I was greeted by a massive line for the security check. I got my boarding pass and ran to get a spot in line, but it was moving sooo slowly. There are some ...