Oro Verde Cuenca Hotel

... to our strange hosts, but after a few hours of repetitive music and and drunken Spaniards we figured we should head back.<br><br> The weekend being over, things calmed down considerably in the city. The next day was spent mainly resting and talking at the hostel, and seeing a few sights around the city, which are few and far between it seems. We had a good enough time checking out some street shops in the tourist areas, and taking silly ...

... ethnicity. There was traditional dancing, music, mobs of people waving flags, banners, and people giving out free hugs. It was amazing because people who were watching would randomly be handed these orange peace flags and then they would join in the parade themselves. The atmosphere of the whole thing was just incredible...and really impossible to explain.<br><br>After watching the parade, I went to the famous Museo del Prado (Prado Art Museum ...

... a bit like the castles in Central Europe. This was a result of the frequent visits by monarchs of the Austrian dynasty especially Philip II, who married his fourth wife here. After the court moved to Madrid, the Alcazar was no longer a royal residence, and it became a state prison for over two centuries. <br><br>We crossed the draw bridge and entered into the first room- the old castle room, where several knights in armor stood guarding the doors ...

After a week in Rome any other city would pale but Madrid is a really nice big city (5 million) with wide boulevards,parks and plazas. The Royal Palace and surrounding garden are exceptionally impressive. There is a lot of construction around the city improving streets and plazas which will be really nice once completed. This city is really for night owls .. dinner at 10pm and clubs open until 6 am. Again great weather!

One day while visiting Jesús we went to the town his father grew up in. They still have a house there. Depending on the time of year, there may be only 50 people in the town or there may be 200 or so. It was tiny with a small bunch of houses, a church, and one bar. No one even worked in the bar. you just serve yourself, put in some money, and if the dishes are all used up, wash em! It was great though ...

... interesting little city. When we were there, there was snow all over the place. There was also alot of dog poop, but I have found that dog poop is common along the streets in Spain and it is considered good luck (bueno suerte) if you accidentally step in it...

... beautiful churches and the palace and again a picnic in a park - they are everywhere around here. And to top the day off we went to see some live jazz that was AMAZING - the best part was they sung in english so for the first time since being in spain we could understand someone!!! today we went to another art gallery which is a private collection that is a total of $300 million dollars worth - absoultely amazing. Off to Athens tomorrow night...

... crazy!!!! Sooo many people running the streets screaming and fireworks going off in the city is soooo loud!!!! Ahhh!!! GO SPANA!!!!!woop woop!! Alrighty well we leave for home in the morning sooo i better keep this short and sweet... Good Night Madrid, Spain!!!! We will miss you!!!!!!

Cuenca was my 2nd destination in Spain and is about 2.5 hours from Madrid by train or bus, it's a rather quiet small town but good enough to spend a few days. Day 8 After arriving from Madrid, I immediately started looking for accommodation. Cuenca does not have a Youth Hostel so I was looking for a pension. As I was walking down the street from the train station, there were already a few hotels and ...

... We got into two big tour buses to our hotel next to the Charmartín station. After a brief orientation, in which the winners were introduced, we went to the famous El Rastro flea market downtown to partake in a Madrilenian Sunday custom. The atmosphere was convivial, and people from all walks of life converged to this open-air market for bargains or just to watch people. The air was stifling hot, the commotion was boisterous; I could barely ...