Parador de Alarcon Cuenca

... with the various statues around town. <br><br> My general assessment of Madrid is just what the title says. During the week it's generally pretty mild, with not much of anything to do, but when the weekend comes you better be ready to fight your way to the bar and party your ass off. The next days of the week were quite mild with not much to do, we ran out of our reserve of tourist sights and resigned ourselves to talking a bit and making our ...

... s the home of some of the most famous art in the world, including the works of Goya, El Grecco, Velazquez (including "Las Meninas") and more. The museum was cool...just being able to see the originals of some of the most famous work in the world is pretty impressive. The place is also very well organized and easy to get through, which is sometimes a little unique for Spain. My travel book said that the Prado is best done as a day trip, which I would ...

... one sat upon his horse with a joust in his hand. We found the throne room where the monarchs sat upon their red velvet thrones. A painting hung on the wall here depicting Isabella as a young girl. In the next room, the Galley room is found a mural painting of Queen Isabella the Catholic when she was proclaimed Queen of Castille in the Main Square of Segovia. Out the windows of each room could be seen a panoramic view of the countryside. We viewed ...

... had thick bright panels not hundreds of little pieces. They looked more like murals than windows. The tall wooden doors were carved with miniature bible stories in 3D. The crypt was dim and eerie with tombs stacked along the walls and some with the life-like marble replicas of them resting on top. Next to the Cathedral is an marble square and a long black gate guarding the Royal Palace. I did not want to pay 8 euros to go into the Palace though to see all ...

... but only in Madrid, and not the rest of the country. I am not sure what it is exactly though, but I think it is a religious holiday. I plan on spending the rest of my weekend exploring Madrid, because there is still a lot that I haven't seen like the Reína Sofía museum or the Egyptian temple here. I plan on seeing all that this weekend. I also am going to see some Flamenco next week with my civilization class. Pictures are going to be posted this weekend as well!! I am sure of it!!

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!

... every families has its own litle cave where they make there own wine. We went to his "bodega" and ate tortilla de patata that his mom had made and wed brought along, and we cooked lamb and sardines over the fireplace. All with homemade wine out of the porron (a pitcher type thing with a long snout that you pour directly into your mouth.) At first it spills a little, but by the end I got the hang of it!

... 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!!!!!!

... budget hotels with private rooms). The first hotel had a single room for 27 euro, but of course I had to walk around to compare the prices. Anyhow, it was great to know that my spanish was good enough to ask the prices around. Thanks for Hector my Peruvian flatmate. The second hostal was peculiar. It did not have a entrance or reception desk, but only a sign outside of an apartmnent building ...

... Already, some high school students from Minnesota were asking me to bargain for them in Spanish. Trying to speak a different language on no sleep was like turning on a computer without any power. However, I managed to get them a good deal on some souvenirs. Later in the afternoon, some people went to see a bullfight while my limpid body recovered from sleep deprivation back at the hotel. It was a good sleep. Such was my introduction to Europe.