Madrid

Despite loving our time in Barcelona, I have to say Madrid might have been my favorite city we visited. I don't know if it was because we had more flexibility in how we spent our time there, or if the city (while still very large) felt less touristy than Barcelona to me with locals living and shopping in every area we visited, or if it was just the feeling of being a little more settled into the trip yet knowing there were still so many days left of vacation, but I personally loved it. 

We woke up pretty early in Barcelona to get a cab back to the train station to catch our train to Madrid. After awhile of being a little confused in the train station, we eventually made our way to our seats on the right train. We had lots of fun playing card games together on the table we all shared on the train and we also had time for a little rest, too. The countryside was much more mountainous than I had expected. Passing rows and rows of olive trees and vineyard after vineyard reminded me very much of our time in Italy a few years ago. 

We were ready for Madrid before our hotel room was ready for us. So we spent a little time relaxing in a nice square by our hotel, having a long lunch and enjoying some Spanish beer. 

After finally checking into our hotel, we made our way over to the royal palace. We had zero expectations for the palace and it really, really over-delivered. We all really loved exploring room after room as the audio tour took us deep into the palace. The palace is no longer the residence of the Spanish royal family and is mainly used for state occasions today, however, the rooms we visited used to be the private quarters of the royal family and were definitely fit for a king!

In Madrid, Hayden added two stuffed animals (Rosa and Pablo) to her collection. She spent the rest of the trip taking care of them. Rosa (the cat) was purchased at a tiny toy store right outside of a madrid subway station upon our arrival to the city. Pablo (the dog) was purchased later that same day in the gift shop of the Royal Palace (and he really is a little more refined for it). 

After touring the palace, we stopped for a beer/ice cream break and then very slowly wandered the winding streets of Madrid. We eventually passed through Plaza Mayor and then landed in the market (Mercado de San Miguel) where we walked from vendor to vendor picking out little plates to enjoy for dinner. Hayden and I especially loved this vendor specializing in all sorts of pickled goodies. 

And Steve and Hayden (predictably) loved this vendor, specializing in all things chocolate!

On our way back to our hotel we popped in and out of some stores. Steve and I tried and tried to find something special we could bring home but just never were drawn to anything enough to make a purchase. The only things we brought home from the trip were a few little keepsakes and a big pile of toys for Hayden. 

Right outside of our hotel was a little park. We stopped here every night to finish our days with a little Hayden play time. It was a nice way to end our first day in Madrid. 

On day 2 in Madrid, we decided to buy tickets to the 'jump on, jump off' tour bus that runs around the city. We  saw so much of the city and Hayden enjoyed sitting on the top of the double-decker bus. 

By this point in the trip, we were all feeling a little fatigued by all the cured meat sandwiches so we stopped at McDonald's for lunch. It was a great treat for Hayden, and I have to admit the grilled chicken sandwich was a welcomed change of pace for Steve and me as well. 

After lunch, we walked our way over to Madrid's version of New York's central Park, Retrio Park. It was massive. And gorgeous. And a perfect way to spend the afternoon. 

After all that hard work rowing, we stopped for a break in the shade of some trees and watched the other boaters rowing while Steve and I shared a pitcher of sangria and Hayden tried another Spanish popscicle. 

We eventually made our way back to our hotel to rest a bit and freshen up before heading out to dinner. We did a little research on restaurants and then walked deep into the oldest part of the city to eat at a gem of a place. The food was delicious, the wine even better, and the company the best part of all.  

Our hotel in Madrid was right on a small square in town. This night was a Saturday night there was a group of young people out all night long, drinking in the square, singing and laughing and yelling all night long. The sun had already come out before I got out of bed and opened our windows to see about 10 people put down their beer cans and walk away! Note to self: next time stay NEAR the square, not ON the square! 

Our hotel room in Madrid was set up with three separate twin beds in the room. Hayden was so overtired that first night that she cried until we agreed to push the three beds together and so we slept that way for the rest of our time in Madrid!

On our last day in Madrid, we visited the Prado museum. The museum is astounding. And endless. We spent hours and we only saw about 40 of the 50 masterpieces that are the highlight of the collection. 

After the museum we were all craving some fresh air so we spent some more time exploring parts of Retiro Park that we weren't able to cover the first time. The park just kept on giving!

And on our way back to our hotel, Hayden found a hot dog and a Coke for dinner!

The next morning we were to catch a train to Seville so it was early to bed for all three of us. Madrid was beautiful and relaxed and an absolute favorite of mine.