Madrid, Spain

Steph and I had made plans for an excursion to Spain while she was here for after TJ's friends arrived so that they could have the car and travel about while TJ was at work. So Tuesday we headed out for the few days before Oktoberfest. We had been going and going and going so this trip was a welcomed time of ease and relaxation complete with sangria. Here is a peak at a portion of Madrid.


I had never been there before so I found a newly renovated hotel that looked neat on the Gran Via near the El Sol part of town. Our room was awesome and the view from the balcony was great although the night creatures were a little creepy in the neighborhood our first night. We stayed at the Regente Hotel. Our room was the one on the corner with the wrap around railing...pretty nice.

And these were the street views from one of our two awesome balconies...

I don't think I would recommend the location, but the hotel was really nice. We took a hop-on, hop-off bus tour through the city to get used to the areas of the city and see some sights. Here are a few highlights.

Neptune's Fountain:

The Ministry of Agriculture (but I mostly just like the gorgeous statues on top):

One of Madrid's many gates...love the the detail:

Alumudena Cathedral, near the palace:

The Royal palace of Madrid (courtyard view):

And its offical entrance that was guarded by very decorated soldiers , but when we went back we didn't see them. The palace is only used for special events and ceremonies as the royal family does not live there.

The FC Real Madrid Futball Stadium:

Those were just a few of the sites as there were many more. The coolest thing about the city would be the architecture and the energy. There are always people out all the time! Another interesting thing we found was the advertising the city is doing to compete for the 2016 Olympics. They have signs up all over with their choice for the Olympic logo and TV commericals too. They really want it! There was also a TON of construction everywhere and I think they are already preparing the city if they get the bid. We will see...here is one of the signs.

I loved the weather while we were there and the fresh warm air was certainly welcomed. We dressed in dresses and added cardigans at night...Not so much in Germany! Here we are on the balcony before our night of tapas and sangria!

We didn't have the best luck with our food...but we found a little street with a hole in the wall tiny restaurant that was pretty good and I liked the sangria quite a bit. Here is Steph enjoying hers!

It was a short trip, but a great experience! Tomorrow I tackle our ridiculous weekend in Munich for Oktoberfest...and yes it was even better than last year!

Auf Wiedersehen!