MADRID – Spain (Mon 19 Oct)

We had a quiet day today. Headed into the city again with the intent of visiting the Palace, however the palace was closed due a function. Judging by the number of police and armed personnel around the Palace area it must have been something pretty important. We have been told that the Palace remains largely empty so we do wonder how much of a white elephant it is.

Instead we headed up to the park and spent some time in the sun. The weather does seem to be definitely cooling off, so we are hoping that it isn’t the end of summer for us.

This city seems to be full of parks and with a population of over 3.5 million, plenty of people to support them. Unfortunately there are also plenty of people that we saw trying to take advantage of those relaxing a little too much in the sun. One very dodgy character walked past us checking out our bags and those of those around us. We have found that those types disappear pretty quickly when you start to follow and watch them. However you know that there are always plenty more we he came from that you haven’t noticed. They are just so brazen in the way that they work.

Next to the Palace is the Cathedral which we visited. Despite its looks it is a very recent creation having been opened by Pope John Paul II in 2004. It is large, light and has an excellent mix of both old and new artworks throughout its interior.

We finished the day with dinner a student tapas bar. A small place that was packed to the gunwales with students and we soon found out why. For every drink that you order you get a free plate of tapas. We discovered that the strategy of the day was to order small drinks. So after three small drinks and three plates of tapas each … well … that was dinner. An interesting concept, but one that seems to go down very well. You could argue that this is just encouraging them to drink more, but I think they are going to drink anyway, so why not be responsible and feed them as well. You know of course that you will be paying more than usual for the drinks, but that is part of the deal. A very enjoyable experience.