Madrid, the capital of Spain. Many people who travel to Spain don't like Madrid, but I absolutely love it. It is a wonderful city to walk around in. You can walk around the city center. The main plaza is called Sol. The Plaza del Sol is made famous by its epic New Years Eve celebrations that rival those of Times Square in New York City. From Sol there is plenty to see. There is the Plaza Mayor, an old square that is hidden within the surrounding buildings. You can walk down to Parque del Retiro, a beautiful park where you can rent paddle boats or just laze in the sun.My favorite walk is to a poorer neighborhood south of Sol - Lavapies. Lavapies is always full of life. There is music being played in the streets, and great smells wafting out of the restaurants. This is also the location of our favorite tapas bar. El Boqueron is a small tapas bar - standing room only - where you can get the freshest and most delicious seafood in the city. Anytime I have the opportunity to go, I will.
One of the ponds in Parque del Retiro.
Parque del Retiro Gran Via
Plaza de Oriente
Casa de Campo: an enormous park on the western end of Madrid
Puerta del Sol
But, really the best thing about Madrid is that you can very easily visit some very cool places nearby. Trains and buses will take you to Toledo (the former capital), Segovia (with its huge Roman aqueduct and its beautiful castle), and finally, Avila.
