Madrid is a big, busy city. Even so, the city is segmented into smaller villages, or barrios, meaning that walking a few blocks in Madrid can change your experience entirely. Madrid has its sights, but I do not believe has the tourist appeal of other euroean cities. We spent three full days in the city, and I feel like I have thoroughly experienced all the city has to offer.  We saw two major museums ( The Prado and the Reina Sofia), the royal palace, and spent hours wandering back alleys, finding tapas bars and tabernas. We werent bored, but we didnt feel rushed. This certainly is not a bad thing, but its just a different experience than other european cities I have visited.  On the subject of Tapas, I believe the concept is fantastic- small, inexpensive dishes ordered with drinks, allowing you to bar hop without a big investment at any one location. That said, I do not think Spanish food is all that great. Its focused on meat and starch, and while I am certainly no foe to these food groups, it does not allow for a ton of diversity in a meal. The most common dishes seemed to be fried or made primarily of pork.

We move on to Barcelona tomorrow, and I for one am optimistic about what it will bring. Being a big fan of architecture, I believe Gaudi and his influence on the city will be a big draw for me.  After Barcelona, we fly to Italy for the final leg of our (my) trip. Our hotel here in Madrid conveniently has internet access in the room, but its unlikely we will have the same kind of coverage during the rest of the trip. Apologies if my posts are intermittent or nonexistant in the next few days.

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By this time tomorrow, I'll be well on my way to Madrid, and the start of my second trip to Europe. To say I'm excited would certainly be an understatement, but I can't help feel this trip will be a profoundly different experience than the last. On my 2007 trip, I was younger, on a more limited budget, and traveling with a large guided group. This was great at the time- I was able to see a ton without much of the stress associated with travel in foreign countries. That said, I definitely didn't get as much freedom as I'd have liked. 

This time around, while I'll be traveling with others (Ali and Patrick), we will have much more control over what we see and do each day. With only a few days in each city, it will still be a rush to see it all, but its my hope that this trip will allow for a bit more "immersion". 

I'll do my best to keep this blog updated with my travels, though its unclear what my internet access will be like in some of the cities. So long for now- I've got a long flight ahead of me. 

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