Bueno! (Madrid)

Member Name: Andyc

Product:	Madrid
Date:	18/02/01 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful, friendly, warm, good transport, great food, cheap to get to etc. etc!

Disadvantages: I wasn't there long enough!

Marvelous, magical Madrid!

With cheap flights available all over the place now, if you can afford it, really, go to Madrid.

My Christmas present from my girlfriend this year was a day-trip to Madrid!

Can you 'do' Madrid in a day? No, of course not, not really, but you can have a damn good day!

The ease of travelling for a day with no luggage is another point entirely, but Madrid.....

It's amazing.

Madrid is steeped in history from the Moorish roots to the modern day and it doesn't strike you until you come home how clean the place is!

There are police seemingly on every corner, so as a camera and cash carrying tourist you feel quite safe.. though the policia do all carry guns, which worries me!

From the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) to the Plaza's it's all wonderful. I went in February and it was sunny and warm.

The City puts London to shame for colour and variety. The Plaza Colon (named after Columbus) is wonderously green and has a superb waterfall! It runs off the fountain and over a covered walkway, so you can walk under it! It's like being in one of those knights and dragon type movies, when they hide behind the waterfall!

Anyway.... the Royal Palace, the Natural History museum, the Plaza Mayor, Place de Soleil I couldn't get enough.

The Palace is enourmous, fairly cheap and has tours on offer if needed, but otherwise a marked route around is provided. The plethora of rooms in the palace is mind-boggling. From the room where everything is made of porcelain, from the walls to the ceiling, to the resplendent throne room, where the walls are velvet!

The Natural history museum has no English facilities so back to basic Spanish, but nonetheless the artifacts on display are fascinating and range from Egyptian mummies to Medieval swords.

The tube system (for me as a Londoner) is easy to master and runs to all the points of
interest... and even if you're not familiar with underground transport it's simple to work out and if not busses are a good alternative and you can see more of the city en route.

The food is delightful (try a local speciality of garlic and egg soup... sounds weird, but tastes nice) and of course the Spanish red wines are a bargain!

I dashed round the city in a day and as soon as I can afford it I'm going back for longer!

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