Madrid: Plazas, Tapas, Sangria, & Musical Entertainment

Day #1 - After 24 hours of travel and very little sleep, we arrived at Hostal Triana in downtown Madrid. The day of traveling didn't come without a few memories. We had drug dogs sniff us as we walked onto the plane, a man was escorted by police on the plane in Newark and off the plane in Madrid, and Hannah stayed up all night watching movies.

It has been amazing walking around the streets of Madrid. We feel like every building should be important because they all look so ornate. We did a self-guided walking tour through Puerto de Sol, Plaza Meyor and Plaza de Santa Ana. Basically, massive squares filled with open-air cafes and live entertainment (from Spongebob Squarepants to a guy in a flamenco dress). We hear that the squares don't usually slow down until early morning hours so we are excited to try that another night.

We really enjoyed tapas for lunch and the atmosphere that comes with it - of sitting in restaurants or cafes and not being rushed out, but being able to hang out as long as we like.

We also went to the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia - an art museum with all sorts of styles and artists. The highlight was seeing "Guernica" by Picasso and learning about all the preparation he went through in order to make a national political statement with his piece.

We ended our day with a traditional glass of sangria and beer (for Nick). By far the best sangria I have ever had. More to come!

P.S. The picture is of our wonderful first hostal room.