While Egypt was all about motion and tours, Madrid was the laid back portion of our vacation. And it was magnificent. First off, we had perfect weather – sunny and high 70s during the day. Second, it’s just a beautiful, clean, orderly European city. It felt very familiar to us. And third, it offered our favorite of all European pastimes – sitting at a cafe, drinking wine, and people watching.

From the hop on, hop off bus, to the Prado art museum, to the e-bike tour, to our “self-guided wine tour” and loooooooong hike to the zoo, to our walk through Retiro Park, and to the never ending supply of wine, gelato and churros … we had a blast.

One thing deserves a longer mention. Some may not like this, but we attended a bullfight in the most famous bullring in the world – Las Ventas. I wasn’t sure what to expect or how I would feel about it. We know it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Setting aside the sensitivities some may have about this, the cultural aspects are really fascinating. The training, the bravery, the customs, and the pageantry – it was all very interesting and educational. We happened to see a young matador get gored twice, which was really shocking. News reports suggest that he will recover with no lasting issues.

The other item that deserves special mention is churros – specifically, churros with hot dipping chocolate. OMG, why have I never had this before? We discovered this culinary masterpiece on day 1 at breakfast and proceeded to have it every single morning after that. 😉