Tour of Madrid!

OK still behind, pero esta bien! We probably did the most touristy, American thing ever...Double Decker Bus Tour through Madrid! It was ridiculously freezing...mainly because we decided we just HAD to sit on the top floor when it was about 27 degrees...but all in all so much fun! Despite the cheesiness it was actually a really cool intro to the city. Madrid is absolutely amazing!! Every weekend I'm not traveling I'm making trips to Madrid...and I can tell I'm still not going to be able to do everything I want to! The bus had a listening tour...which I used in Spanish so I got about 80% of what was said ha.

We saw Gran Via which is basically the equivalent of Broadway, El Parque del Retiro (their Central Park with a lake in the middle for row boats!) and amazing architecture everywhere you look! We got off the bus at the Palacio Real so that we could walk around and find a place to eat. The palace is so overwhelming! It's just crazy to me that there are 2,800 rooms! David said it would be the best place for a house party because it's so big your parents would have no chance of finding you...and probably wouldn't even be able to hear you! We walked through the gardens and took a break for some photo-ops with Don Quixote...of course. We saw some street performers...guy on classical guitar with pianist and an elderly couple with an accordion! so cute! We also walked through a park and went through El Templo de Debod, an Egyptian temple that has been around for over 2200 years! Most of the hieroglyphics are still preserved and there is 3D diagram of how it originally looked. We walked for a bit and found a small restaurant to grab a bite and the food was great.

We then took a couple hours to walk around and see the sights. There are so many neighborhoods and they all have very different vibes. it's going to be so fun exploring! We eventually got back on the double decker bus to finish our tour but apparently we had walked around for too long because the driver pulled over only a few minutes later and said "parada final"...so we had to get off and trek back through the city to catch the train. It was a cool contrast to see the same sights from early all lit up and with tons of people flooding the streets going out for food and shopping. It definitely felt more like New York to me. We finally made it back to the train station, after Hernan led us on a ridiculously round about way back. It was a long, but amazing day in the city!