Madrid

Spain was the first leg on the European adventure. We started in Madrid where we stayed at the Hisperia Madrid. The hotel was really nice, but quite a walk to the sights. We arrived the first evening starving from the flight, so we went in search of dinner.

Plaza Mayor was our first stop, which is a large square with tons of tapas restaurants. It's a beautiful place and worth a look, but the restaurants are essentially tourist traps. Right behind the Plaza is the Mercado de San Miguel. This place is great! It's an upscale market where you can sample all of what Madrid has to offer. The sangria is €3 and is fantastic! We then moved onto Cava Baha where ate more delicious tapas.

Day 2 was Justins birthday and he wanted to visit all the museums. So we did!. First we visited the Thyssen Museum which was awesome. We loved the art of Matisse, Kirchner and Picasso. After we walked to the Parque de Buen Retiro, which is massive, and saw the beautiful Palacio de Cristal.

Onto the Reina Sofia Museum we went, which is free after 2 on Saturdays. The building is amazing, but we found the ultra modern art slightly bizarre. The last museum on the list was the famous Prado, which is also free on Saturdays after 6. Even after touring the Prado, we liked the Thyssen the best. We also managed to squeeze in a quick look at the breathtaking Palaccio Real.

Day 3 we got up early and headed on the road to San Sebastian...