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Living life to the fullest..
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 @Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Madrid
What I can remembered about Madrid is that there are many plazas (empty square spaces) circled by cafes where people could sit under the sun with a cup of beer and listen to spanish music. Madrid is a relaxing place to chill.

A few examples of plazas
There is also a big pretty park on the east of the city. It is the nicest park I have ever seen. It has a couple of lakes in it and a glass palace. The park is well maintained. Baskers will approach people who are lying on the grass and play them a tune or two, hoping to receive some pennys for their efforts.
The lovely park!! the lakes, statues, trees
Madrid is also a place with lots of Museums, palaces and churches. Prado Museum is one of the famous museums. It is free admissions after six on one of the weekdays. Palazzo Reale is the famous palace in Madrid, but must be prepared to queue for at least an hour even if u arrived early in the morning.
The Spainish dance- Flamenco is very popular here. We went to watch the show in a bar and the dancers were really good.. Smooth and sharp moves:)

Traditional spanish meal before watching the Flamenco- bread, russian salad, meat (tapas), cheeze and a potato dish

Cheers to the great night:)

The Spanish dancers dancing Flamenco

a great night w the girls
Bull fighting is a speciality in Madrid. I would definitely recommend visiting Madrid over a weekend because the flea markets and bull fighting shows will be on during weekends. The bull fighting season is typically during April and May. It is important to book the bull fighting show in advance. When I was in Madrid, I visited the bull fighting ring and joined the bull fighting tour. It is really interesting listening to the bull fighting rituals. Bull fighting in Madrid seems like the modern day gladiator show in the colossem- brutal and bloody, but that is what people come to watch for. The thrill and excitement of witnessing how the bull fighters escaped from death. The bull fighters are like football celebrities and they enjoyed a handsome sum of reward for every bull they kill.
At the bull fighting stadium
I would prefer Barcelona over Madrid anytime. Barcelona has more interesting sights to see. However, if I am going back to Madrid in future, I will make sure I make it for the free guided tour that I missed. It is in Sol station, 11am, everyday.
As I travelled in Western Europe, I had a sudden urge to learn Spanish. Spanish is the 2nd most widely used language after English. Initially I wanted to learn French or Japanese but now I feel that Spanish would be a more useful language. I hope that I would have the motivation to take this urge into action.
Labels: travels in europe