Madrid

After Paris, Madrid seems small and manageable. The metro system is super clean and cheap, and entirely unnecessary to tourists because all sights are within easy walking distance. There's just the right amount of people too. Small crowds are always around but it doesn't get stifling at rush hour. Although they don't siesta as I was led to believe, stuff is open really late. Cafes and tapas bars are crowded at 1 am on weekdays.

Madrid is probably the most cultural city I've been in . One of the days I was there was the holiday of San Isidro, one of the patron saints of the city, and lots of people were dressed in traditional clothing. Public shows are routinely held in the massive city park, usually late at night. At 11pm I went to see a Tchaikovsky ballet amidst a huge crowd. Quite a few bars also have live flamenco shows, which are always fun to watch. The mainstreets fill with street performers from B-boys to classical string quartets.

Madrid dedicates an entire museum to Spanish artists. The Museo de Sofia Reina had tons of Picasso and Dali. The classic museum, the Prado, leaned more towards Italian with quite a few Raphaels, but also showcased Goya. The necessary large palace was there as well, with the most modern cathedral I've ever seen. It actually let in copious amounts of sunlight, had edgy triangular stained glass, and sports bose speakers and plasma screens.

One of the unique things about Madrid are the plazas. Its got plazas like Florence has churches, they're just everywhere, and they're all interesting to see. Some have statues, others fountains or flowers, or some combination thereof. I had a good time in Madrid despite being in the worst hostel I have yet to experience, and it was great to be somewhere where I could sort of understand what people are saying and actually be able to ask for stuff. To be continued in Barcelona.