Sintra

  Last year I visited Sintra, a beautiful portuguese village near Lisbon. It was autumn and the scenery was enchanting.

Palácio da Pena.

Madrid

  Back in the summer of 2011, I travelled to Madrid, where I stayed for three days. The spanish capital was a big surprise to me, I didn't expect to enjoy it so much.

  We landed at the Barajas airport around midday and imediately hopped in a cab and headed to our Hotel. After leaving our luggages safely in our rooms, we head back outside to start exploring Madrid.

  Plaza de Cibeles is one of the most iconic spots of the city. It was near our hotel, so we crossed the plaza every time we wanted to go somewhere else.

  On our way to the Parque del Buen Retiro we passed through the Puerta de Alcalá.

  Avenida de México.

  Monumento a Alfonso XII.

  Palacio de Cristal.

  La Cibeles.

  Edificio Metrópolis.

  Our hotel was located in the city center, which was amazing. We could walk everywhere, which means we were able to saved a lot of money. Besides that, the rooms were very pleasent and the breakfast was satisfying. Price-quality relation, really good.

  On the second day we visited two of the most famous museums of Madrid. We got up, had breakfast and started our cultural route through Paseo del Prado).

  First stop: El Museo de arte Thyssen-Bornemisza. It was the museum I loved the most. It's worth a visit, totally.

  The second museum we visited was the famous Museo Nacional del Prado. It's also worth a visit, but it's much more tiring.

  After the cultural morning spent in the museums, we went back to Parque del Retiro to  rest for a while.

  Fuente del Ángel Caído.

  At the end of the day, we visited Puerta del Sol, one of Madrid's most famous places. On the east side of the square it's located the capital symbol, the statue of a bear and a madrone tree (madroño).

  After  some shopping in the city center, we returned to the Hotel for some rest. At night, we went out to dinner and for a walk. 

  On the third day we visited the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.

  After visiting the museum, we returned to the city center to catch the touristic bus for a sightseeing trip around the city.

  We hopped out of the touristic bus to visit the Palacio Real de Madrid.

  At night, we went for a last walk to Puerta del Sol, where we could find the Real Casa de Correos and the the city heart, where  the km 0 is located. 

  The next morning, we headed to the airport and return home.

  Hasta la próxima Madrid!