FIELD TRIP #1...MADRID

I headed to Madrid for the weekend meeting up with my former Dutch flatmate. She´s from Netherlands, but lives in Northern Spain. I took a one hour and ten minute flight there. We had a nice time. When comparing Madrid to Barcelona, I think it´s like comparing DC to New York. To me, Madrid seemed cleaner and slightly slower paced. Whereas Barcelona is more like NYC - more crowded and a little rowdier and lots of activity all of the time. I liked Madrid, but think I definitely prefer Barcelona. As a tourist, I think there´s more to do in Barcelona and I love the energy of Barcelona. But I also liked the calmness and many beautiful parks of Madrid. Madrid also has a number of well-known museums. And for those who know me well, you know I don´t dig museums. So, didn´t hit any of those, but I´m sure they are lovely.

So we mainly just walked the city, saw the palace, enjoyed several cafes and just had a nice, relaxing time. I´m not sure if pickpocketing is quite an issue in Madrid as it is in Barcelona. I hadn´t read about it in any of my books and I hadn´t gotten that vibe, so it was a nice change of pace after my Barcelona pickpocketing episodes.