Madrid, Spain

The last of our European cities (for this trip), we had high expectations for Madrid, and she did not disappoint! We were lucky enough to be joined by our wonderful friends from Fort Lauderdale, Peter & Victor. Victor had actually lived in Madrid for several years so having a personal tour guide only added to our experience. Thanks Victor!

We did a lot of site-seeing, cafes, a few castles and a mall with a food court over looking the city. And no trip to Madrid would be complete without a visit to Buen Retiro Park (my brother Curtis and I had visited before and loved then as well). What a beautiful park in the heart of the city!

After a few days of enjoying the city Victor suggested we take a day trip to the town of Segovia, famous for its Segovia Cathedral. Possibly even more striking is the Aqueduct of Segovia remnants from the Roman Empire.

We ended our road trip at the Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso, summer palace to the king. We visited in November so not much to see of the gardens but the grounds were large and beautiful even without the flowers.

We stayed in two different Airbnbs both unique and enjoyable. The first in the (gay) charming neighborhood of Chueca. Lots of nightlife, restaurants, and shopping (yes, believe it or not, more sunglasses!). The second, Plaza Espana, is a little more ‘business like’, but across from the large plaza, with many restaurants, shops, and even Spains version of Chipotle was nearby (yum!) We stayed on the 13th floor of a high rise and really enjoyed the views.

Although we didn’t get any good pictures, we took in the Cirque du Soleil show, Totem. All four of us are fans and veterans of many Cirque shows and we all agreed, this was one of our favorites.

After an amazing 10 days in Madrid, it was time to say goodbye to our dear friends, a beautiful city, and our departure from Europe. We have thoroughly enjoyed our 2 months here and look forward to our return in late March next year.

Adios (Spain) — Tchau (Portugal) — Au revoir (France) — Addio (Italy)

We will be out of touch for several weeks as we embark on another first for us – our first Transatlantic cruise! We are leaving tomorrow on Costa’s Favolosa from Barcelona to Santos (Sao Paulo), Brazil 🇧🇷 ! We will do our best to take relevant pictures and update everyone after visiting with our families for the holidays. Happy Holidays everyone!