First Stop... Madrid

Madrid, it was a lot like Barcelona but not as nice (or at least I didn't think so). Realistically though it is hard to get to know a city when you are travelling with your butt permanently planted in the plush velvet seating of a deluxe Trafalgar coach. Although a bus tour does allow you to cover more ground in a shorter amount of time it definitely left me feeling detached from the city I was intended to be experiencing. Almost two whole days spent in Madrid allowed me to come to the realization that like Barcelona there is too much to be seen and done in too little time. Unfortunately I didn't get to experience much of the city besides the public transit system and Placa Mayor but I was provide with an amazing excursion opportunity to see the Valley of the Fallen and San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

San Lorenzo de El Escorial was an impressive palace and monastery complex about 45 minutes outside of Madrid. A one time royal getaway this monastery attracts plenty of tourist to a quaint little town located where the foothills of Madrid meet the mountains. We have radium and the Mandrilenos have El Escorial, needless to say although the exterior was quite imposing I definitely enjoyed and appreciated my visit, at times it reminded me of the Palace of Versailles.

Valle de le Los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen) was a memorial created by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (viewed as a tyrant by many) for those who 'fell' during Spain's civil war. It was an astonishing basilica and monument northwest of Madrid and home to Franco's final resting place. It is said that he actually used his prisoners of war to create this memorial tribute, how ironic is that. None the less, he may have been a horrible individual but he definitely created an incredible monument, it was breathtaking.