Spain Here We Come!

The next leg of our trip took us to Madrid, Spain! This was my first time to Madrid and my second time to Spain (the last time was over a decade ago!) - So I was extremely excited to experience the capital of Spain!

We woke up early to make sure that we were able to visit the Royal Palace of Madrid, but the view from our hotel room, and the weather (for me at least! haha) was AMAZING!

We stayed in an awesome hostel called MuchoMadrid - located in the heart of the city, on the Calle Gran Vía.

We were able to walk to almost all our locations, below is the sculpture of Cervantes overlooking bronze sculptures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Next to the tower, there are two stone representations of Don Quixote's "true love", one as the simple peasant woman Aldonza Lorenzo, and one as the beautiful, imaginary Dulcinea del Toboso.

This is located in the Plaza de Espana.

And (of course!) on our walk to the Palace, we stopped at my favorite place! haha #Starbucksforlife - They even gave me a smiley face on my cup!

And because the Palace square was somewhat empty... I decided to do this... Hahaha

The below is Almudena Cathedral, which is located directly across from the Royal Palace.

The inside of the palace was stunning (larger than I expected!), and is actually still used by the Spanish Monarchy for specific events.

Our next stop was to eat lunch and experience the atmosphere of Plaza Mayor - and do a bit of shopping!

Then we HAD to go and get the best Churros and Chocolate in Madrid at The Chocolatería San Ginés!

Next we wondered around the city, visited the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande, Madrid. Unfortunately, it was closed when we went, but the outside of the church and the square were wonderful!

We also had a quick coffee break at a Cat Cafe called Polineko located in the Barrio de la Latina in Madrid.

Then we headed back to our hostel for an early night, because the next day we had to get up SUPER early for our tours of Toledo and Segovia, Spain

Out first stop was the beautiful city of Toledo! Toledo is an ancient city set on a hill above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. The capital of the region, it is known for the medieval Arab, Jewish and Christian monuments in its walled old city.

Then it was back on the bus for our trip to Segovia! Segovia is a historic city northwest of Madrid, in central Spain's Castile and León region. Its centuries of settlement have resulted in a rich architectural legacy, including medieval walls, Romanesque churches, a former royal palace and a Gothic cathedral. Its iconic ancient Roman aqueduct has more than 160 arches, most in the original mortarless granite, and stands above Plaza Azoguejo in the heart of the city.

We were also able to walk through The Alcázar of Segovia - The Alcázar was originally built as a fortress but has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College and a military academy since then. It is currently used as a museum and a military archives building.

Then we headed back to Madrid to eat dinner at the oldest restaurant in the world - Botin Restaurant (PS: DO NOT EAT Suckling Pig!).

Yes - This happened!

#SaveTheBabyPigs!

If you are wondering, I am the one texting in green... :(

Finally, on our last day in Madrid we visited the awesome The Temple of Debod. The Temple of Debod is an ancient Egyptian temple that was dismantled and rebuilt in Madrid, Spain.

Adios España! And Ciao Roma!