Monday, September 10, 2012

Madrid and Sintra - days 6,7, and 8

We spent our second day in Madrid relaxing, washing some clothes and sleeping in! We went for a stroll in the afternoon to see Plaza Mayor ( a popular courtyard surrounded by old brick buildings painted with frescoes), Palacios Real ( the royal palace), Cathedral de La Almudena, and toured through San Miguel, a busy market surrounded by glass walls.

Our third day was when the Vuelta ( the bike tour through Spain, similar to the Tour de France) finished in Madrid, so we got to see Contador lead the peloton through the city. Very impressive! The speeds they reach on cobblestone streets with slick tires is amazing.

Today, we took planes, trains and automobiles to reach Lisbon and our final stop for the day, Sintra. It's a national park that was once the Royal's summer playground. There are castles and palaces everywhere and the streets are so windy, steep, and cobblestoned that it makes the road up to Takkakaw Falls (for those who visited us in Lake Louise) look like a cakewalk.

It's all been great. Sorry, I can't post pictures, but there are some on Facebook, if you care to do some hunting.

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