Madrid
A quick jaunt over to Madrid this weekend — thanks to Easyjet cheap flights out of Edinburgh.
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We stayed nearby Opera in a small AirBnb studio, on a backstreet in the older part of town. The cathedral was modern, full of vibrant colours, the adjacent Royal Palace impressive. The city was grander than Seville and Barcelona: larger plazas and fewer winding backstreets in our area. The parks were lovely, with interesting attractions like the Templo De Deboro, and views to the mountains in the distance.
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The food was great — check out the Mercado de San Miguel for food stalls, tapas and drinks in the mid-evening. Museo del Jamon was good for a quick daytime ham and cheese sandwich with a cheap beer to wash it down.
I love to run in every new place I visit. An 8km route at the edge of the Casa de Campo was well worth it for the views and the fresh winter sunshine. The park is huge, I would have loved to have had more time to explore and run the rest. There is a cable car that can get you up to the top of the hill if you don’t fancy the run — and a lake near the entrance where you can grab refreshments. Looking forward to returning to Spain in the (hopefully) not-to-distant future!