Madrid in 24 hours:

Lindsay and I had one night to spend in Madrid, Spain on our 2008 Middle East/Africa trek. We took a flight from Tangier, Morocco to Madrid and had about 24 hours before we caught an early morning flight. Lindsay had spent time there during a European backpacking trip after high school but this was my first time to this unbelievable city. We started by catching the efficient Metro at the airport and took it right into the "centro district." First stop was the magnificent Royal Palace and then we made our way through the winding streets to the Plaza Mayor. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the Middle East and Northern Africa this city seemed so calm, quite and organized. The only thing that tainted the experience at all was that the dollar was incredibly week compared to the Euro so this was quite the shock:) After taking in the sites of the old city we made our way to Parque del Buen Retiro (a huge park) to stroll along with the locals watching the late afternoon turn into evening. Once the sun was down we went back to the main shopping districts and just took in the scene. We would chill for a minute, hit up a cafe, and then pick another place to stop and people watch. The architecture, temperature and overall vibe was a perfect and relaxing way to end an incredible long and adventurous trek. At around midnight we caught one of the last Metro trains back to the airport and spent the night sleeping on the cold hard floor with our backpacks (can't afford a hotel with the Euro so strong). Madrid is incredible and a city that deserves weeks of time to explore as opposed to 24 short hours, however, we loved every minute of our time there.