Madrid

We arrived in Madrid after spending a couple of nights in Denia, a small town on the mediterranean coast of southern Spain. Denia is popular among German and British tourists. Some of them own apartments there and some rent for the week or month. It was nice to have a day on the beach, relaxing and catching up on some sleep and laundry. From Denia, we took a local tram (or light rail) to Alicante, then took a high-speed train to Madrid in 3 hours. The first-class coach on the train served a nice lunch, just like what you get on a commercial flight. The lunch was very good and they even served beer or wine with your meal. This is the first time on this trip that we were served food on a train.
While Barcelona has most of the tourist attractions spread out over a big area of the city, Madrid has most of them in the city center. That makes it easy to see most of them on foot. I took a 3-hour "free" walking tour and the British-born tour guide did a good job explain Spanish history and culture besides some of the buildings on the tour. We stayed at a hostel called Way Hostel, which is within walking distance of most of the tourist attractions. Nearby there are also a lot of local shops and restaurants. At night the area is full of patrons going to many of the bars and restaurants in the area. On Saturday while walking around, there were many football (real football, not American football) fans attending a Real Madrid game. For those not familiar with football, Real Madrid is one of the top football teams in the world.
I really enjoyed my time in Spain.  It's just a nice and easy-going lifestyle.  It has a rich and interesting history and culture.  I got to try most of the uniquely Spanish things - paella, tapas, bocadillos (sandwiches), sangria, Spanish art by Goya, Picasso, Velasquez, etc.  The two things that I wanted to try but didn't get a chance to are flamenco dancing and bullfighting.  I understand that bullfighting will be banned starting next year.
I also wish I have time to go to other well-known smaller Spanish cities:  Toledo, Seville, Granada, Salamanca, Cordoba, Santiago de Compostela, Valencia, etc.  They all each have their own interesting history and culture.  For example, I heard that Granada had a strong Moorish influence so you see a lot of that in their architecture.
Next on the trip is Lisbon.

Royal Palace Grounds

Paellas' are very popular in Spain

Seafood Paella - rice, spices and seafood

Tapas for 1 euro each.  Free at places when you order a drink

Picture of a bullfighter being gored through the throat

Famous Prado Museum

Mercado de San Miguel - has all kinds of food

A gypsy woman begging

Playa de Mayor - a big square with a lot of restaurants