Really Nice Vacations

Have not been to Spain but was always charmed by the Flamenco dancers, fascinated by the ancient practice of bull running from 7th to 14th July every year, awed by the courageous Medator and the fiery bull, impressed by the colourful festivals that’s round the year and of course the Real Madrid guys.

The boss may be sending me to Madrid in 2 months time and that’s cool even though I cannot take extensive leave to explore the place. However, I know I can squeeze in one or two days to tour around. I was so excited that I searched the internet until wee hours this morning. The search made me speechless, there are simply so many places I can visit within, and surrounding, Madrid. The only problem is I don’t have enough time! These places caught my attention:

• Toledo The former capital of Spain, Toledo has retained its medieval charm, with its city walls and winding streets.
• Segovia The twin charms of Segovia’s fairytale castle and Roman aqueduct make Segovia an essential day trip from Madrid.
• Avila Often overlooked city between Madrid and Salamanca, with some of the best preserved medieval city walls in Europe.
• El Escorial El Escorial’s monastery and kings’ crypt (where the majority of Spain’s kings for the past 400 years are buried) are a nice alternative to tourist-heavy Segovia and Toledo.
• El Valle de los Caidos Controversial burial ground for former dictator, General Franco, complete with magnificent stone cross and basilica, built by Franco’s prisoners of war from the Spanish Civil War. Close to El Escorial to make a perfect combined day trip.

Besides planning for the day-trip, what concerns me most is where to stay amongst all the Madrid hotels. I got to check with the finance lady on the traveling budget, but in the meantime, I had subscribed to some blogs and online newsletters to get the latest hotel updates in Europe. Hopefully, that should clue me in to make an informed decision when the time comes.

I’m just crossing my fingers and toes that there is no change of plan from the boss. I want to go to Madrid for real, and get to drool at the Real Madrid guys …

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