by Laura Spain

A lovely Madrid street.

In many of the restaurants and pubs you'll see a pig leg in a vice to make it easier for staff to cut off thin slices. Um. Yummy.

I enjoyed this drink on our tapas tour. It is kind of like sangria. It is wine with Sprite and a couple pieces of fruit, like lemons, thrown on top. It's delicious and refreshing in summer heat.

On our second (and last) day in Madrid we decided to go on a tapas tour. Tapas are traditionally the little snacks you are served when you order a drink.  They are called tapas because back in the day the small plate of snacks would be placed on top of the drink you ordered.  On our tapas tour we were taken to three different bars where we got a small complimentary drink and a tapas or two.  The tour consisted of myself, Chris, the guide and a writer for “Let’s Go” travel books.  The writer named Grace was enjoying her first week out of six in Spain.  She was a young 20-year old student from Harvard who managed to secure a gig for herself writing for “Let’s Go”.  She was kind enough to take down our blog address and apparently on her own “Let’s Go” travel blog will put a link to ours!

When we passed the royal palace in Madrid, it just so happened to be the changing of the guard.

Laura enjoying a "Churro", which is a traditional Spanish desert. It is deep fried dough which you dip in melted chocolate.

Chris enjoying his churro.

A HUGE cup of melted chocolate for our churros, and if that isn't sweet enough the servers kindly placed two packages of sugar on the plate.

We enjoyed eating a paella, another Spanish dish.

Paella in all its glory, eye-balls and all.

An elephant doing a trunk stand.

A vertical garden on a building outside the (FREE) modern art museum located near the Prado Museum.

Chris relaxing on a bench in Madrid's largest public park, El Retiro. As you walk further into the trees and many pathways the constant rumble of the traffic fades away and it's hard to believe you're in the middle of Madrid.

A flower Chris and I enjoyed in the Botanical garden (2.5 Euro/person) in Madrid.

The Sol Square in Madrid.

The Reina Sofia Museum which houses many paintings by famous artists like Goya, Salvador Dali and Picasso. This museum is a must-see if you visit Madrid. Â Free on Saturday afternoons (2.30pm-9pm), Sunday mornings (10am-2.30pm) and on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 7pm to 9pm.