Overall

most people don't really know about Madrid, they just think in tapas, sun and parties but it ain't only that, it's much more. Cities like paris and london are really impressive but madrid doesn't really lag behind, it's just that Spaniards aren't as chauvinist as French or English. they only sell beaches and partying, they don't know how to sell culture. madrid has lots of things to see also during the day. The Royal Palace, the best art gallery in the world, and please don't tell me that the British Gallery or the Louvre have better paintings(you know any other painting in the Louvre apart from the Gioconda?) Retiro park is a really romantic place to spend some time in, especially in Spring when you can row in its pond. The Gran Via, Alcala Street or La Castellana can stand alongside the Champs Elysées perfectly and you can expect people to deign to stop and talk to you when you ask for help, something that doesn't always happen in london for instance. if you say that madrid isn't a cosmopolitan and interracial city try visiting Sol or Lavapies. And thanks to its privileged situation you can visit historial cities that are within less than an hour driving such as Aranjuez( there's a palace which reminds to Versalles), Alcala de Henares(oldest city in the world to be planned around its university, home of Cevantes), El Escorial(most impressive construction erected during the Spanish Empire), Segovia(roman aqueduct), Avila(most important city walls in Spain,Cultural patrimony of Humanity) , Toledo(former capital city)... You think Madrid it's just heat, well, maybe you could go skiing to Navacerrada which is 50 km away from the city centre, now tell me, which other cities in Europe can offer you a wider range of fun and culture??

6 February 2006 | A Yahoo! User

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