Chicago has pretty tough competition for the 2016 Olympics (Madrid, Rio de Janiero, and Tokyo).
Well, I haven't been to all the cities, but if Rio and Tokyo are anything like Chicago or Madrid, it is going to be a tough choice for the 2016 Olympics.
After my visit to Barcelona, I took a morning flight over to Madrid to explore for a few days. It was just under a 1 hour flight and cost about $120USD; however I was going to rent a car for 4 days and the 6.5 hour drive....but it was going to set me back about $400. So, I opted for the plane ride. Good choice, in my opinion.
Madrid was a little more my style. As much as I enjoyed Barcelona, it is a pretty fast paced city, filled with young(er) travelers and backpackers. From my estimation, the tourists in Madrid were 1) far fewer than Barcelona (always a good thing!) and 2) a little older than the 20-something crowd of Barcelona.
You could easily find a place to sit in Plaza Mayor for either lunch or a drink and watch and people passed by. Entering the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) was quick and easy...no need to queue forever just to be part of a huge mob moving from room to room.
I strolled through Retiro Park, the Botanical Gardens, Paseo del Prado and took in a few wonderful museums (The Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza).
A few pictures.
Palacio Royal (Royal Palace)
Plaza Mayor
Retiro Park
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