Madrid

Well the firtht thing you notith ith that everybody lithpth. Tho itth impothible to tell who hath a thpeech impediment.

But you get used to that pretty quickly. I suspect that some Spanish King a few centuries ago had a lisp and everyone was told to mimic it so he didn't feel out of place. No wonder the Spanish were prolific explorers - they'd do anything to leave Spain and give their tongues a rest (which is probably why other Spanish speaking countries around the world use 's' instead of 'th').

Anyway, after traveling for about 26 hours I finally got to The Principal Hotel in Madrid. Luckily I only had one bag because that's all that fits in the lift, it was that small. 

The next thing you notice here is the architecture. Ornate gates, pretty colors,  and more princess balconies than you could use to wave to your loyal subjects or get rescued from in a lifetime.

A strange Art Deco building with an open central staircase

Giant green frog about to eat a small child. He spat the scooter back out later.

Never let it be said the Spanish don't understand the desire to get your kit off and have a lie down when the urge strikes.

It's also a city that likes to get out and enjoy public places.