3. I made a quick stop just to see these buildings. For a long time, I actually forgot about them while I was madly rushing to see the historic part of the city.




















7. Taking the train out of the city is a fun experience. Spain's high speed trains are very modern and comfortable.











8. The subway system is incredible. There are a lot of lines, and the facilities are quite maintained.











9. I now start moving away from modernity to see what's more historic in Madrid. To start, here is a fairly interesting jet parked at the airport. I have never seen a Cuban airliner before, and I don't think it's a new jet.












11. I was surprised how many architectural details Madrid's old buildings had. The city feels much different from Barcelona. I knew I was in trouble. I didn't have enough time to explore.











13. The wonderful weather I had in Lisbon followed me into Madrid, and the wonderful skies gave a very nice backdrop for these old buildings.












15. Here is Sol, a major gathering place.











17. I didn't see much blatant billboard advertising until I got to here. I believe there is a story about this sign. I have to dig my guide book to find out what it was.
















20. Hey .. a double decker sightseeing bus ...



























26. As usual, I like to explore the side streets and wander into nowhere, and emerge in some corner amazed at the surprise finding.








27. Surprise!























32. The designs don't seem quite uniform, which made exploring far more fun. Was it a requirement to make buildings look different from each other?




















36. Who will save the lady and throw the man a beer?




















40. Prado is quite an attraction, but I didn't have time for it. Rather than try to do the impossible and squeeze 1 day into 1 hour, I will come back to Madrid for this.




























46. Wonder how much it costs to live here.