Madrid has been OK!  I will need to return here one day as I’m not giving it my usual open-minded approach to travel – this is mainly down to the heat.  It is 43C which is unbearable and I have been travelling non-stop for 4 months so am in need of some down time.

Madrid, Spain’s central capital, is a city of elegant boulevards and expansive, manicured parks such as the Buen Retiro. It’s renowned for its rich repositories of European art, including the Prado Museum’s works by Goya, Velázquez and other Spanish masters. The heart of old Hapsburg Madrid is the portico-lined Plaza Mayor, and nearby is the baroque Royal Palace and Armory, displaying historic weaponry.