Our last day in France was spent leisurely walking around the Montmartre area of northern Paris. We hiked to the top of the famous basillica in Paris (which is the highest point in the city), only to be denied entry due to our American shorts. What better thing to do next than eat? After lunch, we parted ways with our Paris travel buddy, Jon, and then hit up some tourist shopping areas. We continued our roaming and stumbled upon a huge cemetary that looked more like a ghost town with streets lined with huge mausoleums that dated back to the 1700s. It was creepy but scenic (weirdly enough). We checked out of the hostel and headed to the "hotel train." We like to ride in style...or so we thought. Turns out, hotel train means uncomfortable reclining seats, no free food or drinks, and snoring car mates. It was grand. After a sleepless night, we arrived in Madrid. We found our way to our hostel easily enough, but we couldn´t check in until after one. We decided to dump our luggage in the locked storage room available, grab a late breakfast, and joined the free three hour walking tour. Heat and exhaustion were not a good mix for this, but we perservered.

Time for a Spanish siesta! Yay! We liked this culture from the very beginning. After we recharged, we headed to a recommended tapas restaurant. We had Sangria with free traditional Spanish appetizers that were delicious. Loving the free goodies we will miss so dearly when we get to the real world. After dinner, we went on our own little bar crawl, wandering the winding streets of the city that never seems to sleep. Our last stop was a seven level club that seemed to be meant for celebrities and possibly royalty. Cover was 20 euros (oh but don´t worry, it came with a free drink, which Mel used for a 6 euro water). Joes did not prepare us for this. Each level of the club had a different theme going. The bottom was a techno theme, but there was also a hip hop/rap floor, a bacardi bar floor, and a terrace with couches and palm trees. Things didn´t really get going til after 2. Needless to say, we couldn´t hang with the locals, especially when they stay up until 6 or 7 partying their lives away. Plus, Melissa seems to have caught what Dana was enduring in Ireland, so the night ended early.

Sunday morning, we slept in a little bit, and then headed to the flea market that happens every sunday in the city. This is where we got to practice our bargaining skills (and by we, we mean our interpreter Melissa). This was no American flea market. It was the real deal, basically covering every alley and street of southern Madrid. Diving right into the culture! And the heat. We also learned during this adventure that genie pants are becoming all the rage in Madrid these days. The market was also infested with street performers of all different kinds..everything from human statues to marionettes. After the market, we went to the largest park in Madrid for an afternoon stroll. We found a cafe by the lake and sat outside to people watch. This included watching a strange woman covered with fake fruit offering to take pictures with people. We ventured into a crystal palace...who would have thought the only thing that would be inside was a slide? Of course Melissa jumped at the opportunity, and of course Kristi got the pictures. We found our way back to our hostel and popped in before heading to dinner at a nearby plaza cafe. Apparently dinner portions here are somewhat different than what we´re used to. We clearly need to learn to eat the big lunches and smaller dinners like they do. Melissa had a plate of ham shavings drenched in oil (jealous, aren´t you?), and Kristi had 4 half peppers with carrot sprinkles to fill her up. Yummmm

Tonight we´re just resting up for our last day in Madrid tomorrow. We´ll be sad to leave our colorful youth hostel in this great location with free internet to top it off. Next off to Barcelona!