We decided to head out on our own and follow a walking tour Steve and Mary had found. What a great day. Probably changed our minds about Madrid. At one point we had stopped for a coffee at a shop across from the Royal Palace. When we left to stroll the palace gardens we were just in time to see a Royal Parade. Still not sure what it was for, but it sure was nice.
More walking followed the parade and soon we had worked up an appetite. Found a little hole in the wall tapas joint in old Madrid and decided to give it a try. Our first reaction was "maybe we should find somewhere else". We sat in a small room with four kiddy size tabes and sat on what were effectively, small camp stools. I had the luxury of a back rest in my spot as did the person sitting directly behind me. We were so close our backs provided support for each other.
But, we stuck it out and enjoyed some excellent tapas "toasts" and the inevitable Spanish wine.
Our waitress was a lot of fun and her smile grew wide when she heard we had a single son at home in Canada.
Today's finale (and the trip finale for that matter), was a delicious dinner at the Opera House restaurant, complete with occasional song from two incredibly talented young opera singers. Wow, what a night.
Arriving back at the hotel, it was time to say goodbye to our fellow travellers. What a great bunch of people from around the world.
The trip has been wonderful, but it will be nice to get back home tomorrow.
