As the title says, today was our get acquainted with the city as a whole by using the Hop on Hop Off bus. Part of our pleasant experience was the weather...so beautiful and we are so grateful! The elevation here is about 2,000 feet, so the sky just seems to be bluer than we're used to. I snapped a ton of pictures of interesting buildings--almost gave myself whiplash, just so many unbelievably beautiful structures EVERYWHERE, with a monument or sculpture at every intersection. There was one street in particular that was just amazing--and the guide said it had been constructed in the 1600's, which is just mind boggling to me. It looks new--and is a ritzy part of Madrid, so I'm sure it's very well maintained. One thing I could not get enough of were the street signs in old town. Back in the day (and we are talking centuries ago), most people couldn't read, so the street signs were painted to represent the name of the street. They are still in evidence and are in great shape...I'm thinking they must be replaced or cleaned often because they're all so cool! See my photos for examples. I would label the buildings with what they are if I could remember, but the audio went too fast and after a while, it all blended together. :))