Thanks to the Spring Bank Holiday and the Queens Jubilee we only had to take three days leave from work to get a nine day holiday which we spent in Spain. We flew into Madrid on Saturday morning and took a walk around the city checking out the sites such as the Main Plaza, San Miguel market and the Museum strip. The Reina Sofia Museum was free on the Saturday afternoon so we popped in there looking at art by Picasso, Dali, Miro and more. We then headed out at night and treated ourselves to tapas, mussels, chorizo beer and wine. The next day we took a walking tour around Madird taking in some of the more historical sites. We then checked out the massive flea market El Rasto, the Palacio Real and the Prado Museum which had free entry after 5pm.

The next morning we took the express train down to Seville. Despite being quite expensive the train was very nice and at 2.5 hours was much quicker than the non-express 5-6 hour option. We arrived in Seville just in time for the walking tour. The tour took us around all the main attractions of Seville including the Gold Tower, the Plaza of Spain and the Cathedral. At the end of the tour we went into the huge Cathedral (the third largest Christian place of worship in the world). That night we went out to a free Flamenco show which was okay but a bit touristy. The next day in Seville we went on a tour of the Seville bullring and then hired some bikes and biked along the river front in some scorching 35 degrees heat. That night we hung out in the hostel and indulged in some free Sangria. The hostel also had some special guests who played some traditional flamenco music which was amazing.

The next day we trained further down Spain till we hit the coast and the town of Cadiz. Upon arriving in Cadiz we went and checking out the main market in the City which had an amazing display of seafood and some pretty good prices. We then picked up some food and beers and headed to the gorgeous beach which was flanked by two castles. We spent most of the afternoon here reading, drinking, swimming and generally enjoying the sun. We then went and found the old fisherman's area and had to test out our Spanish out a bit more as we ordered some dinner from a place that spoke no English. After dinner we managed to just get down to the beach in time in order to see the sunset. The next day we went on a really good walking tour taken by our hostel where we learnt a bit more of the long history of Cadiz. Afterwards we walked around the town a bit more checking out the sites and areas we hadn't yet. It was then time to go back to the market and pick up some fresh mussels along with some Andalucía white wine for a delicious dinner.

The next morning we took a train back to Seville and then onwards to Granada. Upon arriving in Granada we had a walk around the town and went up to the best view point in the city to see the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada mountains. We then stopped in out a bar for a drink. One of the best things about Granada is that you get free food with each drink. So we proceeded to bar hop around Granada picking up cheap drinks and free food along with it. The next day we visited the Alhambra - an ancient Arabian palace that has been amazingly preserved. There were some amazing detail and design in the Alhambra and despite having to battle through truckloads of tourists was well worth it. We then had to catch a long 5 hour train back to Madrid. We arrived at Madrid late at night and despite Darin only booking in for one person rather than two we managed to get two beds and get some much needed sleep.

The next day we visited the main park in Madrid before going for a ride on a cable car that travelled across the top of Madrid. We then went back to the San Miguel market for some last tapas and drinks before flying back to London.