We spent two nights in Madrid, and were kindly put up by a friend from Australia living in the city. Having an insider with you always makes a difference and this was no exception. Our timing happened to be excellent again as we were there during a public holiday for Madrid's patron Saint, so there were festivities happening all over the place. The whole city was transformed into one big festival, and the weather was perfect. Many streets were blocked to traffic and packed with meat stalls, dancers, partiers, sangria and music. This allowed us to spend the day walking to different events and then share a few drinks with Max and Georgia (our gracious hosts) on the lawns of the city with a free concert and thousands of other Spaniards doing the same thing.