Our guide, Maria, meets us in the lobby and we know we got a good one this time. We start out going to the Plaza de Espana which has the famous statue of Don Quixote and Sancho. Next stop is the Cathedral of Santa Maria LA Real Almudena. As cathedrals go, this one is modern and just a cathedral, nothing special. Finally Ryan & Chris get why I drag them to all the big old ones. Aside from Gaudi’s in Barcelona, which still isn't complete, I can safely say they just don’t build them like they used to. But this trip helps reinforce the point, so it’s worth it. We do a relatively quick trip around the city to see the big sights, like the Bullfighting ring, and then ditch the van to start walking We visit the Mercado de San Miguel which is an upscale indoor market. Great spot to grab churro and chocolate! We also stop to get Ryan some cold medicine as the poor boy is wilting. Next stop is Plaza Mayor where she points out some places for lunch or dinner and across the way, Chocolateria San Gines. This, she tell us, is THE place to get churros and chocolate. We will be making a stop here another day because it is packed, line out the door, as we go by. Our last stop with her is mile zero. All road miles are measured from this central spot; this is where they all begin. And where our tour ends. We decide to go back to Plaza Mayor for an early lunch (gasp, it’s only 12:00) and then walk down to the Prado Museum, part of the Holy Trinity of Art museums in Madrid. Ok, I’m not an “art” person but I can appreciate the volume of masterpieces here. Wow. Only problem is halfway through, I’m standing in a room of impressionist with tears rolling down my face. Nope, I wasn’t moved by the art. I couldn’t move my foot. At least not with out red hot daggers of pain stabbing me. After a minute or two, I’m able to move and catch up with Ryan and Chris. I’m heading down to the cafe to get something to drink so I can pop a couple Vicoden, you guys can meet me when you’re done. I’m thinking, “That’s it. I can’t walk anymore. This is going to suck.” Twenty minutes after taking the Vicoden I can walk again, mostly pain free. It really was more the way I put my foot down that was the problem. Anyways, with my new found strength we walk over to the Navel Museum. The Spanish Navel Museum. As in the Spanish Friggin Armada Navel museum. Being a Navel facility you have to show your passport to get in, which scares a lot of people away so no crowds. It was totally incredible! And the gift shop was one of the best I’ve been to. Like the museum, small but high quality. It went through the history of the Spanish navy from beginning to present. Including a whole section about the seizure of Gibraltar. It was very cool seeing it from the other perspective in the same trip. I can't emphasize how well worth it this museum was. Praise be to the manufacturer of Vicoden! After the Naval museum we caught a cab back to the hotel for a cat nap before taking the subway back to Plaza Mayor for dinner.