Spain

We traveled to the beautiful country of Spain in March, 2009. In Madrid, an underrated city in my opinion, the Hotel Moderno was perfect for a visit. It is in a great location, at the Puerta del Sol and it is affordable, clean and safe. You can walk almost any where and if you feel tired, the metro stop is about 100 feet away. In addition to great people and parks, the museums (Reina Sofia and Prado) are world reknowned and well worth a visit. Retiro Park, also a great spot to visit. And, a day trip to Toledo was easy and just plain wonderful. This city is ancient and you can walk the tiny street and just get lost in the history.

Then, on to Seville where I had studied abroad in '94. This is by far one of my favorite cities on the planet. Seville makes you slow down and you'll be grateful for it. The city is very walkable, and our hotel was in an ideal location for exploring, and there was a pool on the roof. It was the Hotel Becquer. A stroll into the city center and the Barrio de Santa Cruz can be done almost daily, and a visit across the river to Triana makes for a nice day out as well. I can not more highly recommend a city to visit. And, of course, the people are fantastic. For a great meal, in Triana and on the River, La Cucana was a treat. A day trip from here was taken to Cordoba, once a seat of both Jewish and Muslim faiths and still a gorgeous, ancient setting. Like Toledo from Madrid, this is an easy day trip and worth it.

On both day trips, it was easy to take the train and then hop a local bus from the stations to the city centers. Cheap and easy.