Our Last night under the Spanish Stars.

So... It was actually great that the blog malfunctioned last night and my long whiny post was lost... today has been a much better day!

The crowds, very noisy neighbours and sleep deprivation had us all feeling like we wanted to flee Madrid by yesterday evening.

Thankfully today dawned woth a lovely sky and much quieter city streets and we all felt much happier about things and set out to enjoy our last full day here.

This bear graces the square across from us- aparently the most iconic statue in Madrid and even features on the city coat of arms. Though they say he is up a strawberry tree?  

We checked out the San Miguel market on our way to join the Segway city tour- it was nice to look at but high prices compared to those we have enjoyed so far so we weren't tempted to taste the wares today. Though I did come close with the mozzarella vendor!

I have promised Amy she can be our blogger for the Segway tour so I can't offer much more than it was FANTASTIC! I want one! This is how excited Amy was before we even set off.... And it just ramped up from there.

Afterward we tried to find a restaurant recommended by our guide, but our spanglish failed us so instead we headed for the roof of El Cortes Ingles.

Strange choice you say? Yes it is a department store but their flagship store on Grand Via has a gourmet food market on the 9th floor where you can sit, graze and sip while enjoying amazing views of the city.

You won't be suprised to hear that we spent a good part of the afternoon here, before heading home for a siesta. On the way I couldn't help but take a pic of this Bacalao vendor- the shop couldn't have been wider than 6ft!

It may take me some time to get used to not having my nana naps when we arrive home, and also for the kids to be in bed at 7:30 not 11pm!

We have had to rearrange things a little for tomorrow, as our plans to store luggage have changed. Long story with a less than friendly airbnb landlord. Let's just say I will leave posting my review until our bond is clear, and it won't be fantastic.

Rested up, we headed out for our last local meal. Tomorrow we are going to use luggage lockers at the train station en route to the airport, and that gives us the chance to explore a different area altogether.

The streets were quite pleasant as the sun set.

Jack and Amy were very interested to see how the street vendors with rip off bags/sunnies/perfume etc work. Their goods are laid out in blankets with ropes on each corner so that when they get a whiff of the police they can snatch it up and move on. We saw them at full bolt later in the evening!

Our dinner started at a tiny taco place we spotted a couple of days back when we ducked down a side street to avoid the crush. And well worth it- Yummy yummy soft taco's that initially the kids poo-pooed until they tasted our food and we had to order another whole meal each!

To finish off we headed back near Plaza Mayor so that I could try the famous bocadillo calamares.

The walk en route passed by some more sights (yes that was a bull head) and street performers, including a romanian lady who invited the kids to join her after we dropped a few coins.

The rolls were yum, but yet again hijacked by the kids who initially thought we were crazy but after a taste wanted more so we had to re-order. It seemed populated by tourists and locals alike, and there was free tapas generously ladled out to complement the beers and food.

We are off to Casa del Cohen at Den Haag tomorrow which we are all looking forward to- The kids are missing their mates as are we! The weather will definitely be cooler for our next week so I have been swapping the winter gear to the top of our bags tonight in readiness.

Nigh nigh's.... Amy will post our adventures on Segways tomorrow!