The first day we saw sights such as the ayuntamiento city hall and
The second day we saw some more parks, the palacio, and probably other stuff. At night we went to a flamenco show. The place was really out of the way, so we assumed it would be "authentic" but in reality the audience was all obvious tourists--including a group that would not shut up during the performance. At the beginning we had to control ourselves not to laugh, because it just seemed so ridiculous. During the show there were some intense moments, the dancers were certainly expressive. Anyways, I think I'll save future flamenco for when I'm in Andalucía (autonomous community known for flamenco).
The third day we took a little trip to Alcalá de Henares. It's a pretty and small city a short train ride from Madrid. Our friend lived there a few years ago, so she was able to show us around. We saw Cervantes' rebuilt house. Miguel Cervantes is perhaps the most well-known Spanish writer, notably author of Don Quijote.
The next afternoon was our bus back, but before that we went to El Rastro, a great big market held every Sunday. They had so many cool things, it's probably for the best that we were short on money and time. Next time I will be more prepared to shop...
