Christmas in Madrid
I'd never been to Madrid at Christmas time, and it's almost as magical as London with the lights! We only stayed for three nights this time and didn't do much, as most things are closed Christmas day; but we chose the Santo Mauro to stay, and it was probably the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in. It was built in 1902 for the Duke of Santo Mauro, later became the Phillipines Embassy, and now is a fancy hotel with excellent service and even better cocktails. We got upgraded to a suite where Elowen was excited to find her own little bed (though she didn't sleep in it, as she said it was too scary to be in that room alone. I kind of got it, because while the room is gorgeous, there's always something sinister about so much red). She did enjoy the truffles the hotel put on her pillow every night, though. We were only in Madrid one day when anything was open, so we strolled down to the Puerta del Sol and the Plaza Mayor (which is maybe Europe's worst Chrismtas mar...