Holiday craziness in Madrid

We decided that five days in Madrid would be our second to last trip before the arrival of baby #2. We had no idea that the week after Christmas in Madrid is insane!  The streets are literally teeming with thousands of people looking for a party. It's reminiscent of New Orleans during Mardi Gras. It made for great people watching but also some difficulty navigating the streets with a three year old.

We focused our days with a walking tour in the morning, a large and late lunch after G's naptime and then a museum in the afternoon.

My focus of the trip was the food of Spain. I had received some recommendations from friends and also through foodie sites like Chowhound.

Although breakfast isn't a popular meal among the Spaniards, they will stop for a churro and chocolate. The hot chocolate is so rich and thick, its texture is like a warm pudding.  The churros are served hot and sugary and are ridiculously good.

We also enjoyed our fair share of tapas, jamon serrano, calamares, chorizo and cocido madrileno (a chickpea and meat stew that is a specialty of Madrid).

We visited the Museo de Prado to see Diego Velazquez's Las Meninas and to the Reina Sofia Museum to see Picasso's Guernica. We also toured the Palace and a number of churches. We covered a lot of ground in five days. It was fabulous but being in the middle of my third trimester, it was also exhausting.  Would love to and plan to return and explore other cities in Spain.