Madrid

Before arriving in Madrid, my stereotype of Spain was vibrantly full of colour and bursting with life, and it was a stereotype that proved to be completely true, we just had to wait for it to get a little dark first.

As a chronic napper back home, I was actually excited for the famed Spanish tradition of siesta, but even I was shocked by how seriously it was taken. We thought we were doing well by waiting until 10ish to finally eat, but it wasn't until midnight that most of the locals seemed to be sitting down to dinner.

We spent the quiet days exploring the city's impressive art galleries and lying in the shade of the oasis-like gardens and parks to escape the blistering heat.

We chose one of the many free walking tours on the first day which was a fantastic way to get our bearings on what seemed to be an endlessly confusing city and pack in many of the impressive historical sights. However the majority of my highlights in Madrid, as in most of my life, were centered around food. Tapas and churros were obviously abundant, as were the little delis where we joined the locals standing at the bar, sampling the deliciously simple staple of cold cut meats and cheese in shiny bocadillo rolls.

Come nightfall the city suddenly snapped to life, and streets that had been dead quite at 4 pm were bursting with life by 4 am, not only with those drinking and dancing but with friends picnicking in the park and families wandering along with young children skipping through the streets and babies giggling in strollers.

While Barcelona was probably the more memorable city, Madrid had an ease to it that immediately made me feel at home and was a brilliant introduction to what are hopefully many more Spanish adventures.