Plaza Mayor, Madrid, España
Determined to own a legitimate Spanish passport stamp (and not just a discounted stamp for spending a half hour running to catch another plane in the Madrid airport), I booked an overnight layover in Madrid to break up a long trip from the Tel Aviv to Honolulu. The flight arrived late and I took the Metro just in time for the Real Madrid f ú tbol match fans to pour into the rail system. Squeezed and squished with my carry-ons held close, listening to four men rap in Spanish while drunk locals panicked that they missed their stop, I had a very lovely conversation with a Canadian couple who had just witnessed the f ú tbol spectacle and enjoyed the jam-packed Metro ride for the cultural enthusiasm of the fans as much as I did. I took the train to Puerta del Sol and walked to a beautiful, quiet, and efficiently-run Hotel Liabeny where I promptly went to sleep. Waking up early in the morning to make the most of my layover, I entered the cobbled streets and city plazas before the city w...