A brutally early start to the day was followed by an excellent journey from Marrakech to Tangier, with a stop in Casablanca. The first-class compartment was extremely cosy and I dozed my way through the Moroccan countryside to Tangier.

Not so impressive was our Straits crossing which left half-an-hour late and ran an hour and a half late, leaving us stuck in the bay outside Algeciras waiting for a berth to dock. We arrived at out hotel two hours late — too late to get any food from their kitchens. Luckily the fantastic hotel barman was able to give us the number for pizza and we had one delivered to the hotel. The hotel Reina Christina is bizarre, straight out of The Shining. It has a very odd feel to it — as though we’ve missed the party sometime in the 1930s — but it has a lot of charm and I’ll sleep well tonight in my art-deco room.

30.03.09 — Leaving Madrid 7:00pm

After so many days of travelling I have been surprised at my alertness and pleasantly pleased that I’ve not hit the wall — well, until a couple of hours ago. I finally succumbed to the strains of the trip home and needed a restorative café con leche to bring me back to life.

Our day started well with a nice journey from Algeciras to Madrid through some of the most beautiful countryside southern Spain has to offer. The train weaved its way between lush green hills and deep valleys, presenting us with some amazing views. As we passed into central Spain and neared Madrid the landscape became noticeably more arid, the greens replaced by browns and yellows. The major drought Spain is suffering from was much in evidence. We arrived in Madrid with five hours to kill before the overnight train to Paris, which we filled with a visit to a museum focussed on Goya’s work, and then a final visit to Sol for an excellent café con leche before catching the Francisco de Goya back to Paris.

We’re weaving our way through the northern suburbs of Madrid now, the sun setting over the distant hills. I feel I know Spain a lot better than I did a couple of years ago — with two visits to Barcelona, two to Madrid and even the dubious delights of Algeciras, I’ve got to know a whole lot more than I did. This is a lovely country, filled with genuinely lovely people. They understand the need to balance life, to find that happy medium between working hard and kicking back. This country has a beautiful heart and their reputation for hospitality is much deserved. I dare say another trip to Barcelona, or even perhaps Bilbao, where the Guggenheim beckons, is looking likely later in the year.

After 14 hours on the Francisco de Goya, literally flying through the southern French and northern Spanish countryside, we arrived in a dry and bright Madrid. This leg of the journey took us through some stunning countryside, with snow capped mountains and grand retreats in the distance. I’ve not had much time to appreciate Madrid as yet, but the coffee and pastries are delicious.

23.03.09 — Madrid 6:30pm

Madrid is a slightly odd city — it seems on first impressions to be very small. It just doesn’t feel big like other cities. I don’t have enough time here to prove this either way, so it’ll have to wait for another visit. Visit of the day was the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, a glorious example of the architectural old and new coming together in harmony — why can we never get this right in the UK?

This was primarily an excuse for me to finally see Guernica, but the centre houses many other excellent works and a few temporary exhibitions. The Paul Thek exhibit was at first disappointing and thereafter intriguing — I’ve never heard of him and yet his importance to 60s and 70s art is obvious. Another show, Dependencias by Eulalia Valldosera, was great fun with some interesting audience participation. Everyone had a play and we left the Museo, after a visit to their ultra cool café, happy people.

23.03.09 — Madrid 11:30pm

Narrow streets, cool bars, tasty tapas, beers, rude waitresses, lovely hotel, rose sellers everywhere. We hit a nice tapas joint for some tasty Galacian treats in the evening, delightful food but the moodiest of service, the locals seemed to love it and we were lucky to get a table. From there we settled in to Bar Populart for some Cuban jazz, nice crisp beers, and enough smoke to make me feel as though I’d gone back to twenty a day! It all made for an awesome atmosphere. Great music, and I got some nice photos as well. A great end to our short stay in Madrid.