We arrived back this morning, after a fabulous weekend. There's so much to do - and we couldn't fit everything in during just a couple of days... so we'll be heading back soon to do a bit more... and a bit more... and a bit more...

Stayed at the Francisco I in Calle Arenal, which is halfway between the Sol & Opera districts. It was about a 5 minutes walk from the Sol Metro. Spotlessly clean, spacious rooms. the staff were extremely helpful and incredibly polite. They really couldn't help us enough. The bathroom had a toilet, bidet, shower and a sink - alll again were spotlessly clean. The room had aircon and heating (much needed during a cold January). We were on the 5th floor. The lift goes to the 4th, then it's a short flight of stairs up to your room. The breakfast was served from 7:30 until 11am each day on the top floor in a quaint (albiet slightly gothis looking dining room). The restaurant was closed when we were there, as was the bar - which was our only complaint about the hotel. Reviews had said that the noise is an issue here. Well my answer to that, is that it's town centre... so yeah... it's bound to be a bit noisy. But that didn't worry us during our stay.

Out of our hotel and turn left, towards Opera, was a little fast food pizza place - which had the most fantastic spicy pizza. We went twice, it was that good. Look out for the "Museo del Jamon" shops dotted about. This was something we weren't expecting, and thought they were odd but great. The shop consists of a delicatessen, selling all the smoked cheeses you can think of, and the hanging cured hams. One of which was almost €50 per kilo (ouch!). But the main atrraction for these Museos was the centre areas. It was basically a bar - where you could order food, drink... and spend your time chatting to firends. You could easily lose hours in these places. they seemed really popular with all ages... and with a bocadillo costing around €2-3, a real bargain too.

Further along from Opera Pizza was the Royal Palace. They offer tours there too, to see the armoury etc. We didn't go... but it seemed really popular - and I think the prices were really good too.

Plaza Mayor was gorgeous. It's a closed in square, surrounded by tall historic buildings (look out for one with murals painted on it - gorgeous). There are restaurants all the way around, and a tourist information centre too. On the Sunday morning when we visited, all four edges were covered with people selling coins, stamps, postcards, bottle tops... and other collectables. This seemed to be taken very seriously by some... and we saw people wandering about with notepads and print outs of what they wanted to buy. The street entertainers were in here too. If you have seen those "statue people" you'll know what I mean. A guy dressed as a knight on a horse was the most entertaining... and he constantly had a crowd around him. He was more interactive than others... and it seemed everyone wanted a photo with him. There was also a cowboy who was the spitting image of Billy Bob Thornton. We've seen better than him though. Another good one was a puppetteer who had a female puppet playing the cello - yes, of course it was a recording... but the puppettry was excellent. His little dog joined in and sang to a ouple of songs too.

The shopping was phenomenal - well, it was January sales time - and you could've easily spent a fortune yet come home laden with many, many bargains. A good example would be the suede gloves I bought - just €4. I also bought a fake leather trench coat for just €9!!! Shoes looked incredibly cheap. We've decided that we'll probably go and do a clothes shopping trip once a year - just for the bargains.

I struggled with the wine a little... and couldn't seem to find a decent one until our last day. The choice of reds seemed limitless - but white was a little harder to guage. None of my favourite Spanish varieties around (maybe those particular ones are only popular in the Canaries).

Metro - loved it! €1.00 for a trip anywhere within the city. there's a €1.00 surcharge if the airport is involved, but that is still incredibly cheap. the trains were very frequent and run from 6:30 am until 1:30am every day. They were also really easy to navigate - as much as the London Underground in fact. We did walk most places (and my leg muscles don't 'arf know it) because we actually wanted to see more of the city and it's sights.

The buildings were faboulous, and oozed history and charm. We don't have tall buildings in lanzarote so it was a novelty to see something you had to crane your neck up to view. Oodles of fountains around - usually with a picture of some suitable courageous horseman on top. Lots of photo opportunities there.

The Reina Sofia was excellent, and well worth a visit, whether you are an art fan or not. The Guernica is hosted there, and although not my taste in art, it was good to have seen it. The building itself is stunning. Go here if you want to see Picasso, Dali and many more of the greats. €6 entry - and we were there for a good 3 or 4 hours. Excellent value for money.

We didn't go into the Prado, but we did visit the botanical gardens next door. €2 entry - but I wouldn't recommend going in the winter. It was very bare - but we did appreciate that it would probably be a lot more full of life once the spring arrived.

The Natural Science Museum was €5 entry, and was very intersting. All in Spanish, but that won't hold you back. We did think it was going to be larger than it was... but still enjoyed the exhibits. Go and see the giant squid model - HUGE! There's an exhibition of animals (from A - Z) made from recycled cans there too... which is excellent... but I think that may possibly be temporary. That is about a 20 minute walk from the Bernabeu Stadium - home to Real Madrid footie team. We didn't have time for the tour, but took some photos outside. It's massive, and a magnificent building.

I could go on - but I'm not sure how many letters you can fit in one message... so hopefully you'll get the idea.

Elle xx