Madrid is Europe's third largest city and certainly one of the most exciting, exhilarating and fascinating. Your travel agent can show you how to best visit the historic barrios of Malasana, Lavapies, and Chueca, gaze upon the Palacio Real, and if you can handle the bloodsport, attend a corrida at Spain's largest plaza de toros at Ventas for a dazzling celebration of Spanish passion and temperament. Then you can head for Calle Serrano in the Salamanca neigbourhood for some truly upmarket shopping and if you're in the mood for one of the great experiences in the art world, view the over 4,000 priceless masterpieces at the Prado Museum.

One of the finest experiences in Madrid is to savor the superlative tapas bars or tascas (pockets, as they're usually very small establishments) which the city is world-famous for. After all, what would a trip to Madrid be without savoring the tapas, the traditional snack-sized portions of Iberian delectable delicacies? Take a pleasant walk down the Gran Vía and admire the fashionable shops, marvelous theatres and galleries, but prepare your taste buds for a tapas feast!

Your travel agent can inform you that you have hundreds of world-class tascas to visit in your tapeo crawl so you'll never run out of new taste experiences. It might be a good idea to go have a nap in the heat of the day because the movida, or the "wave action" of nighttime starts around 11 pm and runs until dawn! That's the time when Madrileños socialize, dine, drink, play and party. The streets are busier at 3 am than at 3 pm!

Most tascas serve a variety of tapas, but have their own special dishes that they are renowned for. Casa Labro on Tetuán specializes in cod croquettes hot from the fryer. El Oso y El Madroño on Calle de la Bolsa serves caracoles (snails) which will rival anything in Paris. Calle de Casa Criaco's specialty on Calle Mayor is the bouquerones which are anchovies marinated in vinegar. At La Casa Del Abuelo (Grampa's house) on Calle de la Victoria, you can choose from a dizzying array of shrimp and prawn specialties including grilled in their shells "a la plancha" or "al ajillo" which has them peeled and fried in a powerful garlic oil. The house specialty at Tasca La Farmacia on Calle de Diego are the bacalao croquettes, which are big chunks of cod in a béchamel paste deep fried to golden greatness.

The first thing you'll note as you enter La Taberna de Antonio Sánchez on Mesón de Parades is the stuffed head of the bull who gored and killed the founder's son in the ring in 1850. This tasca is a hangout for bullfighting enthusiasts to this very day who will engage in animated discussions of events in the ring the way Americans will argue over football or baseball loyalties. The garlic soup is redolent and satisfying, and the shrimp are succulent and juicy. You may want to taste what may be Antonio's son's revenge on his killer by ordering a tapas made from bull's testicles. Whether or not you're quite up to that "treat" your travel agents can certainly assist you in making the arrangements so you can savor the spectacular tapas tascas of Madrid.