There are several theories regarding the origin of the name "Madrid". According to legend Madrid was founded by Ocno Bianor (son of King Tyrrhenius of Tuscany and Mantua) and was named "Metragirta" or "Mantua Carpetana". Others contend that the original name of the city was "Ursaria" ("land of bears" in Latin), due to the high number of these animals that were found in the adjacent forests, which, together with the strawberry tree ("madroo" in Spanish), have been the emblem of the city from the Middle Ages.

My wife and i spent our 23rd anniversary in The Westin Palace Hotel in Madrid --- the hotel is wonderful and located just near the Prado Musuem --we found the city to be a great place with lots of history, pride, sports, lovely monuments and a buzzing night life with not to miss flamenco performance at Corral restaurant --- the TEATRO KAPITAL nightclub is unbelievable with 7 floors of music and an open air terrace bar on the top floor --- the traffic at 3am on Saturday night was like a rush hour in any other normal city --- we witnessed the finishing of the Spanish Tour cycle race from our hotel window--- after that the cleaning brigade moved in with their trucks and washed the streets. Madrid Card is a must, which allows free entry to almost all the museums plus the open air bus tours and lots of discounts at many establishments including the Corral restaurant! Highly recommend it to all!

Very lively place full of life even in the wee hours of the night. Very hip and good amount of night-life. Good weather at this time of the year (1st week of Sept). However from tourist point of view you didn't have many places within Madrid to visit.

My father, his wife, and I visited Madrid and our blood relatives there; We're from the Philippines, and my father and I have Spanish bloodlines (I have a feeling my stepmother also has Spanish ties). Madrid is a wonderful city, full of lovely and engaging people, tasty cuisine, and fascinating architecture. It goes without saying that I sampled the best sangria there!! I will try to locate and upload photos from that trip soon. Mmm... Spanish men are some of the best-looking out there, in my opinion :)

Wonderful place Madrid. Catch the daggy bus to get around for an allround veiew to begin with, then head out on foot.. Awesome tapas bars, nightlife and piazza's. Head toLa Latina for nightlife, very cool and hip.