MADRID (part 2)

Subway, taxi,or bus? How about if you started with a super bus tour. It's the ideal way to get yourself situated in the city and to check out the sites you'd like to visit. And as an added bonus, the second level of the bus is in the open air. The ticket price is 1,600 Pesetas for the whole day, and allows you to get on and off whenever you like.

Just after departure from the plaza de Espana, you'll feast your eyes on the neoclassical Royal Palace. Just a stone's throw away, the bus will take you by the Almuneda cathedral. Keep an eye out for the almost lifelike statue of John Paul II.

Once you're on the calle mayor, you'll pass by city hall( Ayuntamiento) and then the plaza mayor. Some superb examples of architecture await you at the casa de la panaderia, with its allegorical paintings.

From the top deck of the bus, you'll get a better view of the city's major monuments: Cibeles fountain, the Palace of communications, la puerta de Alcala. On your way back, you'll take the paséo del Prado and then the gran via.

For those bullfighting enthusiasts out there, how about going to see the Las Ventas arena. The neighborhood around the arena has a number of traditional restaurants in buildings with ceramic tiles on their facades. The atmosphere is just like at the corrida.