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Someone needs to add some salt.
Madrid has most of the ingredients of a first-rate European travel destination, but it could use a sprinkle of charming restaurants and a dash of glamorous monuments. There is charm hiding in some of the cobblestone alleys and pleasant courtyards, but it is a bit harder to find here than in some other cities. If museums don't put you to sleep, start out your visit to Madrid at the Prado, which hosts paintings from Spanish masters such as Goya, Del Greco, and Velazquez. The Prado makes for a great afternoon of staring at great works. Some of the dark images reminded me of Spain's turbid past and its bedrock of Catholicism, and combinations of the two.