Madrid is home to some of the world’s most famous museums, among them the Prado and the Reina Sofia Museum, originally an 18th century hospital that has been expanded by Jean Nouvel (2005). After Spain’s integration into the European Union Madrid became one of Europe’s most important business centres and a bit of a boomtown. In Madrid, modern architecture and design are often enhanced by a touch of the traditional; a good example for this is Phillipe Starck’s Restaurant Teatritz, built into a theatre dating to the 1920’s. Madrid’s surroundings are also spectacular; the Valle de los Caidos, a Francist monument, is well worth a visit for that historic chill down the spine.