Arrival
A restless night on an incredibly hot train with a drunk and loud man for company got us to Madrid. Exhausted, but excited to explore the city, we headed to our hostel right in Madrid’s heart. We couldn’t check in yet, but could dump our bags and it was still early enough to join the Sandeman’s 11am tour.
The tour took us around the major sites of Madrid and taught us the history (including some crazy royal incest). I think the best thing to come out of it though was meeting a girl from Canada and a girl from China who is studying in the States but is currently on exchange in Germany (woman of the world!). After the tour, Mairead went back to the hostel to nap (she had less sleep on the train than I did) and I went and had lunch with my two new friends.
Madrid’s symbol – a bear getting drunk off cider apples
I decided to try a Spanish tortilla, which is nothing like what comes to my mind when I hear the world ‘tortilla’. They are actually more like an omelet with potato – so delicious and so filling! The girl from China/USA/Germany left us after lunch to check out the Real Madrid Soccer Stadium. Our tour guide had told us about a nunnery where you could go buy cookies in what seemed like a very secretive, drug deal like manner. So the Canadian and I decided to go check it out!
You weren’t meant to see the nuns when you bought them. Unsure of what to do, we luckily entered behind some other people who rang the doorbell and were let in. Once inside, we realised we didn’t really have the Spanish to ask for what we wanted and of course the Spanish nuns did not have a word of English. You were meant to ask for what you want and put the money on a turntable, blocking your view of the nuns. The nuns would take the money and place your change and cookies back on the turntable and turn it back to you. An American family in front of us managed to get a box, but the people in front of us (who spoke Spanish) left abruptly. We had no idea what was going on.
We were told to knock on the turntable if there was no one there. We tried that – no answer. We were about to give up, when a Spanish priest walked by and tried to help us. Again, communication proved difficult. After a while, a large door opened and we couldn’t believe our eyes when a nun walked out! We saw one of the elusive nuns! She put up a sign (thankfully in Spanish AND English) that told us the cookies were out! We just missed them.
Wrecked by this stage, I decided I should probably go and properly check into the hostel. I left my Canadian friend but we decided we would meet up later to check out one of Madrid’s famous art museums. I discovered our hostel was a family run business, which meant it felt quite homely – I literally felt like I was just staying in a person’s house! The big boss lady, and I’m guessing the Mum, checked me in and explained the area to me. She did not speak much English, but we got by with lots of pointing and writing things down.
After a quick rest, I met up with my Canadian friend and we went to explore the El Prado museum – home of masterpieces by the likes of Goya, Velázquez and Rembrandt. It was absolutely incredible to see so many great pieces of art in one place. We barely scratched the surface of what was there. Our visit was cut short though when loud sirens started and the staff started yelling (I assume) to get out. We had no idea what was going on – maybe a painting was stolen? We decided to relax after this stressful ordeal with a walk through the beautiful Parque el Retiro – a 125 hectare park with beautiful trees and lakes.
Parque el Retiro
The first day in Madrid had set the scene for what was to be a wonderful week, but I was wrecked! I headed back to the hostel and went to sleep early (not like the Spanish at all!).
Day 2
I woke up ready to do more exploring the next day. Armed with a list of suggestions from a friend who had studied in Madrid for a year, I again met up with my Canadian friend. We headed to a rooftop terrace, which was meant to have amazing views over Madrid. My friend wasn’t wrong and somehow we got up there for free (in a dodgy lift, but hey, we survived).
Another of my friend’s suggestions, The Royal Palace of Madrid, took us over to the other side of town (everywhere in Madrid is easily within walking distance). We decided to pay the fee to go inside and I’m glad we did. Our jaws remained open as we walked through the rooms, each grander than the next. The palace displayed the sheer amount of wealth (and frivolous expenditure) of royal families, even formerly incestuous ones (though that lineage had, not surprisingly, died out).
My Canadian friend left to catch a plane after we had some lunch (at 100 Montaditos – a little sandwich place that literally serves little sandwiches, really cheaply). I met up with Mairead and we attempted to do a Spanish Inquisition tour in the afternoon, but there weren’t enough people. As we’d already paid for it the day before, Sandeman’s offered for us to join on the tapas tour. We hadn’t had dinner yet, so gladly accepted – free food! The tour ended up being a lot of fun and we met some great people and even poured our own cider! One guy we met from the US (who would be doing the Camino later on in his adventure) decided to join us the next day for our adventure to Toledo!
Toledo
This small, picturesque town used to be the capital of Spain and is a symbol of the possibility of cultures living together in peace – Jews, Arabs and Christians lived together there for centuries. Of course the history is not all peace, but our exploration revealed to us the amalgamation of churches, synagogues and mosques all in the one place on a hillside. Most of the day was spent taking photographs and walking down narrow streets before catching our train back, exhausted.
First views of Toledo
The Toledo crew
Mairead and the town
It was really windy up here
For dinner we tried another suggestion from my friend – El Tigre. Order a litre of sangria, get a massive plate of tapas for free. Amazing!
Day 4
Our sunny Spanish weather failed us today – but that did not stop us exploring. I decided to go do a tour of the Opera in the morning. They usually have a 90% discount for people under 25, but there was nothing on over Easter so I had to settle for a tour. The English one did not go into the main hall, so I thought why not just do a Spanish one?
I had no idea what was going on the entire time, but it was pretty. There was one awkward moment when I had to get into the lift with the tour guide. She said something to me in Spanish and I didn’t want to let her know that I hadn’t understood a single word she said the entire time, so I just laughed and hoped that was the right reaction. And, luckily, it seemed to work.
I met Mairead for lunch at 100 Montaditos before heading off to explore Madrid’s major modern art museum, Reina Sofia. There was so much amazing art in there, but after nearly two weeks of non-stop touristy things, it was difficult to take it in. After about an hour I decided to leave, vowing to come back with fresh eyes one day.
That night, Mairead and I again attempted to do the Spanish Inquisition tour, but again it was cancelled. We decided instead to go see a Flamenco show. Loud and colourful, it was a great way to end our last full day in Spain!
Day 5 – The Last Day
Although our flight wasn’t until the next morning, we would have had to get up at 3am to make our flight so we decided to sleep in the airport that night. Still, we had a full day of adventuring ahead of us. The morning was spent exploring Malasaña, a cool suburb of Madrid with lots of cafes and watching an adorable couple, who didn’t know each other, spontaneously dance on the street.
In the afternoon, we did another Sandeman’s tour of Madrid, this time of the other side of the city. After the tour, we spent a relaxed afternoon laying in the grass beside the Manzanares, the river beside Madrid.
The place where all distances are measured – in Puerta de Sol (the centre of Madrid)
We decided one more visit to El Tigre was necessary, where we got fairly drunk off Sangria (not a great idea when you end up with a hangover while trying to sleep in an airport) and then stuffed ourselves with churros from a place suggested by our tour guide. We had to have them at least once before leaving Spain!
After a long night, it was time to board and say farewell to Spain, the country that stole our hearts!