Madrid is an excellent metropolis filled with fantastic folks. On the best way from the airport to my good friend’s residence my telephone determined to surrender on me and cease working! This meant that I used to be stranded outdoors her residence constructing till I mustered up the braveness to ask for assist from somebody on the road!
While I’ve been taking Spanish classes for years, it was nonetheless intimidating and difficult to should converse with a stranger in a distinct language. In the long run I needed to communicate to 2 completely different individuals who have been each pretty and tremendous useful earlier than I managed to get involved with my good friend. While this was a troublesome begin to my journey, I used to be actually happy with myself that my Spanish was of a ok customary to speak with folks and to get the assistance I wanted!
Madrid is an excellent metropolis filled with fantastic folks
Day One
I landed within the afternoon which solely gave me a couple of hours on my first day. We walked down Gran Through which is probably the most well-known and important purchasing avenue in Madrid, like Oxford Avenue in London. It wasn’t as busy I had anticipated however that might have been because of the time of day I visited. We made our technique to La Terazza de Santo Domingo, which is a rooftop bar, providing wonderful views of Madrid (particularly throughout sundown). The cocktails are barely dearer however keep in mind you might be paying for the views too as it’s free to go as much as the rooftop! I extremely advocate visiting Santo Domingo’s rooftop – particularly as it’s simpler to get a desk than on the well-known rooftop at Resort Riu, which is on my checklist to go to subsequent time I’m in Madrid!
We went for a late dinner (properly, regular meal time for Spain!) in Chueca which is called a full of life, LGBTQ+ neighbourhood. We went to Il Morso which solely makes sandwiches, however they’re enormous and have a big selection to select from, together with the choice to construct your individual. After dinner we bought the metro, which is surprisingly straightforward to navigate, working the same system to the UK with a metro card (like an oyster card).
Day Two
My second day was extraordinarily jam-packed – masking a lot of the websites I needed to see. We began the day by having a late breakfast at Oakberry – probably the greatest acai bowls I’ve ever had! We walked to El Retiro park which is a UNESCO heritage web site providing a inexperienced oasis in the course of town. It was stunning with a number of lakes, one the place you possibly can row boats and one other with turtles! While strolling across the park we stumbled throughout a person with an outdated trying movie digicam – we began speaking to him and discovered that he had constructed the digicam himself. He took a fantastic photograph of us for less than €5 and defined tips on how to maintain the movie after. He was a really fascinating man so I’d extremely advocate going as much as him in case you see him within the park. On our stroll again from the park we handed Plaza de Cibeles which is a fantastic sq. with fountains and the Cibeles palace which is the headquarters of Madrid’s metropolis council. It’s a gorgeous constructing and one of the vital iconic buildings in Madrid. Inside there’s a 360-degree viewpoint nonetheless I didn’t have the prospect to go inside because the queue was far too lengthy – I’d recommend reserving your home upfront!
From right here we walked to Puerta de Sol, which is the centre of the entire of Spain! It has 2 iconic statues, El Oso y El Madroño, (a statue of a bear and strawberry tree, which is the image of Madrid) and King Charles lll on horseback. I’d advocate visiting Puerta de Sol in your first go to to Madrid, nonetheless it wouldn’t be excessive on my checklist to go to once more if I went again. I most well-liked Plaza Mayor which is one other well-known sq. surrounded by eating places and cafes. While on the marginally pricier facet there are many eating places to select from permitting you to take a seat and benefit from the ambiance of Plaza Mayor.
It was stunning with a number of lakes, one the place you possibly can row boats and one other with turtles
My favorite locations in Madrid have been the Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral, which have been reverse one another and each equally stunning. There’s an incredible viewpoint providing attractive views of Madrid and to my shock it was fairly empty. Contained in the Cathedral is equally as gorgeous and is free to enter. You will need to go to the Royal Palace gardens; it is among the most gorgeous websites in Madrid and is so peaceable, providing a pleasant break from the bustling metropolis centre. After lunch we spent a couple of hours trying on the classic shops in Chueca which had some actually cool garments, so I’d positively advocate purchasing in Chueca in case you’re into trend or thrifting.
To finish the day, we went to Temple of Debod to look at the sundown which was unbelievable regardless of the precise temple itself being a bit disappointing. On-line I had seen photographs of the temple and it seemed attractive with water surrounding it, although after I visited there was no water which was disappointing. The park across the temple was tremendous busy with folks flocking to look at the sundown – it was an important ambiance, and I’d extremely advocate going within the night for a picnic with mates to look at the sundown. Afterwards, we went for dinner at TikiTaco which is a scrumptious taco restaurant and extremely low cost, providing tacos for simply €2!
Day Three
My final day was a lot slower, beginning with brunch in Chueca at Café Natif earlier than heading into La Latina. La Latina is the oldest neighbourhood in Madrid and was by far my favorite space as all of the buildings have been stunning and filled with color and life. There are such a lot of tapas eating places in La Latina that individuals typically do a ‘tapas crawl’ attempting meals from a number of eating places. La Latina additionally has plenty of cool outlets and is dwelling to the El Rastro flea market. Sadly, El Rastro is simply open on Sundays so I didn’t have an opportunity to go however will certainly be going subsequent time I’m in Madrid.
Madrid is a implausible metropolis with heaps to supply, making it an important vacation spot for anybody. It was comparatively low cost and had plenty of free vacationer points of interest, making it a perfect place for college students to spend the weekend.
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