Madrid: The Capital of Spain

Hey everyone,

I last left off, I was in Barcelona, and had made it to Spain’s capital city of Madrid. I went straight to the Hostel after I got to the city and that is where I will pick up again. I hope your all enjoying the travel posts!

So after trusting my offline maps app (since then the app is buggy, but I still rate this app. Go download Ulmon’s Citymaps2go) I made it to my hostel in once piece. I stayed at the number 1 rated hostel in the city. The Hat was a top-notch hostel in compared to the other ones I have stayed at minus the Generator Paris. Check in was super easy and I got a free beer right when I checked in, so they already got off to the right start. I dropped my things let everyone know that I had made it to Madrid in one piece, then went out and wondered for a bit.

It was a beautiful city, and as I was wondering I stumbled across the Royal Palace of Madrid, that the Royals don’t actually live in anymore. Come to realize the next day my tour guide would take us there and explain about the building for what seemed like hours. However after seeing the building, I walked around and found food, then headed back to the hostel.

Shortly after I got back to the hostel I went up to the rooftop where they had a bar setup and I got my free beer. I stumbled across this travelers meeting and I got to chat with a local about what he recommended I see when I see the sights the next day. I had him give me some things to put on my map and I was set for the tour the next morning.

I woke up late for me well I have been traveling. And yes for those of you who know how I sleep it was well before 10am. But I grabbed a quick breakfast and then met our tour guide to see the city. We started our tour in Plaza Mayor then we made our way through La Latina where we saw the Oldest Restaurant in the world called Sobrino de Botin. I suggest going there if you can afford it because it really does look pricy. 102 euro for baby eels anyone? We then made our way to this “open air” market and then back to the Royal Castle. We ended our tour at Puerta del Sol, and from there I was on a mission to get to the Santiago Burnabeu the Home to Real Madrid. I walked by the Palacio de Cibeles in the process of taking the, what seemed like a two hour walk to the stadium.

 

I will say however long that walk was it was well worth it. The stadium was amazing! I saw all 11 of Real’s Champions league trophies, sat on each leave of the stadium from the nose bleeds to the VIP section to pitch side in a seat where the likes of Marcelo, Ronaldo, Bale, and Isco have sat (granted those names rarely sit the bench as it is.) Then I saw the locker room and the Press Room. I will say the experience is a must for football fans regardless of whom you support. But after a metro ride back, and a few drinks with my roommates on the roof I headed to bed to get ready for the next day.

I wanted a slower day for my last full day in the city. So after getting a good nights sleep I went out for breakfast, and I found a Dunkin’ Donuts in Madrid, and I had to have breakfast there. Wasn’t even close to any dunks back home but for what it was it was good. I then made my way over to the Templo de Debod which are these Egyptian monuments close to the royal palace, but are a bit out of the way. Then I made the walk to see the other major football club in the city Atlético Madrid. The area around the stadium was completely different from Real’s, and you can tell that Atlético is the working class club in Madrid. But those stops took up most of my day in Madrid, and after exploring La Latina again I choose to call it a night, and pack for my flight the next morning.

The next morning seemed like a blur, and after taking the metro to the airport I boarded a Ryanair flight to the city of Rome. The flight was easy, and made the start to my time in Italy better since I saw the Vatican, The Colosseum, and the whole of the city from the sky. But I will talk about the start to my Roman adventure soon, for now remember to stay safe, and have fun!

-Tucker