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     

Sunny Barcelona

Hey everyone,

So this post will be part of the double post day because I want to get caught up a bit on where I have been. So since I last left off I was in Montpellier, and I was heading to the home of the Camp Nou, Barcelona.

My journey to Barcelona started a bit later than I wanted due to the French rail strikes. So after my train getting delayed an hour I finally got on a train that would take me into Spain and into Barcelona. The train ride was nice, but because the rail strike was still going on everyone was just fighting for a seat even if they didn’t have a ticket. About half way through the train I had some French guy start to lose his mind since he though I was in his seat. I wasn’t. But I moved to just make things easier. It was a move for the better since I got a chance to meet three lads from Denmark that were on their way to Barcelona as well.

After getting a chance to meet them and to speak with them, we all managed to get off the train into the city in one piece. I hope they enjoyed the days of the beach that they were most looking forward to. After I got out of the train station I made a beeline for the Hostel. I hoped it was better than my one in Montpellier, and I had my head on a swivel for the Barcelona Pickpockets I have read so much about.

I checking into my hostel with no problem, and managed to not get lost looking for the hostel. I was able to get some much-needed laundry done first thing there. I took the night really slow, because I wanted to catch up on sleep and send off some emails. I think that to date the pillow in that hostel was probably the best pillow I have seen in a hostel.

But the next morning came, and after a free breakfast I went out to see one of the things I have wanted to see since I started planning this trip, which is the Camp Nou. For my American readers who don’t follow football (soccer), the Camp Nou is the stadium where FC Barcelona plays which is one of the biggest football clubs, if not the biggest, in the world. I went through the clubs museum and saw UEFA Champions League Trophies, Ballon’dor’s, Golden Boots, FIFA Club World Cup trophies, La Liga, and Copa Del Ray trophies. I felt at home there, and after that I sat in one of the belcher seats, and just imagined Messi, and the rest of the squad playing the beautiful game.

So after I stopped being a five year-old fan boy, I left the Camp Nou, and headed to my next stop on the first day, which was the Sagrada Familia. This was a church that was designed in 1800’s and started construction in 1882, but still to this day isn’t finished. They say it will be finished in 2026, but we’ll see about that. I will say though, it is something that everyone needs to see at least once in their life the building was beautiful.

I then wandered back to the hostel to get a water, and went back out and saw the area of Barcelona where they hosted the 1992 Olympics. I had never been to a city that has ever hosted an Olympic games so it was awesome to see it first hand. But after that I went back to the hostel and called it a night. I walked everywhere, because for some reason when I was in Barcelona I decided not to take the metro. After the fact I think I really should have because my legs still hurt from that.

So after a good night sleep and a late start I wanted to walk down and see La Rambla, and go to the beach. I ended up going to the beach for the most part of the day, but I forgot one key thing. Sunscreen. So when I got back from the beach I looked like a cooked lobster. However I got a glass of Sangria from one of the beach bars that overlooked the mediterranean. That made my day. But then I adventured off to La Rambla. I enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the market street. I actually ended up finding a Dunkin’ Donuts in Barcelona, which was awesome, but it was in front of one of the biggest markets in the city called La Boqueria, I suggest it for any of you who are going to visit the city in the future. I will warn you your senses will get attacked.

That was the last thing I did that day, so after not getting any sleep that night I managed to make my way out to see the city on my last full day. I went to a Palace (Parc de Pedralbes) that they turned into a music venue, but I found that it was the only place that was flying the Spanish flag. The people of Barcelona fly the flag of the region, Catalonia. The regional pride made me proud to call myself an New Englander, and I will be flying the New England flag more when I get back to the states.

But after that I went to the Park Guell. I was unable to get in because I guess they weren’t letting anyone in the park till after 8:30 pm. So I walked around the free area, and managed to see a beautiful view of the city. That view mixed with the friendliness of the people there, makes Barcelona a place I want to come back in the future.

But after my adventures all over the city, the next morning came and I got ready to go to my next city, the home of Los Blanco’s, Madrid. I managed to get on my train to Madrid in one piece and I got ready to see the Spanish capital.

I thought it might have been a lot to post two posts in the same day, but I wanted you all to get caught up on my euro trip so far. I will continue to post soon. Keep your eyes posted for a Madrid post later this week, and I fly to my next destination. But until then remember to stay safe and have fun!

-Tucker