Europe

Madrid, Spain

Take the Rojo line to Madrid…

I need to get one thing straight before I even discuss Madrid, Spain. When you do not book sleeping rooms on an overnight train, they are simply and without a doubt, the worst thing you will ever experienced in your life. I preferred my 24 hour flight to New Zealand, which was filled with crying children, to my 6 hour train ride to Madrid. NEVER BOOK AN OVERNIGHT TRAIN WITHOUT A SLEEPING CABIN. It is worth the extra cash!

Day 1: So, after a 4 hour bus ride from Lagos to Lisbon, we caught a night train into Madrid, Spain. Madrid is not a city that welcomed me warmly. Their machine essentially ate my debit card and refused to return it. I could not negotiate with said machine because 1. it is a robot & 2. It was giving me Spanish directions. Two years of Spanish did not prepare me for this trip. I mean for real, “Como Estas” was pushing the limit to what I had learned. It was extremely difficult to find an assistant that spoke English. The only way we found our connecting train into the city was the continuous use of the word “Rojo”. Apparently I knew more than I believed and we found the RED line. I didn’t expect the people of Madrid to know English, after all I the tourist do not know Spanish… I just thought I  would magically figure things out and speak rapid Spanish as if it were downloaded into my brain. To end my nightmarish first day in Madrid, I won’t even tell you what I found floating around in the shower. I still gag thinking about it…

After a revitalizing nap and deep clean, I took on the town. With a Starbuck’s coffee in my hand, I felt invincible and alert. I had the pleasure of seeing Madrid covered in banners in support of Gay Pride. They host one of the larger Pride events and we were apparently in town for it. Later in the day balloon arches would be put in front of bars and shop entrances. A large concert would also take place in town square. It truly was amazing to see so much love and support in such a diverse city.

Day 2: Man, Madrid is humid! My hair never frizzes up and it was a hot mess that day. My companion and I started our day at the Royal Palace. While I wasn’t allowed to take pictures in the palace rooms, I promise you it was as regal as you are imagining x1672. They had rooms for everything from jousting to horses and knights’ suits of armor and army relics. The castle was an impressive place and worth the cost of admission!

 

After the palace we headed to an old Egyptian temple called the Temple of Debod. Yes, it sounds very mysterious and something you would see in an Indiana Jones movie. Let me tell you, it was not worth the wait. You could see faint hieroglyphs, but that was about it. Other than that, it looked like a large rock, and not the Stonehenge type either. We then partook in a long walk back to the hostel. After all, walking is the healthiest, cheapest, and sometimes the easiest way to get around. The only expense is our feet!

Day 3: Day three consisted of nothing due to a late night out and desire to see nothing. Unfortunately, I did not seize the day. Do not be like me!

Day 4: My last day in Madrid started with my traveling companion under estimating the time it would take him to pack. Thus, we were late for our bus and missed it. DO NOT DO THIS. WE were lucky and got it resolved for free, simply catching the next bus. However, we saw plenty of people who did the same thing and all the buses were full. They were stuck here. My scowl may have frightened my travel companion into silence for the entirety of the wait for our new bus and the 8 hour ride in to Barcelona. My mother would be so proud! 

Overall, I did not love Madrid. Everything is fairly expensive and I didn’t see any sights or visit any big attractions that I felt amazed me. Next time I am in Spain, I plan on skipping it. However, I can see the appeal in saying you have been here! “Aventura en” my traveling companions!

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