Last week, I went to Spain for one of my graduate classes. My last class to be exact. Spending my last class in southern Spain studying chemical dependency wasn't a bad way to end it. I was lucky enough to stay with another classmate with a Spanish host family that we found on FB. I was weary at first about the experience, but I'm very happy to say that my host family went above and beyond my expectations. They were great. I got to practice my Spanish with the host family, including their charming kids and grandmother. It's been quite a while since I have spoken Spanish in a conversational setting and I was glad to have gotten the opportunity again. I'd love to do some sort of immersion program. We got traditional Spanish meals cooked for us each day and personal tour guides out of the whole family! As I had mentioned previously, Spain has been on my wishlist since forever and it has been on my top two must see destinations in Europe besides Iceland, which I will get to visit in August.
My first stop in Spain was Madrid, which was my 15 hour layover before I got to southern Spain. I had about 10 hours to leave the airport and take a bus to the downtown area. As the capitol of Spain, it's also the largest city and it's filled with typical city life. While Madrid has many modern buildings, there are also areas of old Madrid. You get the best of both worlds. It's a bustling city with a lot to do. We really only had about 7 hours to explore so we kept up the pace and tried to see as much as possible.
The first thing we needed to do was eat lunch. We stopped at an outdoor cafe for some Tapas and espresso (I drank espresso pretty much everywhere in Spain). Tapas are very interesting because you can get a variety of little foods to try. I had some sort of green avocado soup, bread with fish, and a warm container with a concoction of meatballs and potato sticks. It was weird but I love trying new things. I was taking in the air, the environment, and realizing that I was doing exactly what I had learned about so many times in my high school Spanish books. I was in Heaven.
We walked the streets along the many alleys providing for some awesome shopping, especially if you are in the market for shoes or sandals, which I was. We strolled along the Puerto del Sol which is the shopping area and then we made our way to the Plaza Mayor, which is the old town. Madrid isn't terribly difficult to navigate, but it is a large city so we had to ask for directions to certain places. You can see the Cibeles Palace right off of the bus stop. Don't forget to try some churros con chocolate for your sugar fix! Best to get them when they are fresh and warm. We saw a sign for a Flamenco show which is common in southern Spain, but we didn't have time to see one in Madrid or during our stay in Spain at all, unfortunately. Luckily I'll be going to Spain again in June and July so I'll have to try again.
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Cibeles Palace
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Madrid was a nice place to do some shopping and it was my first introduction to Spain. If I had more time in Madrid I would have gone to see a Flamenco show, I would have gone to the El Rastro Flea Market, The Prado Museum for works by Goya and other famous Spanish artists, I would have hit up the Palacio Real, Mercado San Miguel, and tried some of the famous Vermouth and Montecados cookies.
I rated Madrid high for a big city, expensive, good food, historical/museums, kid friendly, night life, photo ops, safe for solo travel (IMO), and shopping! Madrid pretty much has everything but the beach and if you want to spend a day shopping then this will be the place for you.
What would you do in Madrid if you had 10 hours?
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Coastal Charm
Kathe With An E
The Dedicated House (Make it Pretty Monday)
Tuesdays with a Twist
We Call it Junkin'
Savvy Southern Style
Ivy and Elephants
Lavender Garden Cottage
Rooted in Thyme
Budget Traveler's Sanbox
Nancherrow
The Brambleberry Cottage
Do Tell Tuesday
My Favorite Travel Photo Linkup
Seeing your photos makes me miss this place, once our home! Seeing so many familiar places and even that stupid little street performing goat! Ha! Did you see Spiderman! He is awesome!
ReplyDeleteWow you got to live in Madrid?! I know, that goat was creepy but I had to take a picture. No, I didn't see Spiderman but there were tons of Disney characters dressed up. Not sure why.
DeleteWe lived just north in Alcobendas for just over a year. We LOVED living in Spain and miss it so much!
DeleteI want to go! Thanks for sharing at Fridays Unfolded!
ReplyDeleteAlison
Nancherrow
OH MY GOD I've always wanted to go to Spain! I've been to three places on my bucket list: Vatican City, Italy, and Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. I went to a Flamenco show in Old San Juan...it honestly moved my soul. Maybe it's my Spanish roots, but I love it. And Iceland? I'd LOVE to go to Iceland!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to get back to PR. And I hope to see a Flamenco show on one of my next trips to Spain this year.
DeleteI have taken flamenco classes in Madrid - that was super fun. But in 10 hours, I would go to Prado first and see what else I could do after that... Out of all Spanish cities, Madrid is my favorite, hands down.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to take Flamenco classes, that sounds amazing. I've taken ballroom dancing to include, Foxtrot, Waltz, Jitterbug, Rumba, and Salsa and I loved it.
DeleteSelf-guided tapas tours in Madrid:
ReplyDeletehttp://goo.gl/maps/qKbqI
Oh that looks like a nice quick stop! You certainly made the most of your 10 hours. I can't wait to read about your next Spanish city.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed that you managed to fit so much in in just a few hours (especially in the heat!). FYI the building you have called the Capitol Building is actually Cibeles Palace, now home to the City Hall. :)
ReplyDeleteIf you come back in the summer, it will be incredibly hot, so allowing yourself some down-time in one of the city's parks is a must. My vote goes to Parque del Oeste, although Retiro is not a bad choice either. Taking a walk along Madrid Río (a 10 km/6 mile long park by the river) is also nice.
In terms of markets, El Rastro is OK, but nothing to write home about. If you time it right (second weekend of every month), I would choose Mercado de Motores (https://www.facebook.com/mercadodemotores) every time. I am compiling a series of 'Hidden Madrid' posts on my blog, and in a few days I should have completed the one showcasing Mercado de Motores. :)
Yes, it was so hot in Madrid, even for the end of April. Thanks for letting me know the name of the building! I had a hard time finding it.
DeleteI've also heard that the El Rastro market was nothing to write home about. I'd love to pop over and check out your blog but it said your profile was private.
How very odd! Mind you, Blogger is very temperamental! One of these days I am going to have look into transferring the content to Wordpress. In the mean time, here's the link: http://thirtysomethingteachertraveller.blogspot.com.es/ :)
DeleteLove your photos...Madrid is such a diverse and beautiful city. Lucky you staying with a family. That's always the best!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I made the decision to stay with a local family rather than stay in a hotel. It really made my experience so genuine.
DeleteBeautiful pictures! I would love to visit Madrid or mainland spain in general for a change! Though I would definitely miss the ocean in this city ;)
ReplyDeleteAh! What beautiful photos of my city. :) I'm happy you enjoyed your visit! Let me know if you come back again. I'd love to give ya some tips for my favorite bars and restaurants! Lovely finding your blog through the Travel Tuesday linkup. xx Jen @ foodloveandlifeblog.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThanks I'd love to spend more time in Madrid experiencing the food. Followed you on bloglovin!
DeleteMadrid looks so beautiful, I really need to visit Spain!
ReplyDeleteOoh Madrid looks amazing, I was in Barcelona over Easter and I am thinking that next year's Easter trip will be to Madrid. I just love Spain!
ReplyDeleteEaster is a great time to go to Spain especially to see the processions of Semana Santa.
DeleteI loved Madrid! Even though my wallet got pick pocketed two hours into arriving into the city. I still had fun!
ReplyDeleteOh wow. Fortunately I haven't been pick pocketed anywhere I've traveled so far. Probably just jinxed my self.
DeleteI enjoyed the photos, especially the one from the archway on the Plaza Mayor down into the street below. My husband has family in Spain. We love the country, the food, the language and the wine.
ReplyDeleteWow, you know exactly where that was taken, even when the pics were out of order!
DeleteBeautiful pictures! I love Spain, so much, it's so beautiful and colourful and the food is exceptional obviously :)
ReplyDeleteMadrid looks so lovely. I think if I had 10 hours there, I would eat as much as I could - that's pretty standard for me though ;)
ReplyDeletehaha that's what I wish I could have been doing!
DeleteThis post makes me happy because right now I'm living in Madrid, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the city! Next time you're here, make sure to explore some of the smaller neighborhoods close to the center like La Latina and Malasaña! I also recommend going on a food tour (I loved Madrid Food Tour) to get even more authentic tastes of delicious Spanish cuisine :)
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to go on a food tour. I didn't think of planning one at the time but that sounds fabulous.
DeleteI've never bent to Madrid (or Spain) but they are slowly climbing to the top of my list. So beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat's great the host family worked out so well. Loved your photos! Thank you for sharing this at my History & Home link party, so glad you did! Dawn @ We Call It Junkin.com
ReplyDeleteMy sister & niece and her husband is going next summer to visit my nieces mother in law she lives in north west Spain my daughter & husband spent a month there and loved how laid back everyone was
ReplyDeleteI would love to spend a month there, I'm going to be in Spain for technically 3 separate weeks this year so close enough I guess. They are so laid back, but also very lively!
DeleteI've been to a lot of Spain, nut not to Madrid. Your photos make me want to go there! Thanks for the little tour!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! I've been to the south of Spain, but never Madrid. It looks lovely!
ReplyDeleteMadrid's neighborhoods with atmosphere (videos)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KdkZuQ9MCo&list=UUsRJG2dBkcPYEdi6tX75YtA
Good for you for making such good use of a long layover. The tapas look delicious, and I think I spotted churros in your pictures, too. I would also love to see a Flamenco show in Spain. I would have never thought to look into staying with a host family in Spain. Were you there for a long time for the class or was it a short, intense session?
ReplyDeleteMy class was a short intense session. I'm sure you can find host families offering their services allover Spain, especially with the economy.
DeleteHa ha - I remember that sparkly goat/street artist from when I was in Madrid several years ago. Such a fantastic city for people watching and eating. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteClaire xx | somewhere... beyond the sea
Gorgeous photos of Madrid, I keep seeing photos of the city and think I must visit! You have reminded me once again that I need to book a flight to explore the city xx
ReplyDeleteAh, Madrid, what a beautiful city!
ReplyDelete