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So I left South America without any difficulties, unlike some people. We had all booked flights for the 15th, however Emma´s flight was changed and in the end she left on the night of the 14th, luckily for her she had gone to an internet café to reconfirm her flight. If she had not, she would have missed it for sure. Note to all, reconfirm flights, preferably not the night before.
Arrived at Madrid airport on time, however it took nearly an hour to get through the checks and collect the luggage whilst Javi waited patiently for me. We took the metro to our apartment which was located in the Salamanca district of Madrid. Now this is the snobby part of the city, with expensive shops like prada and rolex, and posh restaurants that I would never dare go into. This was not the case with our accommodation and for 4 nights with access to a swimming pool, a kitchen in our room as well as air con only set us back 25 euros a night each. This is the price for some of the hostels in the area so we were very lucky.
Due to a bit of jet lag and heat we didn`t leave the apartment until after it had cooled on the Thursday. We went for a short stroll to Ventas, the bull fighting ring in Madrid, which was located a few streets from where we were staying. Javi had checked online to see if there was anything on whilst we were there, however he hadn`t found anything. At the plaza there was a poster advertising bull fights for the Sunday, and a random man tried to sell standing tickets for 10 euros each. Leaving to think about it, we walked round and found the official stand and bought seating tickets in the shade for 8.50 each.
When Javi and I had visited Barcelona we had taken a tourist bus round, and figured this was probably the best for Madrid too. So on our first full day in Madrid we purchased tickets for the bus for two days (only 4 euros more expensive than for just one day). There are two routes on the bus, one that visits the historic part of the city, and the other the shopping or residential route.
We took the latter route on the Friday, which involved going past the "fuente de cibeles" as well as the "plaza de Neptune" where the two Madrid football teams go to celebrate. We headed north round the "Santiago Bernabéu" where Real Madrid play. Here many people disembarked from the bus, Javi being a Barcelona fan, we did not. Also on this route was Alcalá and its puerta and plaza, as well as the "puerta del sol" where we got off the bus and took a walk round to find somewhere to have a munch.
"Los Gatos" is a local pub and was full of Spaniards, unlike the restaurants you would find anywhere on the tourist routes. A tapa with a caña is always a bonus and this quirky bar had a unique style only comparably to one other place that I have been to, that being "Victors" in Alcoy.
In the end, due mainly to jet lag kicking in, we only had the one there and ate in the apartment so I could take a well deserved siesta after having eaten. Also taking advantage of the swimming pool, I tried to tan my pale skin, but it was just too hot. Madrid in the summer is almost unbearable and there are very few Spaniards around, only the unfortunate ones that are still working. All the rest have hit the beach, catching a breeze somewhere else, since it is almost nonexistent in the capital.
Even well after 8, whilst we were in "matadero" we were unable to stand in one spot to long in the sun, and we didn`t dare head to the park there since there was no shade in sight. The art exhibition itself is a must for those who are interested in modern art - which we are not. We didn`t understand it, and we not impressed by it, entirely due to not understanding it fully however I am sure that some would get much more from it than us.
For dinner, a must (apparently) apart from tapas is callos madrileños. Javi described this as being the Spanish equivalent to the Scottish haggis. The only similarity for me is that you don't really want to know what it is, and it is better not to ask until you have finished eating. Texture is slimy and looks like fat in a dish, despite this the sauce was nice and I happily dipped the bread into it, but eating the actual blobs of food was tried and would be passed up on any other future occasion.
Saturday, and day two of the tourist bus, we ventured to the historic centre. On this route there were many more things that interested me and the route took longer than the previous day. Glad that we did it in that order so I could recover from the jet lag and appreciate it more. A few places over lap on the two routes, but this has many more reasons to get off the bus. Highlights for me were the "palacio real" and the "cathedral de la almudena" which stand side by side west of the city. Although we didn`t enter either of these they are impressive from the outside and the meander through the adjacent gardens provided great photo opportunities.
The plaza mayor was another great moment off the bus as we walked round the outside until we ventured of the path in search of a cold beer. A fair few pubs and bars are available in the plaza, but like all places tourists go, the prices go up. We did eventually find one that served us tapas with our cañas, that Javi was happy with. Also here is the Mercado de San Miguel and a must in my opinion, this is not a normal market, and rather than the standard fruit and veg stalls or piles of raw meat, you will find sandwiches and tapas in some, platters of cheese or glasses of wine in another, worth stopping in just to view.
We didn`t finish the route before lunch, so once the sun had gone down we went back outside to head to the "iglesia de los Jerónimos" and the Retiro park. The church was being used at the time when we visited, for a wedding, so was only seen from the outside. Despite it being past 7 at night, it was unbelievably hot, luckily this park has many shaded areas due to the trees and we strolled through viewing the monuments and palaces that are inside. Whilst in the "Palacio de Velázquez," (another modern art venue) we were given two free entry tickets into the Museo Reina Sofia, which on the Monday we visited.
Sunday and our last full day in Madrid, we borrowed Javi´s cousin´s car to leave the city and travel 40km to "el monasterio del Escorial." This could probably be achieved by bus from the city, and if you have the time I would recommend it. The biggest monastery that I have seen and due to it being a Sunday and the time of mass we entered without paying. Since we hadn`t paid we were not allowed into some of the exhibitions, but this did not bother us since we are not big lovers of art, and I was more interested in the church. We did find some abandoned stickers (which show you have paid) which we took as to not arouse suspicion.
Just before 7 we headed the few blocks to the plaza de toros to see my first ever bull fight. Going with a Spaniard left me less ignorant of what was going to happen, and I was informed of the different names of the cape things they wave around, along with the different names for the people. There are 3 toreros (people) and 6 toros (bulls) but I only managed to watch the first 3. I had seen the fights on TV and I should have known that I wouldn`t like it, but I live in Spain and it is a tradition. I`ll be honest, after the first bull was killed, and the blood was spurting out of its mouth, I shed a tear or two for it. Not sure if I was hardened by the first or I learnt not to watch the final act of killing, I managed a further two before Javi suggested that we should leave. I have seen it, I didn't like it, I won`t go again.
Monday and our train back to Alicante, but not before visiting the Museo Reina Sofia with our free tickets that we were given on Saturday. Normally the museum is free at the weekends for those who are interested in art, but as I mentioned we aren´t really and apart from the famous pieces we hardly stopped to look at the others. We did stop at Picasso´s Guernica and some of Dali´s famous artwork and a quick trip to the terrace on the third floor before our 2.25 train.
Currently on the train to Alicante, where I will be until the end of August, before the reality of going back to work will hit me hard. I´ll keep you all updated if I can ever afford another vacation.
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