MADRID! I LOVE YOU.
I had the most amazing short trip to Madrid. I didn’t do a lot of tourist-y things, but I love the Spanish culture, food, music and so I was grinning from the moment I got off the plane.
DAY ONE:
7am coach for an hour to Bari, where I will be catch my flight to Madrid. Leaving my family in Zapponeta was bittersweet, I didn’t want to leave them but I was looking forward to visiting Spain for the first time. It was a long day, I was travelling for over 12 hours and I didn’t even realise that would be the case. It was all worth it though. My first day was spent on planes and in airports (I had a layover) and once I arrived in Madrid I went straight to my hotel, ate and slept ready for tomorrow’s adventure.
.sidenote: my host family are the cutest! they made me a packed lunch for my travels.
DAY TWO – CONCERT NIGHT:
On Sunday, I checked out of my hotel and checked into Mola! Hostel. Mola! Hostel is based right in the heart of Madrid, next to the shopping district, an array of restaurants and bars. I trotted around for a couple of hours and fell in love with the city. I started off at Puerta del Sol and ventured down one of the streets connected to it.
I had an amazing seafood lunch, followed by churros at Valor Chocolaterie – it was even better then it looks.
After a long day, walking around and resisting shopping in the sales, I went back to my hostel to get ready for the Daddy Yankee concert! What a night it was! Daddy Yankee put on an amazing show and I am so glad my impulses kicked in and I bought tickets. I literally did not understand anything that he said, but when everyone else started screaming and cheering, I took that as my cue – haha. Honestly, I had the most amazing night and I’m looking forward to seeing Daddy Yankee perform again, sometime in the future.
DAY THREE:
After catching up with some lost sleep, I set out to venture around Madrid. I visited Plaza Mayor which is located a 5 minutes walk away from where I was staying. I then ventured down one of the roads off of Plaza Major and had a wonder. I honestly did not have any plans for this trip apart from the concert, so I just planned to get lost and discover new places. For lunch/dinner, I stopped at Txapela, a Tapas restaurant which was INCREDIBLE! It was 2 euros per plate (I got 6) and definitely worth it. To wash it all down, I got a glass of sangria and it was beautiful. I had waited ages to get a glass of sangria while in Madrid because I didn’t want to be disappointed and I definitely wasn’t.
On my way back to the hostel, I saw the cutest mariachi band playing a selection of songs in the main square. It created such lovely vibes and when they played Enrique Iglesias’ song, bailando, the whole crowd ignited and started singing along.
Later that night.. I went on Mola! Hostels’ pub crawl which was so much fun and I met some lovely girls. I was disappointed with the first club/bar we went to because I really wanted Latin music and it was all club classics, I did shake a leg but I got bored quickly. We moved onto the second bar and I was 110% in my element! They were playing all my favourite Spanish/Latin songs and I was not leaving the dance floor at all. The last bar was alright, but nowhere near the second bar. The queue into the main club was so long, but as we were on the pub crawl we were able to skip it. However, I got in and then left because I wasn’t feeling the music at all. It was my first experience of a pub crawl and while travelling solo I would definitely do it again, it was a fun and easy way to meet new people.
DAY FOUR:
Day four was to explore. I spent the day exploring the neighbouring streets of Madrid and getting souvenirs for myself and my family. I cannot complain, but it was scorching – particularly because I was rushing around and trying to make sure I left for the airport at a decent time.
I was absolutely exhausted from a night out in Madrid, but had the most amazing breakfast buffet at Mola! Hostel. I was so full by the end of it, which was pretty good considering I did not have anytime to have a sit down lunch. I love just wondering around in cities and seeing what I can find and where life takes me. I found a cute little market and wondered through the main shopping district. I had to resist all the shopping sales – I didn’t do very well if I am being honest. I bought two pairs of shoes and a pair of sandals. They are really pretty and were quite the bargain so well worth it.
It was a really chilled day, I even managed to get a nap in as well. However, it all went south when trying to get to the airport. I ordered an Uber and gave myself more than enough time to get there, however the terminal I was going to happened to be a little trickier to get to. Bless my driver, he literally had no clue whatsoever as to how to get to my terminal, which literally drove around for 2 hours. I had to refrain from crying because check in was closed and I had basically missed my flight. I called the airline while we were driving in circles to ask them to wait for me and THANK GOODNESS, the flight had been delayed by 50 minutes. This gave me hope. When I arrived, check in was closed but I managed to get to my gate before they had even started boarding. I was sweating like a little piglet, but I made it. Ladies and Gents – God answers prayers!
I will definitely be heading back to Madrid sooner rather than later and have more of an organised and planned trip.
Ever taken a spontaneous trip? I would definitely recommend it, its honestly one of the most liberating things you could do. Have a look at my vlog of Madrid and give it a thumbs up and subscribe – here.
