Another very early start to a trip, up at 3am for our 4am bus from Whitechapel. Thankfully it arrived on time. Landed in Madrid around 10, then took the airport bus into town as the metro was being renovated. We were staying pretty centrally so we walked from the main bus terminal to our hostel. We were too early to check in so we left our bags and went looking for lunch. We found a really cool tapas bar, Cafetería Neila and had a selection of jamon, cheese, bread, beer, chorizo, mackerel and peppers. Was a really authentic little place (at least to us tourists).
After lunch we walked around for a bit, grabbed a takeaway coffee, then went to the botanic gardens for a nice stroll around. They had an amazing collection of bonzai trees, and a very nice greenhouse.
We were starting to flag after this so we went back to the hostel and checked in, then had a nap. Our room is pretty nice, small but quiet enough and the showers are very clean, so all good on that front.
After our nap it was off to dinner; Jack had found a place on Google so we set off for Retrogusto Bar . I had a glass of wine to start while Jackie had a glass of Tinto de Verono, with tapas of salami, humus and couscous eggplant. Next was burrata cheese.
We then bar hopped to Cerveceria La Mayor for more wine and cheese.
That was it for the first day.
The next morning we didn't get out until 10am, due to bad sleep - the hostel room has an annoying fire alarm light that blinking and also noisy pipes. We walked north to this theatre rooftop I read had a good view of the Madrid skyline, intending to have breakfast there. However, once realising the restaurant was located on the ground floor and the rooftop cost 4€, we decided we were better off eating somewhere else. Luckily we were right in front of the Gran Via so we walked down, found a little street off of it and ducked into a local cervecheria. We had traditional potato omelette, a huge bowl of fried chorizo, cafe con leche and freshly pressed OJ. There were lots of people coming in and out for a quick coffee and morning snack and only 2 guys behind the counter, and it was funny to see how relaxed they were, just a totally different style to hectic London.
Afterwards we walked down the Gran Via browsing at the grandiose buildings and architecture and stopping by some shops including a massssive Primark where we got ourselves some new threads, including a replacement jumper for Ryan as he forgot his at a restaurant in York 😐.
We then dropped our shopping off at the hostel before making our way to the underground close by. Caught the underground to Arguelles and as we stepped out of the station we saw it was snowing heavily - so much for a sunny holiday! It was already freezing before, but now with snow it was even colder to walk in, so after about 20 minutes walking we hopped into a cafe. Unbelievably the snow came down even heavier as we sipped on our drinks. Worse, we realised we'd walked the wrong way, ahhhh. But the snow had stopped by the time we finished, so we had a pleasant walk to the Telefonica which is a cable car that takes you from Arguelles to the Parque del Campos. The park is 3 times the size of New Yorks Central Park, but it's on the far west of the city, so it's almost oddly placed because much of the panoramic views are of the suburban apartment high rises. But we had a nice time just enjoying the greenery and views, plus the cable car was only €5.90 return!
Afterwards we walked over to the Royal Palacio de Madrid for a quick look, then had a fresh juice on the way back to the hostel. Our plan for dinner was to eat at one of the Mercado's, but the Anton Martin one was half closed, and the San Miguel one was so overpriced and touristy we couldn't really find anything we actually wanted to eat. So we headed to a restaurant close to Plaza de Mayor that's famous for their mushroom tapas. It was pretty delicious, and also had some pimentos which are fried green peppers, also yummy and salty. Of course, had the obligatory drink each. Next we went to a traditional Spanish joint called El Lacon, which had about 8 waiters behind the counter who ALL greeted us as we walked in! So funny, being bombarded with Ola! So we promptly got a seat at the bar, ordered drinks and got some Callos (as recommended by Ryan's colleague) it was delicious tripe and chickpea stew, and also some andallucian style calamari. By the end we had a bit of food coma, but also pretty much ready to sleep from all the wine!
So it was back to the hostel for a big, fat sleep.
After lunch we walked around for a bit, grabbed a takeaway coffee, then went to the botanic gardens for a nice stroll around. They had an amazing collection of bonzai trees, and a very nice greenhouse.
We were starting to flag after this so we went back to the hostel and checked in, then had a nap. Our room is pretty nice, small but quiet enough and the showers are very clean, so all good on that front.
After our nap it was off to dinner; Jack had found a place on Google so we set off for Retrogusto Bar . I had a glass of wine to start while Jackie had a glass of Tinto de Verono, with tapas of salami, humus and couscous eggplant. Next was burrata cheese.
We then bar hopped to Cerveceria La Mayor for more wine and cheese.
That was it for the first day.
The next morning we didn't get out until 10am, due to bad sleep - the hostel room has an annoying fire alarm light that blinking and also noisy pipes. We walked north to this theatre rooftop I read had a good view of the Madrid skyline, intending to have breakfast there. However, once realising the restaurant was located on the ground floor and the rooftop cost 4€, we decided we were better off eating somewhere else. Luckily we were right in front of the Gran Via so we walked down, found a little street off of it and ducked into a local cervecheria. We had traditional potato omelette, a huge bowl of fried chorizo, cafe con leche and freshly pressed OJ. There were lots of people coming in and out for a quick coffee and morning snack and only 2 guys behind the counter, and it was funny to see how relaxed they were, just a totally different style to hectic London.
Afterwards we walked down the Gran Via browsing at the grandiose buildings and architecture and stopping by some shops including a massssive Primark where we got ourselves some new threads, including a replacement jumper for Ryan as he forgot his at a restaurant in York 😐.
We then dropped our shopping off at the hostel before making our way to the underground close by. Caught the underground to Arguelles and as we stepped out of the station we saw it was snowing heavily - so much for a sunny holiday! It was already freezing before, but now with snow it was even colder to walk in, so after about 20 minutes walking we hopped into a cafe. Unbelievably the snow came down even heavier as we sipped on our drinks. Worse, we realised we'd walked the wrong way, ahhhh. But the snow had stopped by the time we finished, so we had a pleasant walk to the Telefonica which is a cable car that takes you from Arguelles to the Parque del Campos. The park is 3 times the size of New Yorks Central Park, but it's on the far west of the city, so it's almost oddly placed because much of the panoramic views are of the suburban apartment high rises. But we had a nice time just enjoying the greenery and views, plus the cable car was only €5.90 return!
Afterwards we walked over to the Royal Palacio de Madrid for a quick look, then had a fresh juice on the way back to the hostel. Our plan for dinner was to eat at one of the Mercado's, but the Anton Martin one was half closed, and the San Miguel one was so overpriced and touristy we couldn't really find anything we actually wanted to eat. So we headed to a restaurant close to Plaza de Mayor that's famous for their mushroom tapas. It was pretty delicious, and also had some pimentos which are fried green peppers, also yummy and salty. Of course, had the obligatory drink each. Next we went to a traditional Spanish joint called El Lacon, which had about 8 waiters behind the counter who ALL greeted us as we walked in! So funny, being bombarded with Ola! So we promptly got a seat at the bar, ordered drinks and got some Callos (as recommended by Ryan's colleague) it was delicious tripe and chickpea stew, and also some andallucian style calamari. By the end we had a bit of food coma, but also pretty much ready to sleep from all the wine!
So it was back to the hostel for a big, fat sleep.
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