My Adventures Continues in...España

Sunday January 19

We made it safely to Madrid! Our room in the hostel is beautiful! We have a pretty french windows and a balcony overlooking the city! Cinzia and I rested for a little bit before exploring the city.

 Once we were reenergized we went out to find something to eat for dinner! We came across this fast food shop called Tako Togo that was selling burritos, tacos and salads.. since Cinz was craving Chipotle throughout the trip we tried it out! It was soo good! I ordered a salad which was basically a burrito bowl!

After dinner we walked around, peeked our head in a few shops and just enjoyed the Spanish culture. We were so exhausted and jet lag that we were already in bed by 9pm!

Monday January 20

Today we started our day early with the free breakfast offered at the hostel! We had two slices of bread with jam and butter and a cup of orange juice! After breakfast we got ready to do some sight seeing and shopping! We walked down Calle Montera Fuencarral where it is known for shopping and their restaurant. It was so unreal that we were in Madrid! We peeked our heads in a few shops but didn't get anything. With our small breakfast we were soo hungry. We came across this Italian restaurant called La Nicoletta Resturante. I ordered delicious noodles with pesto and Cinz got her Bolognese...and of course we had to get some dessert! We had a chocolate melting cake! Amazing!!

 We walked down the calle and ended at Puerta del Sol, which is the central of the city of Madrid.

For dinner, I tired their famous jamon con pan frances! According to Cinz it was good quality proscuitto! Then we headed back to the hostel and started watching a movie..we were so tired that within the first ten minutes we were asleep!

Tuesday January 21

We woke up at 9am and were ready to start our day! We had a plan to walk to Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor! We walked again and continue to do some last minute gift shopping. We came across a Duncan Donut on our walk however, instead of it being called Duncan Donut it was called Duncan Coffee! Since Cinz loves her Duncan donuts we had to go in and try it out. I got the white chocolate mocha and a Boston creme! It was quite delicious! We then continue to shop and sight see!

For dinner we were able to try tapas which is a typical style of Spanish cuisine! We were able to try small portions of different types of food! It was really goood!

Wednesday January 22

Today is our last full day in Spain.. so sad :( We woke up at 9am to get our free breakfast and started our day off early! Since they offer free tours through our hostel we went on one today! We walked through the main street with the shops and restaurants and made it to Puerta del Sol. We learned about the history and why that was the central of the city.

El Oso y Mardella - this is one of the famous land marks Madrid

We then made our way to Plaza Isabel II. This square is dedicated to one of the Queens of Spain, Isabel II. It surrounded by shops and the Royal Theater. During her rein she was a very powerful and strong women. She dedicated a lot of her time to the arts and had the theater build in front of the Royal Place.

Opera House aka Royal Theater 

We then made our way to the Royal Place! We learned that every building in Madrid is authentic! We then proceed to the Cathedral of Madrid!

Cathedral de Madrid

Royal Palace 

Plaza Mayor

We then went to lunch with some people on our tour. We met to guys who were from Argentina. One of them was just here for a wedding and decided to extend his trip to travel around Europe. The other guy was from Argentina but has lived in Barcalona for three years and was visiting Madrid. We also met two girls who were studying abroad for the fall semester in Sevilla. One was from Germany and the other girl was from Switzerland. For lunch we had a three course meal for only 10 euros! I was finally able to try paella! This is probably my favorite meal throughout the whole trip!! It was sooo good! I also tried some steak and for dessert I had some flan!

After lunch, Cinz and I explored the city on our own. We walked to the statue that represent 'Real Madrid'. The statue is a king that is on a carriage being pulled by lions. This is where the soccer team Real Madrid got their name from. We then took the metro to the Templo of Debod which is an Egyptian temple. We were able to see an amazing view of the city of Madrid. I was in such awe!

Real Madrid 

Templo de Debod

City view of Madrid