Trip A: City One, Day One

 Introduction:

    Madrid, España. My favorite city on earth. The one city I have visited four times and have a fifth visit planned this summer. Madrid is such an amazing city with so much to do. Over the course of the next week or two, I will give you a 3 day itinerary hitting all of the best features of Madrid, eating at my favorite spots, and seeing the best city in Europe. 

Arrival:

    I am going to assume we are spending two full weeks in Europe with a total of four countries to mark off of our list. I found an American Airlines flight from Washington's Reagan International (DCA) to Madrid with a two-ish hour layover at JFK in New York for $974 (with return from a city you'll read about in the coming weeks). We leave DC on Monday, June 2 and arrive in Madrid the following morning around 10am local time. Madrid's airport is super easy to navigate with signage in English and Spanish, I have only gotten lost once and someone pointed me in the right direction not long after. 

Inside the Madrid Airport Terminal. 

    Within the airport, we will go through customs, show our Passports to the officer, they may ask you a couple questions as to why you are visiting Spain, how long you plan to stay in Europe, or even ask for your accommodation information. As someone who travels often, I have rarely been asked any questions when going through customs aside from when I traveled in 2021 when everywhere asked for a COVID-19 test and my vaccination card. 

    From the airport, there are many ways to get into Madrid proper: Taxis, Ubers, Buses, and my favorite way to travel, the metro. There are signs all over Madrid's airport directing you to the Metro. Once in the station, you can buy a few different types of travel cards, but we are going to select the 'Multi-Card' option as it allows travel on the metro, buses, and trams. The machine will accept Euros or Credit Cards.

Ride into the City:

    The Metro ride is about 45 minutes into the area of Madrid where the hotel I have chosen is located. The metro in Madrid, as I have said, is very easy to navigate, I use Apple Maps to help with directions in the stations. On this trip, you will only need to change lines twice to get to the hotel, from the airport you take Line 8 (Pink Line) to Line 6 (Gray Line) Nuevos Ministerios Station. From Nuevos Ministerios, take Line 6 to Cuatro Caminos, change for the last time to Line One (Blue Line) toward Pinar de Chamartin and get off one station away in Estrecho. Once you are out of the metro station, head toward the hotel on Calle de las Mercedes, Far Home Bernabau (about a 5 minute walk).

The Accommodation:

    This hotel is one of my favorites in Madrid, I think because it was the first hotel I stayed in while in the city. Far Home Bernabau is technically a hostel, but has private rooms available, which is my preferred way to stay! There are shared bathrooms, but they are super private and super clean and even play smooth jazz covers of popular songs. The room is super basic, but I do not travel to sleep! I like clean, affordable, and easily accessible hotels when I am traveling and this one is just that! While it isn't in the center of Madrid, it is so close with the metro. 

    Unfortunately, it is only about 11am and check-in starts at 3pm... so going to the hotel is only to drop off bags for a few hours and then going to get a bite to eat and a cold Coke. This is my favorite time when I am traveling, the "unknown",  trying to figure out what the heck is going on, getting my sea legs, and looking around a new neighborhood. Unfortunately, when I stayed here in Summer 2021, COVID had many of the little cafes and stores closed, but after looking on Google Maps today, the community looks alive again!

Hotel Cost: (June 2-6) $293 with an option to upgrade and include breakfast.

The basic room at Far Home Bernabau (July 2021).

What's Next?:
    On Day One, I truly recommend staying within 30 minutes of your hotel, the time difference will make you want a nap, but I am telling you, KEEP GOING! I always go to the local grocery store first and grab my go-to items: Fruit, pre-made sandwiches, and some chips to take back to the hotel before I really get out of the neighborhood. 

    And because we just had a small meal, we will likely skip a true "lunch" and wait on dinner. Meal times in Madrid are a little different than in the US and it is normal to have dinner at 9, 10, or even 11pm. Luckily, the time change makes that a perfect time to eat as it is about 5pm on the East Coast and my West Virginia body will appreciate food. Dinner in Spain is a social experience where you will need a reservation if going, so gotta check out the menus of restaurants now to get that reservation. One of my favorite places in Madrid is called 'Lateral' which I would describe as a modern restaurant serving Spanish classics with a twist. But we will talk dinner later!

    My first day in Madrid is always the same, go visit Sol and Plaza Mayor which are two incredible areas of Madrid and both of which are just a short metro ride away.. Sol is a town square with restaurants, museums, stores, and areas to sit and people watch. Sol is also home to the 'Tio Pepe' sign where Spaniards have their big New Year's celebration. Plaza Mayor, seen in the title slide,  is the old center of Madrid which dates back to the 1400's and was the biggest market in the city. Today, it houses many tourist stores and overpriced restaurants and hotels, but is definitely a place to stop in and have a glass of tinto verano or in my case, an ice cold Coke, and have a tapa or two. 

    There are plenty of organized tours you can take, however, I am lucky to have several friends in Madrid who act as my tour guides. If I were to take a guided tour of Madrid, I would use the app, "Get Your Guide" which has a variety of activities from free walking tours of the city to wine tastings to day trips out of the city. 'Get Your Guide' has made my trips abroad amazing and so affordable. This will not be the only post you read with them mentioned, because I truly love the app.

Me and Requi in front of the Real Casa de Correos, the old royal post office in Sol, that is now just a government office building.

PRO-TIP: There are little old ladies in the Sol and Plaza Mayor (and many other places in Madrid) who will try to give you a sprig of rosemary as a "gift" however, they then want you to pay for it... and will chase you down. Thankfully, if you politely say "no, thank you" or "no, gracias" they will leave you alone. 

Dinner:

    Spanish culture is so unique in my opinion, the lifestyle makes you want to slow down and just enjoy life. I can truly say it is the one place on earth I have to live before I die. I love to just walk the narrow streets and people watch. There are generations of families who go out together and the interactions are what I crave in a society. Which brings me to my favorite aspect of being in Spain, the food! Since we made a dinner reservation at 'Lateral', there are several locations of this restaurant in Madrid, but I prefer the Fuencarral location near the Chueca neighborhood. There are a variety of food items here, I usually order several small tapas, which are small plates of food, usually some croquetas, calamari, papas bravas, and chicken strips, which in Spain, they simply say "fingers." For a main plate, there is this awesome barbecue rib and sweet potato puree that is delicious and I highly recommend. 

BBQ pork rib with a sweet potato mash and a cracker of some sort. 

'Fingers' and Papas Bravas with a red pepper and garlic aioli sauce. 

    After dinner on the first day, I am usually beyond ready for bed, so I begin to make my way back toward the hotel on the metro, which is a straight shot from the Chueca station back to Estrecho. Once in my room, I shower and go to bed. I will say the first couple days of traveling means I will likely skip breakfast, so getting up at 7am is a negative, but I will set my alarm for 9am. Good night!