Part II: Madrid

Part II: Madrid


The train ride from Barcelona to Madrid was not at all what I expected. I had expected a nice quiet train ride, just sleeping straight through the almost 10 hour ride. But unfortunately for me, that was not at ALL what was in store for me. 

Statue in Puerta del Sol in Madrid

First of all, I had apparently bought the wrong ticket, which I found out when boarding the train. And with my very broken Spanish, I managed to figure out that I had bought an under 26 ticket that required a specific rail card instead of just being under 26, like I had thought. The conductor told me I would just pay him the 15€ difference on the train, but when he came around later on, he told me it was okay and didn't make me pay! That was about the best part of the train ride. 

Puerta del Sol empty early in the morning, very different from the afternoon!

Secondly, having bought the cheapest train ticket available, this meant sitting in a train car that was half a cafeteria and half passengers. So, the passenger side had the lights left on for people to walk through to the cafeteria, people were walking through and talking loudly until at least 3am, and to make matters worse, the guy next to me wouldn't stop talking on the phone all night! 

All in all, it was a pretty restless night. I was sad to leave the train because I still wanted to sleep, and it was cold outside! But with the lack of rest I had gotten on the train, I was very glad to leave, as well. 

Bear sniffing a tree - symbol of Madrid (no idea why..)

I only had about 15 hours in Madrid, so after getting ready in the train station, it was time to explore the city!

Love the pictures on the street signs :)

The Almudena Cathedral

another side of the cathedral

The Royal Palace of Madrid 

the palace was gorgeous! so many colors and rich things, even a porcelain room where the WALLS were porcelain!! tand also a room where a Stradivarius string quintent is on display! (Cool, huh, Maybelline?) :D Too bad no pictures were allowed!!

and the cathedral again

patatas bravas at tapas - some of the worst food i've ever had. these tapas pictures make me feel sick... hopefully the next time i go to spain, i'll have some good tapas... that would be nice..

lion king in madrid!

back to puerta del sol where the plaza is crowded and weird cartoon characters come to take pictures...

ugly spongebob

and a protest about syria

the simpsons

winnie the pooh and tigger too

patrick!

love the statues at the top of the buildings

palace of communications i think?

the guy on the right is real and opens his eyes and stares at anyone who puts money in

street musicians! probably the best part of madrid

pretty ceiling 

postboxes to every part of spain

fortune-tellers in the park

magician performing in the park

puppeteer making the frog play the piano :)

mariachi band and people dancing

churros and hot chocolate

chocolateria for the hot chocolate and churros - very busy!

view of the royal palace before sunset

Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of Madrid. I liked some of the architecture, napping in the park, and the street musicians. But aside from that, I didn't find anything hugely special about the city. And the food wasn't great, I prefer French food much more than Spanish food! Maybe I just didn't go to the right places, but for now, my less than one day in Madrid was more than enough for me. 

After this day, I was definitely ready to leave Madrid! Did you know that the more south you get in Spain, the less English they speak? It's been almost four years since I last spoke Spanish, and I was surprised at how much I remembered and how little at the same time... Thankfully nothing major happened that necessitated the use of advanced Spanish! :P 

At midnight, I boarded a bus to Seville! Next post: Seville :)