May in Madrid

We headed off with another couple to the lovely city of Madrid for a weekend in May (I'm a tad behind I know...) We had been brainstorming get-away ideas and landed on Madrid as most of us had never been there. I was in Barcelona and San Sebastian several years ago during a little Eurotrip with friends during university, but had never strayed too far from the coast. I worried that the heat would be stifling, but it ended up being bearable - I would not go much later than May though! Let's just say there were plenty of ice cream breaks on this trip.

We arrived VERY late Friday evening, our flight was a bit delayed and we had booked a late one to begin with - there may or may not have been an incident involving churros Saturday morning at 4 am... They were absolutely delicious but if I am ever diagnosed with diabetes those will receive the bulk of my blame.

The AirBNB we stayed at was awesome - very old / authentic / cute - unfortunately I can't for the life of me find the listing (our wonderful friends pretty much booked everything for us! Apparently some people like to book travel more than a few days in advance ;)) I love being walking distance to restaurants and cafes though - it makes such a difference in terms of really experiencing the city when you can walk everywhere.

Pals at the Palace!

The Royal Palace of Madrid was only a 15 minute walk from our apartment, so we popped in for a quick tour on Saturday morning. I'm terrible at appreciating art / museums / historical sites so I would say skip this one, but for anyone more cultured than me it might be worthwhile! It does have a really nice view out over the city as it was built on the edge of a small cliff in the centre of the city. I can imagine the cool breezes must have been a welcome relief in the heat of the summer back in the day :)

View from the Royal Palace

Exhibition in the park

We did hop on the metro a few times - especially to get out to Parque de El Retiro. This park is definitely a must-see and I would recommend spending a few hours there. You can rent paddleboats to float around (what I *think* is a man-made) lake. There are ice cream vendors (yes!), a pretty glass building that seems to be a multi-purpose building for art exhibitions, etc. It's also just nice to wander the park's shady boulevards - especially if you're there in the heat of the summer.

Parque de el Retiro

The Museo del Prado is probably a good thing to fit into your itinerary as well :) We unfortunately did not give ourselves enough time to go in, BUT we learned some very useful information on our wander past... If you go after 6 pm Monday - Saturday (open until 8 pm) and between 5 pm and 7 pm Sundays and holidays, you can get in for FREE! You do have to join a huge line, but do not be scared off by its size. Trust. We were walking by just as the line started moving and it goes super quickly so it's definitely worth it if you are on a tight budget. You may still have to pay for the (optional) guide but it's better than 23 euros for the entry + guide! There are also some fun street art vendors set up near the line to wander through while you're waiting to get in.

Sunday market

After a busy Saturday trying to squeeze in all of the sights, we managed to drag the boys around for a little shopping on Sunday. It's nice to be away from the awful exchange rate with the pound once in a while :) I managed to find two dresses for two weddings we are going to this summer at El Corte Ingles - a very typical department store but the prices were excellent and it was fun to check out different brands. I sometimes forget to stray off the high street in London when I'm shopping and everything starts to get repetitive after a while. That reminds me - the high street deserves its own post at some point.

"boccadillo" mmmmm

Anyway, other than some sightseeing and shopping, we mostly relaxed in cafes, ate delicious tapas and drank lots of cerveza! I love Spain's vibe and I'm anxious to go back again. Pat is desperate to visit Barcelona so I think after seeing Madrid we may have to bump it up the list a little! I may veto any trips during the height of summer though... I can't handle the heat!