First Night in Madrid Impression
We got to center of Madrid at around 1:00 pm or so and immediately looked for a hostel. After being in transit for about a day, (13+ hour plane ride, 1 bus and 2 trains), we were a bit worried about finding a hostel quickly. I don’t think we talked more than 200 feet arounds the main metro center before noticing TONS of Hostels and hotels.
We walked south on the main street of Carretas and settled on the second hostel we came across. The first one gave Betty a bad vibe even before getting to the main door :D.
Hostel Pilar is nicer than I thought it would be. Its clean, secure, a block from a metro station and inexpensive for a private room (45 Euros). I thought we were gonna get ass raped on the price but consider the proximity, not a bad deal.
Alright…. here are my impressions.
Madrid is beautiful. After a couple of hours of being here I came to the conclusion I could live here.
After a short nap, we went to the local patio square to have a late lunch. Plaza Santa Ana, is a wide open square with no less than 5 diffrent places to eat that all offer their distinct taste of Spain, including a local Bewery. We had a great little salmon sandwich snack and we started to make our way east to where most of the museums and parks are located.
On the way, walking through a park we noticed bikers gathering at a corner of the street. We asked a woman what was going on and she told us that people get together every last Thursday of the month to do a tour of the city. They are supposed to start at 8 but don’t usually get going till about 8:30. We hang out since 8:30 is just around the corner and the group starts to swell. There are easily a couple hundred riders here, from all walks of life and bikes. One guy is riding an old school bike, you know, the one with a HUGE wheel in the front, I kid you not. Another dude with a snorkle! The bikers are ready for their ride and they take off. Its 8:45 :D. I love this place!
Parque del Buen Retiro or “Park of the Pleasant Retreat” is 350 acres of the most amazing park I have ever been to. Sculptures, kids riding bikes, people running and rollerblading, monuments, teams of people rowing at a man made lake, picnics and just hangin out fill this awesome park. Its a Thursday afternoon, and you would swear that with all the people out and about it was a weekend with some kind of festival going on, but nope, this is just summer time in Madrid.
Then we stop by McDonalds just for curiosity sake. Here I am doing a quick taste test to compare American Fries and their Spanish counterpart. I know, I know, this is the worst video to post. Ill be able to post the bike riders later and all the other stuff when I get back.
Edgar
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