In the summer of 2019, I spent a (very very hot) month travelling through southern Europe, with the main focus being small nations and exclaves. My journey went through Italy (Milan), San Marino, France (Nice), Monaco, Spain (Barcelona, Málaga), then to the Spanish exclave of Melilla and back to Spain (Algeciras) with a visit to Gibraltar and Ceuta, another Spanish exclave, and then back into Spain (Córdoba, Sevilla, Huelva, Ayamonte). Then I travelled to Portugal (Lisbon, Sintra, Évora) and back to Spain to Bilbao and Madrid, the last destination of my journey.
Madrid is a city I’ve always been interested to visit. It’s the capital of Spain, a country I was fascinated by as a child, mainly because of my childhood hero, María Isabel. I’d been to Barcelona some years earlier, but I really didn’t like the city, so I hoped Madrid would be different.
Unfortunately, my time in Madrid didn’t come off to a very good start. I arrived at 7 AM on a night bus from Lisbon and was about to catch the metro to my hostel when my phone charger broke… I only had 6 % charge left so I quickly tried to memorize the metro station and the streets I’d have to walk to get to the hostel, and then my phone died. Luckily, I remembered correctly for (maybe) the first time in my life, so I found my hostel just fine! I wasn’t able to check in early; but they let me have a shower (much needed!) and drop off my backpack before venturing out to find a new charger. It was still early, so I had to wait an hour before the shops opened.
I walked to the two major squares in the city centre, Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol, located just a few blocks from each other. I bought two chargers just in case one didn’t work as I didn’t want to be without my phone and my favourite travel app, maps.me, in the big city!
Finally able to relax, I found some breakfast and perched down on a curb to watch Madrid come to life as the morning turned to day.
And then the sightseeing could finally begin.
I walked to Mercado de San Miguel, a seemingly great place to buy street food, but I found it too expensive for my backpacker’s budget. So I continued to Madrid’s gorgeous cathedral, Catedral de la Almudena, which was built between 1883 and 1993 when it was consecrated by Pope John Paul II.
I bought my ticket to see the interior of the cathedral but I was bummed when I was told I wasn’t allowed to take pictures. Little did I know, I didn’t enter the cathedral, but a museum showcasing the history of the cathedral. The ticket also gave me entrance to the tower which was a nice surprise as the view was incredible (and pictures were allowed!). From there, I could see a full view of the Royal Palace of Madrid, which is the largest functioning royal palace in Europe (with no less than 3,418 rooms!!). It’s the official residence of the Spanish royal family, although it’s only used for state ceremonies.
I found my way to the cathedral interior afterwards and saw no signs forbidding photography. I saw many people taking pictures, and a security guard saw me taking some and didn’t budge, so I guess it’s okay to photograph the cathedral from the inside, just not the museum. I did, however, refrain from photographing the morning mass that was going on, and instead sat down to enjoy it.
The next few hours were spent wandering through the vibrant and creative neighbourhood of Malasaña and along the main shopping street, Gran Vía. I really enjoyed strolling through Madrid and discovering the city centre. It’s a beautiful city!
I decided to head back to the hostel early to rest my tired self and have an early night as I had an 8 AM train to Bilbao to catch the following morning. But I had an awful night because of three uncomfortable guys in my dorm room, but I was able to get some sleep after another girl checked in, making me feel a lot safer. However, it wasn’t long until I was awakened by two of the guys talking loudly across the room – at 5.30 AM! Sometimes I really hate hostels…
I returned to Madrid after two tough days in Bilbao where I had my bag stolen and returned to me after an intense chase where several locals and the police got involved (read more about that crazy story here!). I booked a different hostel for my last night in Madrid as I didn’t want to go back to the one where I’d felt uncomfortable. The new hostel was a delight, I felt safe and it was right next to Spain’s largest park, El Retiro.
I spent my afternoon there, exhausted on top of the events in Bilbao. After all of that, I was glad my month-long trip was coming to an end. I had zero energy left to explore, so it was lovely to just wander through the park, feed birds and eat snacks while people watching from the comfort of a bench.
Madrid marked the end of my 2019 summer adventure through six countries and three territories. It had been an intense journey with way too many destinations and waaaay too much heat, but I’d enjoyed it nonetheless.
I finally got to see more of this part of Europe that I’d previously neglected, although I’ll never return in the summer again! Winter would be a joy, though!
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