Madrid, Spain

Today on the blog: Madrid!

Blake lived in Madrid for one summer while he did an internship! So Madrid was extra special because he showed me some of his favorite spots and where he lived! 

We took the cheapest RyanAir flight possible, which meant it didn't arrive until 11:30pm, oh but wait! Our flight was delayed about 45 mins, per usual. Since Blake had made the metro commute from the Madrid Airport to the city center multiple times we had every good intention of taking it. BUT, with the delay we just said screw it and took a cab. The cab set us back about €30 - well worth every cent. 

We arrived at our hostel just before 1 A.M. and we were exhausted. We stayed at WayHostel in the center of the city. All in all it was good for the money - they had a lot of activities and gave out free churros :). The only downside was that our specific room was located right next to reception (which is open 24 hrs) so there was a constant stream of noise coming in, but when you're really tired you can look past that! (Plus, we should really bring headphones or earplugs, that was our mistake!)

We started our day bright and early Saturday morning so we could check out a few things before doing a free walking tour! Some of what we did, we repeated on the walking tour. But we mostly walked by things we knew we wouldn't see on the tour.

We had to check out... 

The Ham Museum! Because YUM! I got a ham sandwich at 9am because, well, when in Spain!

It is said that some of the finest jamón in the world comes from Spain. 

I wasn't kidding around! This place means business. It was delicious. 

We walked by Restaurant Botín. This restaurant was founded in 1725, and is the oldest restaurant continuously operating in the world! That is pretty amazing! We didn't actually eat there, but we walked by so that is kind of the same thing ;) not really at all but that is okay!

Next we walked to Mercado de San Miguel. 

Mercado de San Miguel is an indoor market. It was quite early still so we just looked around!

I would've probably eaten all of the olives.

Fresh fish.

We stopped for a quick snack since our walking tour would go through lunch. 

Ham pizza with an egg.

The walking tour started in Puerta de Sol. Which is a large public square in the center of Madrid. The name translates to "Gate of the Sun".

Image courtesy of spain.info

In the square there are two statues.

The one you see above (because I suck and didn't take a picture!) is a monument of King Charles III. 

Bear eating strawberries. This is a pretty famous statue in Madrid that holds a strong meaning for the people of Spain. According to one legend the bears would eat the berries off the tree and be drunk. This was because the berries would ferment somehow (probably heat) and produce enough alcohol to get the bear drunk. Which can lead some to speculate why sangria is so popular in Spain. 

The Royal Theater or Teatro Real. It is an opera house.

We didn't go inside, but we hear that it is impressive! 

Isabel II who ordered the construction of the theater in 1818. 

The Royal Palace

Selfies in front of The Royal Palace. After our walking tour we went and explored the palace grounds a little more, but ultimately decided not to go inside. If you have more time in Madrid, I would highly recommend going in.

Almudena Cathedral from the front.

We walked down the street a bit, and then we saw it from the back.

 

Our guide shared with us a little information at this point. The Royal Theater, The Royal Palace, and then Almudena Cathedral are all really close to each other. The reason that the front of the theater and the front of the cathedral appear to be underwhelming is due to the fact that when they were built they couldn't take away from the beauty of The Royal Palace. But, that is why the backside of the cathedral is more extravagant - from this view you can't see any part of The Royal Palace. 

We finished the tour here. Plaza Mayor.

After the walking tour finished, our guide took us for a free sangria and tapas.

Yum. Croquettes with ham.

Creepy dude trying to make money.

 A different view of the Palace. 

The perfectly manicured greens at the Palace. 

Next, Blake took me to 100 Montaditos. Here you can get cheap beer and sangria, as well as cheap montaditos (sandwiches pictured above). Blake came here a lot when he lived in Madrid because it is so cheap...but also really good!!! If you want to read about the Montadito click here. (I found this really interesting.) There are a couple 100 Montaditos in the Florida AND one in DC, so I think we will be checking the US version out upon our return home. 

We went and hung out at the hostel for a little while before heading off to a Flamenco show. 

I am not an action photographer, or a photographer at all really. But some pictures of the show. 

Flamenco is a type of dance that consists of singing, dancing, and a guitar. It was really cool to see. 

A building at night. 

Gran Vía 

Gran Vía is an upscale shopping street in Madrid. 

Banco de España

Puerta de Alcalá

Just next to this is Retiro Park! The most amazing park I have ever seen. This park belonged to the Spanish Monarchy until the 19th century. 



Just to give you a glimpse at the size and the numerous paths!



Estanque grande del Retiro

Palacio de Cristal

Blake told me he used to come to this area of the park a lot! I would too :).

A rose garden.

Paths in the park.

Tree sculptures.

Blake used to live really close to the park, so after we finished he took me by his old apartment!

There are also some really great museums in Madrid that we just didn't have time to go see. 

I loved Madrid - it was incredible. We had such an amazing time. 

Ghent & Brussels, Belgium // Taylor's Visit

In the midst of all this crazy I would like to share our trip to Ghent and Brussels! 

A few weeks ago one of my longtime best friends (Taylor) came to visit! We explored Ghent, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Berlin. However, I have already shared Amsterdam and a 1 day trip to Berlin so I am going to mostly post about Ghent and Brussels. :)

If you want to read about my previous Amsterdam Posts click here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3. And for Berlin click here. 

Day 1 of our journey we drove to Ghent, Belgium.



The view from our hotel! We stayed at the Ghent Marriott. It was the absolute perfect location!



A different angle of the street our hotel was on!





Saint Michael's Church



Saint Nicholas's Church



Saint Bavo's Cathedral on the right.



Saint Bavo's Cathedral



Magical streets in Ghent.



Beers at Dulle Griet.

Dulle Griet is a popular beer bar in Ghent for a couple reasons. One - they have TONS of beers, I want to say somewhere between 250 and 300 different kinds! Second - The picture above! You can get this fancy glass that must be placed in the holder, but only if you give them one of your shoes! CLEARLY we thought that was too much fun!



A close up of the glass.



Day 2 we set out to see the Gravensteen Castle.

Gravensteen originated in the Middle Ages, it was originally built in 1180. Gravensteen was restored in 1885. The name means "castle of the counts" in Dutch.



Entrance to the Gravensteen.







City views from half way up the castle!



Being an explorer :)



Tay and I amidst the castle grounds.





The cost was €6 for people 25 and younger. It was well worth every cent! We had so much fun exploring the castle and learning about the history of Ghent.

 If you find yourself in Belgium, carve out a day to visit Ghent. It is one of my favorite cities that we have been too. It is full of so much charm. A few weeks ago we also visited Antwerp, Belgium. You can read about that here. Personally, if I had to choose between the two, I would pick Ghent.

We ate a quick lunch after touring the castle, and then we drove to Brussels. After driving to Brussels, we all agreed that it would've made more sense to take the train from Ghent. Brussels is not car friendly and many streets were closed off due to construction. It wasn't a very long drive, but it also wasn't a fun one. Our hotel offered parking - which was literally one space! But hey, our car was parked so who cares!

Before I share Brussels, let me share what I have heard. I have heard great things and I have heard not so great things. Many people feel that Brussels is an underwhelming European city, while others love it. I guess it depends on your tastes.

That being said, here we go.



The famous Manneken Pis. Yes, it is a little naked boy peeing into the basin of fountain.



A close up courtesy of Google, since apparently I forgot to do that!

After seeing the statue, I smelled waffles. So naturally, it was snack time!



Belgian waffle with chocolate. 

Now, I am sure there are people who pay attention to where they get the waffle and what makes it good. HOWEVER - I have one rule of thumb: I want to see it made fresh. Other than that, I don't really care. Chances are they are all going to be delicious.



After our snack, we headed to Grand Place. Grand Place is the central square of Brussels. Some of the buildings that surround Grand Place are Brussels Town Hall and The City museum of Brussels.









After Grand Place, we walked over to the Cathedral.



Tay in front of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral.



Blake and I in front of the Cathedral!



Brussel city views.

After we explored a little more of the city we sat down for dinner at Drug Opera. It was this neat looking restaurant in the center of town. The prices were reasonable and we were seated right away. The reviews on Yelp said that the food was good but the service wasn't. We agreed. :)



Grand Place at night.



We sat down at The Golden Bar to try the Belgium beer sampler!

I am sure there is more to do in Brussels than what we did, but based off my research I have to agree it is pretty underwhelming compared to other places I have been. Grand Place is LOVELY - Truly! Plus the beer is good, so I am glad I visited at least once.

The next morning Taylor and I hopped on a train and headed to Amsterdam!

Here are some pictures from Amsterdam round 2.

Some things we did different this time: we stayed in a hostel, we went to a fair, and we took a smaller canal cruise (which I HIGHLY recommend).



Amsterdam canals at night, because really this view never gets old!



Remember how I said we went to a fair! Well in the center of town, right in The Dam Square, there was a giant fair. Complete with this massive ferris wheel.



Views from the top of the wheel!



The giant wheel we rode! This was a fun activity that I didn't do last time in Amsterdam - Because it wasn't there! So that was fun. :)



Riding through the canals.

This time around, there were maybe 15 people in the boat and it was entirely open! I loved this cruise so much more than the other one we did! We simply just walked down a street and the boat was about to leave so we hopped on.

We also did a repeat of The Lobby for Eggs Benedict, because I was serious when I told you last time that they serve the best Eggs Benedict I have ever had.



Two words: YUM!



This visit offered beautifully colored trees.

And one more thing I need to ensure you do if ever in Amsterdam - Eat poffertjes (little mini pancake things). They are probably horrible for you, but oh so good!



Come back Friday to read all about Madrid.