Madrid!

Well, I'm back from my first successful venture away from Barcelona to the nearby city of Madrid, the capital of Spain! It was great to see another Spanish city,and taking this trip made me appreciate the city I'm living in even more. Although the weekend was exhausting and I brought back a nasty cold and earache, the trip was awesome. I think we got a really good taste of the city for being there less than 48 hours.
We got into Madrid about 7:00ish on Saturday morning at a bus station the size of an airport (I swear, it was HUGE). Dreary eyed, and half awake, the four of us trudged along, and miraculously figured out how to get to our hostel. It was really convenient that the bus station was located at a metro stop and the close proximity was a nice surprise, especially since none of us were really coherent enough to figure much out. From the metro, we arrived at Puerta del Sol (the center of town) where our hostel was. It was a great location, because all the main roads branched out from the plaza. We found out our hostel didn't open until 9:00, so we went to a cafe across the street and ate a nice breakfast with LOTS of coffee.

Arriving early in the morning was really beneficial for getting us moving. Had it not been for the circumstance, it may have been more challenging to get going at such an early hour. In fact, the town was so quiet for most of the morning. (all the Spaniards must have still been in bed). We didn´t really have a set plan. I tried to do some reading beforehand, but it was just hard to make a game plan(especially since the book I choose to read was in German or something..haha). So map in hand, off we went to explore. Throughout the morning we actually saw A LOT of Madrid.(The Royal Palace, Cathedral, various squares and round abouts, Plaza Mayor (a huge square in the center of town), many churches, and a few parks) We saw a lot more than I would have guessed. After coming back to our hostel around 1, we got our room and took a short siesta. We also checked out where we´d been that morning. After devising a game plan, we left the hostel about 3 to go get some lunch. After trying to find a cool authentic place, with a nice vibe and cheap food, we finally decided to give up! The place we went was nice, nothing to extra authentic, but alright.(It had kinda a gay theme, which was interesting and unexpected until we looked at the decor.) After our meal, we explored some more, and caught the sunset at an Egyptian Temple. The Temple was given as a gift to Spain from the Egyptians, and was just a beautiful place, with views over the whole city . After some more exploration, we went to a local supermarket and picked up some light snacks for dinner.

At this point, I realized how nice it was to be staying in a hostel. I guess I always had these preconcived notions of hostels being scary or unclean or odd, but really everything was the complete opposite. Included in our extremely cheap hostel stay was a bed, a locker, municipal bathrooms and showers, access to a kitchen and eating area, free computers, and a nice living room with lots of movies, couchs, and travel books (even a swap book section). We sat in the kitchen and ate our food, while others sat around us eating and cooking. It was just so neat to meet people from all over the world. Literally! I wish I could have stayed longer to have met more people.
The idea behind hostel living seems pretty simple. There are so many things available to use, but it only works because everyone is respectful of everybody and everything. With this mutual respect comes a really neat living situation where people appreciate and look out for one another. Even if I had the money to stay in a glamourous hotel, I´d choose a hostel anyday. The atmosphere is just so one-of-a-kind, and unlike anything I´d ever experienced.
Later on, we went out and walked around. So many neat things to do at night in Madrid. We stumbled upon a small bar with flamenco dancers, and we peeked in the back door and saw a few minutes of the show. It was very cool and i wish i would have had tickets.
Woke up early to read up on Madrid, and what all we needed to see in our last day in Madrid. We started off the day by eating so churros and chocolate. mmmm,mmm,mm. I actually would have prefered if the chocolate was a little more chocolatey, but overall it was a delicious investment. Next we went to a huge market, that spans the whole way down one street. It is called El Rastro and is only open on Sunday. There were so many people there, and such bizarre stands. From used clothes, to dog beds, to candy and socks, El Rastro had it all.After, we headed up to a different part of town that we hadn´t yet explored. (Calle de Alcala) This road had many important historical sites including many governmental and national buildings. From this road we ventured into Madrid's very large and very impressive park, Parque del Buen Retiro. This park was massive and just gorgeous. It featured many fountains, winding paths, well groomed hedges, 2 palaces (one being all glass and one being a masterpiece of Valazquez, and a huge lake complete with rowing boats. We were so tired by this point of the day, that we actually all collapsed and took a short siesta. The four of us all lined up on a ledge and relaxed in the sunshine. Multiple people took pictures of us. (we must have looked strange, but it was necessary to muster up the energy to finish the day) So much walking!!! We refused to take the metro (so we could see everything).

After the park, we headed to El Prado, a museum considered to have some of the best European art from the 12th- 19th centuries. We went during the times of free admission, so it was a very nice cultural and free experience. One particularly famous work featured there was Diego Valezquez's Las Meninas. It was intersting because this is the piece that Pablo Picasso painted 58 recreations of (some that I saw in his museum here in Barca). My favorite pieces were The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch. I really enjoyed it's symbolism and the idea behind it. Also, I liked The Three Graces by Rubens. (haha, just because it had my name in it, and was pretty).
After the museum, we headed back to the hostel, grabbed some food, and made our way back to the bus station for our departure back to Barca. Arrived back in town about 7 am Monday morning. A long weekend, but very fun, interesting, and educational.
I do have to say though, going to another city really allowed for reflection on Barcelona. I read somewhere that Barcelona is comparable to Boston(architecturally, combo of historic with modern, eclectic vibe) while Madrid is comparable to NYC(big city, lots of museums and theaters).I liked Boston a lot more then NYC, and although I really enjoyed Madrid, I am so glad to be back in Barcelona. It's funny to say, but after being away for a few days, i wanted to come back to my home(away from home) ...Barcelona :)