Meandering around Madrid

Our first full day in Madrid began under an overcast, chilly sky, but not enough to hold us back. With the whole city waiting for us, our only plan was to wander, take in the atmosphere, and visit a few iconic spots along the way.

Our first stop was the famous Bear and the Strawberry Tree statue, Madrid’s emblem. The bronze bear stretching up to nibble from the madrono tree represents the city’s historical connection to its surrounding forests. As expected, there were heaps of people crowding around trying to get their perfect photo, so we quickly snapped one and kept moving.

From there we made our way to Plaza Mayor, a huge historic square surrounded by elegant red brick buildings and arched walkways. It was incredibly lively, filled with tourists and one of Madrid’s unexpected quirks.. people dressed in massive character costumes!!! Everywhere you look there’s a giant Stitch or Buzz Lightyear ready to pose for photos (if Ryan was here, I’m sure he would have been fan girling…..) We wandered around the square and ducked into a few shops before heading on.

Next up was the famous Mercado de San Miguel. This glass walled food market is packed with stalls offering tapas, seafood, pastries, cheeses, and more. Everything smelled and looked incredible, and even though we’d just had breakfast, it was almost impossible not to be tempted. The place was absolutely packed, so after browsing through and admiring all the food, we decided to carry on.

We stopped into a vintage store next, where we found some very cool old Quiksilver pieces, then made our way to the Royal Palace of Madrid. With its enormous white facade, the palace dominates the square. It was beautifully detailed and just incredible to look at. The area was once again filled with those oversized characters we seem to be seeing everywhere. We walked around and then headed to the lookout nearby, which offered a stunning sweeping view over the city.

From there we wandered through the beautiful park next to the palace before taking a quick look inside the cathedral. At this point though, we both agreed we are well and truly over cathedrals now. They’re stunning, of course, but we’ve seen enough to last us a while!

By early afternoon we were getting hungry, so went back to the Taco place selling tacos for only 1 euro each, which is honestly such a steal. After lunch we didn’t have any solid plans, so we just continued wandering. A gelato stop became essential, and after enjoying that, we crossed to the other side of town yet again for another attempt at finding Lululemon tights…. still no luck.

Unfortunately my hip has really started to deteriorate so by 4 PM we decided to call it a day and head back to our accommodation. We made hamburgers again for dinner, climbed into bed, watched a movie, and now we’re settling in for some sleep before another big day tomorrow.Read more