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Here you’ll find travel reports about Madrid. Discover travel destinations in Spain of travelers writing a travel blog on FindPenguins.

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  • Rachel Travels 2017Family travels 2017
    Day20

    Burnt feet, Rapids and Dolphins

    July 17, 2017 in Spain

    The morning began with a buffet breakfast. Up until today I have chosen Adalia's food at a buffet, which I did this morning- fruit and a croissant. At this buffet however, they have a kids section which has a lower serving area. Adalia decided she wasn't happy with my selection and wanted to get her own food. She returned with a plate filled with bacon, chirros and chocolate biscuits!

    Then the moment Sammy had been waiting for was upon us, the whole trip was leading up to this day. Today we took the bus to Aquopolis water park!!!

    I am not a fan of water parks. Give me a rollercoaster over a water slide any day. They just don't seem safe, you have to get wet, probably sunburnt, and you walk around all day in your swimmers. Not my idea of fun. But Sammy (and Tom) love them.

    We have been to a Disney water park in Orlando and Atlantis water park in Dubai, we are seasoned water park adventurers. I was pretty sure a water park on the Golden Coast of Spain just wasn't going to compare.

    We got off the bus and immediately took a wrong turn which ended up being fortuitous. We found a tourism shop selling water park tickets cheaper than everywhere else, and you got an extra day free! (Plus a lolly pop for the kids). Now armed with tickets we launched into our day of water sliding fun.

    First impressions of the water park were making me wish I had stayed at home. It didn't have the glamour of Disney or Dubai, but Sammy was in heaven! Adalia immediately decided that everything looked too scary and wanted to stay in the kids section (which was impressive by Dubai and Disney standards). This was fine by me, except she would not move from my legs. She wouldn't play on any of the kids slides. I was getting cranky. Tom had run off with Sammy to have fun and I was spending my day standing in full sun with a child attached to me. At one point I picked her up, climbed some stairs and threw her down a slide. I was hoping that after she had done it once she might be happy doing it again. Instead she screamed at me. I was so glad for the defending noise at those places; hardly anyone noticed her.

    We put our shoes on and went in search of the boys. When we found them it wasn't hard to convince Sammy to play on the kids slides, and he lovingly encouraged Adalia to come with him. In less than two minutes she was comfortable on the equipment and eager to play.

    Tom convinced her to try the Rapids. We had done this in Dubai so we knew she would be fine. She was reluctant, but half way down she shouted "we need to do this again!" So we did...for the rest of the day. By the end she was going down backwards and wanting to go faster. Sammy gave me a break taking me on the "black hole" while tom rode the Rapids, but then it was back to the rapids for me.

    At 4pm there was a dolphin show. Turns out Adalia had never seen dolphins before. She asked what they were and was mesmerised with them! Tom and Sammy missed the beginning but came running in with burning hot feet part way through.

    I was feeling quite burnt by 4:30. So when Tom suggested we go to the beach I wasn't keen and opted for an early dinner. And....the kids actually had an earlish night!!!    Read more

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  • Rachel Travels 2017Family travels 2017
    Day19

    The Ocean Beckons

    July 16, 2017 in Spain

    This trip has seen us continually moving to new and exciting destinations. It has been full of adventure and has taken us to places we have never been. However, doing so with two children is getting quite exhausting. We haven't seen nearly enough of Barcelona which is sad, but the Tom Schipilliti "follow me even though I have no idea where I am going" tour yesterday was great, and we saw many of the top tourist attractions by accident.

    Today we need to be on an 11am train. The kids were sleeping in which I didn't mind as I could scurry around packing and cleaning and Tom went to get croissants and baguettes for breakfast.

    When Sammy woke up he was excited to see that the tooth fairy had found him even though he was from Australia, had lost his tooth in France and was in Spain.(talk about a jet setter) And he was impressed that he received both an Australian dollar and an euro coin!

    I was ready to depart at 9:30. Unfortunately no one else was. By 10:30 we were only just leaving our room and we had admitted defeat. We could not make it to the train station in half an hour.
    But then Tom's "we're not late until the train doors are closed and even then I'll barge them open" mentality kicked in and we were abandoning our subway plans and searching frantically for a taxi.
    Even with a taxi I wasn't sure we would make it in time. At the station I raced to buy tickets while Tom strolled along. I frantically ran around looking for the platform while Tom moseyed to the information screens. Yes we bought the tickets in time, yes Tom found the right platform, but a little more panic from him may have lessened mine!
    We made the train with one minute to spare, and ran to the back of the train where there were less people sardining themselves in. Apparently there was a pick pocket aboard the train, thankfully I didn't notice him and he didn't notice my wallet!

    The taxi driver that drove us to our hotel was so much like Tom's Italian relative Nunsia. She was hilarious, wanting to chat with us in basic Spanglish. My favourite line was that if she were in Australia for 40 degree heat she would go caput!

    We arrived at the hotel but couldn't check in for another hour, so we sat in the lounge area watching the tour, using the free wifi and consoling Adalia who was teary at the thought of me dying (I don't know why she is thinking such thoughts, but nice to know she loves me)

    Once we had our room keys, the afternoon was spent with the kids and Tom in the pool, I did some washing, then a couple of hours at the beach. At the beach there are paddle boats for hire that have a slide into the water! Sammy thinks we might need to hire one. Adalia meanwhile entertains herself by giving me a salt scrub; completely covering my skin in sand!

    As usual our good intentions for an early night evaporate, as we found ourselves dining at 8pm in an Oz family restaurant/ Top one style dining room that is included with our accommodation. The kids are happy, there are hot chips, pizza and watermelon with ice cream for dessert. And I don't mind that my kids have eaten nearly an entire watermelon as it has been days since they have eaten any fruit!    Read more

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  • Courtney Johnson2017 Europe & Asia Adventure
    Day2

    Day 2 - Exploring Madrid

    September 11, 2017 in Spain

    First full day in Madrid! We got a much needed 11 hours of sleep then ventured out for a long day. Started with pastries at the famous La Mallorquina where I had the best croissant of my life! Next, we walked for miles, hitting some of the top tourist attractions of the capital - Museo Del Prado, the Royal Palace of Madrid, and the Plaza Mayor for lunch. Early evening siesta and then tapas and vino!Read more

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  • Courtney Johnson2017 Europe & Asia Adventure
    Day1

    Day 1 - Madrid Arrival!

    September 10, 2017 in Spain

    Long, mostly sleepless night/morning flight from JFK to Lisbon. Long line to get through customs. Long 4 hour layover in Lisbon. Long, confusing, Spanish-practicing cab ride, while attempting to dodge a crowd-filled national cycling race through the city of Madrid, to get to our Airbnb. Finally made it to our cute studio apartment in the middle of everything by early evening. We were ready to go right to sleep but decided to push through and enjoy our first night! Dinner of pork loin, ham and peppers tapas, goat cheese, onion and blueberry tapas, and seafood marinara paella. Followed by people watching with wine and cafe outside on the streets of Sol. Very long but very awesome first day in Europe! Now hopefully 12+ hours of sleep!!! Buenos noches!!Read more

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  • Rachel Travels 2017Family travels 2017
    Day21

    Spanish TV and Ferraris

    July 18, 2017 in Spain

    Our intention was to hit the water park again. I woke up feeling under the weather (some may say suffering from heat exhaustion) and I wasn't keen to spend the day back out in the sun. Thankfully we had a couple of days left in Spain and could be a little flexible. So we had an easy morning, called our families and Tom took the kids to the beach.

    Our new plan was to spend the afternoon at Ferrari world. All the online reviews had slammed this new theme park saying there was nothing to do there and every ride had long queues, so we figured an afternoon there would be ample time.

    Unfortunately by the afternoon I was still feeling pretty unwell. Tom reluctantly left me at home with Adalia, and my boys set of for a father son Ferrari world adventure.

    Poor Adalia spent most of the day watching the Spanish kids chanel (all in Spanish). I took her to the pool, but the only shaded seats were at the deep pool. I told her to stay near the edge, but after seeing the dolphin show the day before she wanted to do dolphin tricks. The poor lifeguard, at one point she genuinely looked as though she were drowning, and this moment happened to coincide with me feeling guilty for not sitting on the pool's edge, so I was taking my clothes off and perhaps it looked like I was preparing to rescue her. He jumped up and ran over. So I made Adalia come and sit with me for a while.

    The boys came home an hour later than planned. And their experience matched the reviews. Rides kept braking down and there wasn't heaps to do. But they still had a great time together, and loved the things they did do. I asked Sammy if he loved his boys day and he replied "I wished you were there mum, dad wouldn't come on the big rollercoaster with me." I didn't want to burst his bubble and tell him I probably wouldn't have gone on it either. It reached 180 km/h in 5 seconds!!!

    We couldn't face another night at the very ordinary hotel buffet, so we ventured out to a pizza restaurant which was pretty good and cheap (bonus!). We got home just in time for the buffet ice cream cones.    Read more

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  • Amy AmbergBuzacott World Tour 2018
    Day48

    MADRID, SPAIN

    May 17 in Spain

    Finally, a chance for my Spanish skills to come in handy. Spain is good. For sangria, churros, and shoes, in particular. I'm not usually a shoe-type-of-girl, but Spain could turn me.

    Our first day has been excellent. We are staying in a great big AirBnB apartment very close to Gran Via. The neighbourhood, Malasana, is funky, artsy, retro. Reminds me a bit of St Kilda before it became swank. Street art, cafes, panaderias, boutiques, second-hand shops, a bit of grunge, a bit of mental illness...

    Today we visited the grounds of the Palacio Real (largest palace in Western Europe), although a glance at the entrance lines snaking around the courtyard put us off tickets. Perhaps after Rome we are just a bit spoilt by grand buildings. Also, the kids are fantastic travelers but am trying to be a bit selective about how much we put on them- they will get overloaded on museums in Paris and London.

    So that was my excuse for spending the afternoon sharing a jug of sangria with Buz, feasting on veggie paella, and watching the world go by at Plaza Mayor this afternoon. Think we all had fun with that. The 3 hombres got matching fedoras and looked muy guapo!

    LATER:
    Madrid was great fun, especially the last day at el Rastro Flea market, flowing along with the slow shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, trying not to lose sight of each other when we stopped to have a look. Great bands playing in the street, and a mojito or two. Buz kept us honest and educated by making us tour Palacio Real, in all its glittery, posh glamour. Soccer, gelatos, baguettes- Madrid was fun.    Read more

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  • Niv SadovskyPortugal
    Day1

    Madrid, Spain

    February 20 in Spain

    We landed in Madrid at evening, picked up the car and drove to our "Dear Hotel" (funny name...). The hotel was great, and really central. We walked around a bit, tried to find something decent to eat, but end up in an OK restaurant. We went to bed and slept well before the drive to Portugal.

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You might also know this place by the following names:

Madrid, Мaдрид, ማድሪድ, Madrit, مدريد, ܡܕܪܝܕ, Мадрид, Горад Мадрыд, মাদ্রিদ, མ་ད་རིད།, Mā-dáik-lī, مەدرید, Madridi, Μαδρίτη, Madrido, Madril, Mairil, مادرید, Maidrid, Mâ-tet-lî, Makelika, מדריד, मद्रिद, Մադրիդ, MAD, マドリード, მადრიდი, ಮಡ್ರಿಡ್, 마드리드, Madrîd, Matritum, Madridas, Madride, മാഡ്രിഡ്, माद्रिद, မဒရစ်မြို့, Мадрид ош, म्याड्रिड, माद्री, ମାଡ୍ରିଦ, ਮਾਦਰੀਦ, Madryt, 28001, Мадрід, मद्रिद्, Madrids, மத்ரித், Madríd, มาดริด, Lungsod ng Madrid, مادرىد, میدرد, מאדריד, 馬德里

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