Hola Spain - first stop Madrid

The flight from Toulouse went smoothly and arrived on time. It was too early to check into our Airbnb, so we hung around the airport catching up on some reading and had an early lunch. We then caught a taxi to our apartment after texting the host to ask if we could get in early, which we could. It was a lovely and comfortable apartment in a nice area of Madrid called Embajadores. Many of the main attractions are within walking distance.

After unpacking we headed out to explore the area. We wandered through the Puerta del Sol square and then found our way to Plaza Mayor, which is a beautiful large square which, unfortunately, is partly obstructed by a large temporary building in the middle of the square due to a stamp trading fair having taken place and of course the requisite scaffolding as one of the buildings is cleaned/repaired. This did not take away from the vibe, with lots of people eating and drinking and, in some restaurants, bursting into song/chants. We’re not sure why. I will include a short video which captures one of these.

Our next stop was Mercado De San Miguel - a beautiful covered market - that was also covered in scaffolding due to refurbishment works. This didn’t stop people from hanging out eating and drinking. The stalls are beautifully presented and so vibrant. The market was so crowded we basically walked in and back out.

We then headed down towards the Royal Palace of Madrid, passing the Plaza de la Villa - it is a public square that borders the Calle Mayor and houses some of the oldest buildings around the city. We passed the Museum of the Almudena Cathedral, as well as the Cathedral itself that sits opposite the Royal Palace. We had intended to visit the Palace but the line for tickets was huge. Ian suggested we instead visit the recently opened Galeria de las Colecciones Reales (The Royal Collections Gallery). The visit requires a separate entry as it was an amazing building in itself with a wonderful collection.Read more