9 must do’s in Madrid

¡Hola! One of my best friends (Matt) decided to study abroad (Madrid, Spain). So my friend Lisa and I simply had to pay him a visit! Here are my must do’s!

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1) Tinto de Verano (a.k.a sangria)

We landed in the evening so we met up with Matt and drank our first Tinto de Verano of the trip. Tinto de Verano is almost the same as sangria. It’s red wine and sparkling water. Easy to make for yourself.

2) Good food

In the morning, Matt brought us to Ojalá in Malasaña to have brunch. We ate pancakes with strawberries, yoghurt with muesli, huevo and some orange juice. This place is so cute! Definitely a must-do when in Madrid! Malasana en Chueca are good places to find tapas and visit local wine houses. If you wanna party, you should go to Kapital!

Afterward, we strolled through Malasaña because there was an art festival going on. Several artists were decorating walls and blinds. Every road had several artists performing. Beautiful to behold.

3) Puerta del Sol & Plaza Mayor

After the festival, Matt showed us the shopping street and Puerta del Sol. At Puerta del Sol stands a statue of a bear eating strawberries from a strawberry tree. It is also on the flag of Madrid. Sadly Matt had to go to class, so he left us to discover Madrid on our own. The weather was nice so Lisa and I enjoyed ourselves a drink at Plaza Mayor.

4) Mercado de San Miguel

After our little refreshment, we went to the Mercado de San Miguel and bought some snacks. This can be compared to the Boqueria in Barcelona. Only this place is quite smaller than the one in Barcelona, but it has the same concept.

5) Royal palace & Almudena cathedral

After our lunch, we decided to go to the royal palace and on our way, we passed the Plaza de la Villa. Eventually, we arrived at the gate of the royal palace which is right in front of the Almudena Cathedral.

We continued walking and ended up at the Plaza de Oriente, a little park where we enjoyed some street musicians. The park is right in front of the royal theatre.  

6) Segovia

Madrid is easily seen in one day, maybe two if you take your time. There are a lot of busses in Madrid that will take you to places outside of Madrid. Our friends went to Toledo but Lisa and I decided to visit Segovia, a little picturesque city one hour drive away from Madrid. Segovia is known for its (walled) old town.

7) Atocha

Rainy day! We went to Atocha, a train station. Atocha train station is known for a lot of green in it. You can even see some turtles in the water. Yet when we visited it, they were restoring those waters and the turtles were put in a small bathtub. There was also a bombing in Atocha in 2004. Outside the station is a memorial for those who were victims of the bombing.

8) Parque del Buen Retiro

From there on we went to Parque del Buen Retiro. When the sun is shining, the park is very beautiful, but when we visited it, it was raining A LOT. After a while, the paths in the park were flooded and we had to leave the park.

9) Temple of Debod

The temple of Debod was erected in Egypt, broken down and rebuilt in Madrid in the exact same shape.  I myself forgot to take a photo of the temple but Google it! Worth the visit!

Life of a Passion