Spanish road-trip, part 4/4: Madrid

(read Spanish road-trip part 3/4: Andalucia here!)

 

Madrid: final stop before crossing the Atlantic

 

Being the capital of Spain, Madrid has a lot to offer, but we didn’t really spend much time there. This was basically our last stop before heading to Cancun, and thinking about the sunny beaches of Mexico only made us feel cooler!

We signed up for a free walking tour of the main historic/touristic sights, but never woke up for it – it’s like we were living the Caribbean pace of life already! Do check this out if you want to sign up for one of these tours gratis, but please do better than us and do show up: Sandeman’s New Europe.

Later on, we ended up visiting the same places included in the tour, but on our own. Madrid was absolutely packed with families flooding the Christmas markets and shopping areas. Then again… where is that so-called crisis everyone is talking about?!

 

Everyone was out and about and they did carry bags, so it’s not like the were just window shopping!

 

Madrid was mainly a place of re-encounters. We stayed with my friends Elisa and Fred who were expecting baby Nicolas. Elisa used to be my flat mate in Lisbon years ago and it was like time had never passed by! When you really get along with someone you can meet them after a long time and it’s like you met the day before for the last time – such a great feeling!

Elisa and Fred, who are both architects, took us to a couple’s house (also architects), where we met a bunch of other friends of theirs (all of them architects!!) to experience one of the most typical Spanish things, that probably doesn’t come in guide books: watch a football match between teams Real Madrid and Barcelona. They call it “El Clasico” as these are the 2 most important teams in the country and we all know how serious about this sport Spanish people can be!

 

We are really not that into football but watching the guys get desperate over the score had its appeal!
By the way, if you ever need an architect in Spain do let us know, because we know at least 10 of them by now!! This is Elisa and Fred’s website, just in case: Flast.

The only shame about our stay in Madrid is that we didn’t stay long enough to see baby Nicolas coming into this world. We bet he is going to be an architect one day… ;)

 

Over all, Spain is a great place for road trips! You don’t get a chance to be bored while on the road – the ride is smooth as the roads are very good (even the freeways) and the ever-changing landscape is ALWAYS breathtaking. We saw mountains, green fields, orange tree plantations for Kms and Kms.

 

If you plan to do a road-trip around this country, read our Road-trip Tips for Spain!

 

Sunny days, cloudy skies, rainy sunsets and rainbows!

What was there not to like?