Travelling to Italy from South America left me with a stopover in Madrid, so naturally I gave myself a few days to explore the city before moving on to my Italian adventure. After paying for my first and last European taxi ride (a stark contrast from the average US$2 fares of Ecuador) I found myself in Dunkin' Donuts, seemingly the only open establishment where I could consume a hot drink in the freezing European weather at such a ridiculously early hour of the morning. Once I was finally able to check into the hostel I'm ashamed to say that I cheated in my anti-jetlag plans, and took a bit of a siesta (when in Rome, as they say). I spent the rest of my day exploring the nearby city and revelling in the beauty of the European architecture, which was of course quite a difference to their South American equivalent.
I spent my next two days wisely, enjoying equal parts food, shopping and art. It was exciting to have an actual selection of shops, which was quite decadent in comparison to the fashion standards in Ecuador and Peru, which to be fair were somewhat stuck in the 80s. The hostel that I was staying in, Cats Hostel has a supposed reputation for being a bit of a party hostel, though I feel I had the complete opposite experience. The hostel was lovely, the location was amazing, prices and facilities were reasonable, with the hostel interior being quite exquisite in itself. However I found the layout pretty terrible for meeting people, and although I spoke to a few people briefly I can't say I made any friends (although this is completely luck of the draw as with many hostels), which left me resigned to eating alone. This didn't stop me from enjoying every bit of Spanish food I could get my hands on, nor did it do so from experiencing all the art culture I could jam pack into the few days I had.
My favourite part of my art experience would have to be Picasso's Guernica, which is to this day one of the most thought provoking pieces of art I've have the pleasure of viewing. I also had the pleasure of making a friend in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, which houses Guernica, a lovely man from Barcelona (think a young Javier Bardem or Antonio Banderas) who was an art enthusiast that kept me company throughout my exploration of the museum, keeping me entertained with fun facts and his lovely accent along the way. In between all of this I took a bit of time out to wander around the gorgeous Parque del Buen Retiro, taking in the natural beauty and enjoying my own company whilst having my head stuck in a pre-loved book.
 |
| Parque del Buen Retiro |
 |
| Embracing the cold weather |
¡Adios amigos!
-Melissa
No comments:
Post a Comment