Hola! A hit and run travel in Madrid, the beutiful capital of Spain

Travel hit and run in the Spanish capital to break the monotony of everyday life. Organized, as always, alone and in a few days at a cost very low. If it were not for the time (weather) would have been a perfect holiday. Seguti of some details and then a short excursion day to day what we saw and the emotions we experienced.

Flight
Alitalia flight from Rome. We started Friday night and arrived in Madrid around midnight of each Monday evening and arrived in Rome at around 20.30. Punctual both outward and return flight quiet, nothing to comment or objection.

Hotel
Booked a hotel very centrally by Accor, Mercure Hotel (http://businesstravel.accorhotels.com/it/hotel-1320-mercure-Madrid-plaza-de-espana-ex-sof/media.shtml) a short walk Plaza de Espana. The hotel is close to the subway (open daily until 2 am) and a walk you can reach the Royal Palace, the Gran Via and the historic center of Rome. The tree has comfortable rooms, very clean. In room wi-fi is free of charge but you must ask at the reception code. The bathroom is ambpio, clean, equipped with all accessories, daily change of towels, LCD TV, I would say ... perfect. The only thing: breakfast is not included and costs a bang! € 16 per person is not an acceptable price, so we decided to do it at the many bars around the hotel. With 2 / 3 euro maximum you can make a good breakfast to make the price the hotel and its price from delirium!
Metro
'S perfect! 12 subway lines to visit the city without stress and above all with great comfort. A ticket costs € 1, but there are several subscription formulas: 1 day € 5.20 - € 8.80 2 days - 3 days € 11.60 - 17.60 5 days or 7 days € 23.60 for the A or one where all the possible attractions are concentrated in Madrid. Please note that the subscription is for sunny days and the time at which it is stamped, is an important thing: if you have lost stamped at 23.00 for an hour a day is one day (until 24). The London Underground is for now instead of stamping and I feel really better! If you do not have a subscription, but a simple business to the airport you have to pay € 1 more when you exit the metro (pink line is the number 8 and it takes about 40 minutes).
Restaurants
The kitchen is very good, similar to the Italian but with the advantage of prices that are significantly lower. It is eaten with 12-15 € and not exaggerating above 25 € per person. Of course there are also more expensive restaurant, but if your hungry go into a bar and order a canas (or a glass of beer from 0.3) and some tapas are served free. We are also happy hour or the day in which channel tapa cost 1 €! Be careful not to get drunk. As for the dishes I recommend: cocido Madrid, the typical dish from Madrid. Served strictly in winter and only for lunch (because of its low digestibility) is a soup broth taglioni followed (or accompanied depends) from carrots, chickpeas, chicken, black pudding (blood sausage), beef, bacon and other meats. € 15 for 9000 calories! Another dish is the callos in Madrid or the tripe with the sauce. In addition to the types jamon (sold in many different ways and in all ways, we are charged varying prices for both the quantity and quality) is also cochinillo (roast suckling pig), the cordero asado (roast lamb) and tortillas . One of the routes where there is a greater range of restaurants is certainly Calle de la Cava Baja, but also the Latin Quarter.
Climate
Not bad with the winter weather, we say that is affected by nearly 700 meters above sea level. We say that fit is a Spanish proverb that says the climate of Madrid nueve meses de invierno y tres de infierno Nine months of winter, rather stiff, and 3 of total hell when summer comes. Here you do not expect the mild climate of Barcelona but here it seems to be in the mountains. We have not had a day up to 4 degrees higher than the night falls below freezing and still around, we saw the plane coming in with large expanses of snow even though it is difficult to arrive in the city a beautiful snowfall. We took two days of freezing water, which did not give us respite and I must tell you that absolutely did not allow us to fully enjoy the beauties of this city. We know that going ein around in the rain is not exactly the best but the risk of life, when you go in February, is obviously taken into account.
Movida
Compared to mortaccina Barcelona here we saw the real Spanish nightlife, one that is often read in books, newspapers, and that seems to be a legend. One of the restaurants are full at 10 pm, the offices that are filled at 10 am, young people who move from one room to another without interruption, or sixteen squares full of half-dressed (despite inclement weather) who drink rum and Coke. Yes, this is the right place, the place where all this is not legend but truth then you will find it difficult to eat because there's 14 to the line (while not even open at 12.30) and ditto for the night ... this is the Spanish movida winter and we can not imagine what can happen in a weekend of July! Incredible! Other than Barcelona!

 

Arrival

Well, not much to say. We arrived late, almost midnight and we take the metro to the hotel. We cross the Plaza de Espana and find thousands (no joke) of young people of Madrid who are camping in the gardens of the square drinking rum and coca-cola and looking forward to going to the disco (clear by revealing dresses for girls). Let's go to the hotel exhausted because for us it was a workday.

Historical tour of Madrid

It 's a beautiful sunny day, the only one that awaits us in Madrid and then do not waste time. After a breakfast at the bar we go to explore the city. Plaza de Espana and then go back to the United Way, the shopping street. We arrive at the Corte Ingles and go through the alleys of the old city towards Plaza de la Puerta du Sol, the nerve center of the city where it seems that everyone (tourists and citizens) have been meeting every day (and evening). From there another 10 minutes to walk to go to the Plaza Mayor, one of the most beautiful squares, beautiful and amazing with his style and the balconies of the palaces. From there, walk down to the Cathedral of Madrid, Nuestra Senora de la Almudena, this is a real disappointment. It 'a cathedral too new (opened in 1993) which unfortunately does not convey many emotions perhaps because of these walls freshly dyed and those newly polished marble. Bello Royal Palace, right next to the Cathedral, unfortunately, a long queue to get made us give up. Next to the Royal Palace very nice (but certainly beautiful in summer) Jardines de Sabatini and the Plaza de Oriente is located between the Royal Theatre and the Palazzo Real.

Rain and Santiago Bernabeu

The weather changes and it gets quite annoying ... It's raining and cold and go around it becomes far less fun ... we allow a half day at El Prado Museum. Very nice, very interesting and surprisingly without queue entry. The museum has huge rooms, really comfortable that even inside there are problems of overcrowding. If you want audio guides are available, or the true guides in Italian. At the entrance you have to leave your bags at the cloakroom, but there is nothing to pay. The entrance fee is 8 € and truly worth it. Inside you can not take pictures or film and are very careful because tax. We then decided to go to lunch in the medieval part of mothers is the area of Calle de la Cava Baja, Plaza de San Andrés. The rooms follow one another seamlessly, all very nice but overcrowded and always full and booked ... fortunately there is a hole to Plaza de San Francisco because we were made really bad ... the rain does not absolutely truce and decide a quick stop in to dry hotel because we go out to 20.00 with destination Santiago Bernabeu! We bought the site from Italy to Real Madrid two tickets to the championship game Real Madrid - Villareal. Tickets must be withdrawn using the same credit card that was used to buy on line at the ticket machine outside the stadium at the outputs 14. You strip and leave the tickets! Then you enter the modern stage of merengues and we kick off the show. To get the last ring very comfortable there are escalators and even a few minutes before the game on even the mega heating systems for the public. Unbelievable. Inside, the atmosphere is festive but not too much and the game away to the great line: Real won 6-2, dominating a game that is fun to € 35 a ticket.

The goodbye

Last day in Madrid. Rain still unabated. We see the Salamanca area of the Puerta de Alcalá and the elegant shopping streets of the Spanish and international designers. Then, Plaza de Santa Ana, in the historic Madrid, we do take a stroll through the narrow streets to do some souvenir shopping before directing the classics to the hotel to retrieve luggage and go to the airport. Strictly in the pouring rain! Hola Madrid'll see you again!