Viva la vida...viva Madrid! Trip to the capital city of the Spain

(1987 km distance from home). Few places in the heart as I left Madrid. It 'hard to explain or understand, the only way to do is go to this wonderful city has to offer so much and all with a single light-heartedness and gaiety, that I hardly found in other places. This skin will feel sympathy for each other with the Spanish but I have already repeated, having seen almost all the major attractions, to organize another detour in the Spanish capital. Very cheap: enough to know the days in which entries to museums and attractions are free to organize and spend an amount feasible. Great food and great comfort to get around town by bus very functional. Everywhere you turn, every corner of the city is a park, a fountain, images that delight the necessary breaks after long and backbreaking walks that are needed to live the city better.

 

Beginning

Dawn departure from Ciampino Airport with Ryan Air flight departing at 6.40. Arriving at the airport Barajas we marvel of having to wait a few minutes before you can withdraw our baggage. Even greater surprise when we realize that a very efficient subway in half an hour we are in the heart of Madrid where we booked our hostel located right on Conchita II Diter the Royal Theatre. The fatigue gets the better and so a nap to regain some strength and proceed immediately to the Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace meet in the street. We observe from outside the grandeur of the palace and all within easy time we see the cathedral where we decide to enter. The architecture very precise, the result of long-term work, striking out and see the statue of John Paul II placed to commemorate the inauguration of the cathedral. We move to the Plaza Mayor Plaza de Villa through and stopping in a tapas bar for a sandwich with fried calamari. The entrance to the Plaza Mayor is spetacolare: you find yourself surrounded in this scenario that seems fake. Just put the nose down to admire the buildings surrounding the square has been the impression that the square is a little too tourism: waiters who cling to the arms to push on their premises. We decide to removal by the Cava Baja met many local and distinctive and pretty much we go through alleys as recommended by the National Geographic guide. After more than two hours of walking, we find ourselves in the Buen Retiro park where we decide to wait until 17:00 when the Prado Museum in ways you can get free. Will fatigue, but also the atmosphere of calm that reigns in the park, the helmet as a child in her arms a sleeping more comfortable and care in the world. The Prado has a truly incredible display: the paintings of Goya's most left their mark. I say we head toward the hotel but almost destroyed ... and we eat locally fermiamamo nothing short of spectacular as the food: lamb soup and Madrid home. The day was really long and intense and so we take the road to bed finally.

First real day in Madrid

Just get up and made breakfast in bed with the items bought in the afternoon at the center comemrciale Cortes Englais, we leave the "before" morning, shortly before ten. As I understand it these days, the 10 is a time soon: in fact we enter the royal palace (Wednesday all EU citizens do not pay) without a minute's row and leaving about two hours after we find a row allucinanate that surely there would desist from going into that day. The interior of the building are very nice, especially the room used for eating in riceviementi uffciali, the throne room and the stairway leading to upper floors (very similar to the Royal Palace of Caserta). Leaving the palace we head towards a destination to which an exaggerated football fan, will not think minimaemnte jumping in Madrid The Santiago Bernabeu, the stage where they played the greatest talents the game of football has seen. The entrance is a bit expensive (15 €) but it's worth: A guided tour takes in the stands, in the locker room, on the sidelines, the bench: unique. It's an experience that leaves you on the situation rifletetre stadiums in Italy where it is almost unthinkable for a father to bring a child to watch a football game, one gets the impression of entering a place that really belongs to the fans. Not to mention the organization have in trying to make you leave a lot of money, from classic gift shop, at stations hyper take pictures with the Cup champions, with reproductions of the players .... Leaving the stadium, we go to an institution in Madrid: the chocolate San Gines, where we refreshed with a cup of hot chocolate and a portion of churros (similar to donuts elongated dunked in chocolate) an absolutely divine experience opening the palate. Satiated and satisfied by the wonderful snack, take the road to Plaza de Espana dominated by the monument to Cervantes with statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza literally attacked by Japanese tourists and Chinese (I still can not distinguish them): we must fight for half an hour we fail to rise to the foot of the statue and take pictures. We walk along Gran Via to reach a local specialist paella (Paella de la Reina), where we eat a delicious paella that leaves us out very satisfied with the local and the desire to walk again for disposal. Let's make a night walk in the Plaza Mayor and now exhausted we return to the hostel.

Toledo

We had booked on the Internet at the stage of preparations for the trip train tickets to Toledo. From the station our luggage and metal detectors are passed in cirendiamo account that only those with tickets can get close to trains: a consequence of terrorist attacks prioprio the Atocha station. What about the train on time, clean and comfortable for a little one-hour trip after which we arrive at a station in Toledo Arabesque very suggestive: it seems to be at least landed in Morocco. With a convenient bus we arrive in the city center and there wequipaggiamo for exploring the city. Completely different from Madrid: the features of the modern capital are replaced by those imedievali the former capital of Spain. Cervantes here with its famous characters which swarms with the cathedral, the bridge over the Tagus to monasteiro Los Reyes, the white synagogue .... Exhausted after a long walk from downtown Toledo to the station, we decide for this solution make shots from below the city, we stop at a tapas bar for a snack. Wait for the train and having suffered the same die for monitoring the development before dinner are in Madrid. After a quick shower we go to dinner at Casa Mingo eat and drink where the house specialty: roast chicken and cider. We underestimated Toledo characterized by constant ups and downs we letteralemnte destroyed and the bed seems to us the best solution to end the evening.

A Mayday to remember

We had booked on the Internet at the stage of preparations for the trip train tickets to Toledo. From the station our luggage and metal detectors are passed in cirendiamo account that only those with tickets can get close to trains: a consequence of terrorist attacks prioprio the Atocha station. What about the train on time, clean and comfortable for a little one-hour trip after which we arrive at a station in Toledo Arabesque very suggestive: it seems to be at least landed in Morocco. With a convenient bus we arrive in the city center and there wequipaggiamo for exploring the city. Completely different from Madrid: the features of the modern capital are replaced by those imedievali the former capital of Spain. Cervantes here with its famous characters which swarms with the cathedral, the bridge over the Tagus to monasteiro Los Reyes, the white synagogue .... Exhausted after a long walk from downtown Toledo to the station, we decide for this solution make shots from below the city, we stop at a tapas bar for a snack. Wait for the train and having suffered the same die for monitoring the development before dinner are in Madrid. After a quick shower we go to dinner at Casa Mingo eat and drink where the house specialty: roast chicken and cider. We underestimated Toledo characterized by constant ups and downs we letteralemnte destroyed and the bed seems to us the best solution to end the evening.

Hola Madrid

Today is the last girono and so we decide to go over what we have been really impressed by breakfast and beginning we decided to repeat the experience of delicious chocolate S. Gines: chocolate y churros. Departure towards the temple of Debod, donated by the Egyptian temple to Spain in recognition of aid provided for the protection of various temples scattered throughout Egypt. From outside is a show in my humble opinion could also be skipped. Next direction districts of Chueca (the gay district of Madrid) and Malasaña where are underway in Plaza 2 de Mayo celebrations for the anniversary of the uprising in the city against the French occupation under Napoleon. Pranzaimo to Spanish: jumping from one tapas bar to another (we have now discovered that it is a blast) and head to the Museo Reina Sofia, home of Picasso's Guernica. After an hour caused a row that free entry has attracted many people, we get to make as much just to see the most famous painting of the whole museum: breathless beauty and emotional communication of this painting by Picasso. We leave satisfied and we go to the Atocha station to watch the tropical garden that is cared for within the structure of the station. Birds, turtles and lush vegetation and green backdrop to the bustle of people. The day is beautiful that way as well as salmon and diligent the way we made just five days ago to the aereporto leaving behind a stay that will bring in for a long time, at least until our next visit.