I was not able to check into my room yet, so they let me store my bag in a very crowded luggage room and I went out exploring. My luck continued when I stumbled upon a MASSIVE outdoor market. And when I say massive, I mean streets and streets of vendors and people packed in between shoulder to shoulder. Turns out Sunday mornings in Madrid are actually known for this market.
So I walked along looking at all of the cool stuff for sale, but not buying anything. I was also making sure to be conscious of my purse because of the proximity of everyone around me. I stop for a few minutes to buy an empanada from a shop and then squeezed through the crowd again.
I got tired of the crowd soon after so I looked for a way out. It took awhile, but finally I got to a main street that only had a few venders. A girl I met through Meddeas suggested that I go to Retiro park, so I headed that way because it was some what close. I got there and walked around a bit, but it was such a big park that I didn't get far.
I started heading back in the direction of my hostel because I wanted to stop by the grocery store and my phone was dangerously close to running out of battery. So I stopped in the store to get water, granola, and some wraps for my dinner and headed in the direction of my hostel.
Then my phone died. So I trusted my memory and looked at the vendors for reminders of where I had passed earlier on. Unfortunately the vendors were packing up so I was racing to be sure I got back to a familiar area before everything closed. By some miracle I made it back to the metro stopped and easily made it back to the hostel. I then checked in and charged my phone.
After a little down time, I set out again to just wander. I stumbled upon the farmers market, a plaza with a lot of Christmasy stuff, and the royal palace. Now I had set out in the direction of the palace, but wasn't specifically aiming to go there right away. So along the way I saw buildings that I thought might be the palace... but once I go to the actual palace, I knew.
It was HUGE! And beautiful! I took pictures, walked around, and then went back to the hostel before it got too dark. Then I heated up one of my wraps and relaxed for the rest of the night.
The next morning, December 28th, I got up and headed to Starbucks. Now I'm sorry if my stereotypical American behavior offends you, but I have not had Starbucks in four months... I deserved this haha, plus this is only the start...
After that I waited until a group left to a walking tour that I was going on. On the walking tour I saw some really cool things and beautiful buildings. Then I went back to the hostel to make my other wrap for lunch.
My plan for the rest of the day was to go to this massive Primark (a really cool and cheap store that is kind of similar to forever 21 but better) and then go to the Prado Museum when it was open for free.
I walked to Primark and saw all these people out front. And around the corner. And around the back. The line was roughly a block long. I was not about to wait in that. So a wandered around the main street with all the shops and went into this cool "mercadillo" where there were vendors selling stuff for Christmas. (Yes, Christmas has passed, but not in Spain... Christmas lasts till January 6th here. That's Three Kings Day.)
Once my feet were getting tired, I started in the direction of the museum. Then I found that line. This line was also about a block long. So I decided to nix that idea and just find something to eat.
So I went to Subway. Yes, I'm sorry. But it was simple and cheap and on the way. Plus they had fountain drinks! I haven't seen fountain drinks at all in Spain.
Then I went back to my hostel and prepared to leave in the morning.
I woke up bright and early and headed to Valencia on a bus.
Once I got there I walked about a mile to my hostel. Once again I could not check in so I stored my bag and went to find some lunch. I found a run of the mill little cafe and had a hamburger and fries. Then a wandered around for a little bit and went back to my hostel to check in.
After I charged my phone a little bit, I went back out with no plans. I just wandered around for hours. Looking in stores and seeing the beautiful buildings that Valencia has to offer. You know how some places you have to keep your eyes on the ground so as to avoid stepping in dog poop (cough, cough Huercal de Almeria), well Valencia is a place where you have to keep your eyes looking up so you don't miss any of the incredible architecture it has to offer.
In my wandering I discovered something amazing... Taco Bell.
For those of you who weren't aware, I regard Taco Bell as the best fast food there ever was, and at one point in my life I ate it every Sunday night. So I remembered where it was and planned to return there for dinner.
After a little more wandering I returned to Taco Bell, had dinner, and went back to my hostel for the night. Once in my hostel, I met the adorable Czech lady staying in the same room and soon went to sleep.
On Wednesday morning, I set out to get some coffee from Starbucks (I highly recommend the Toffee Nut latte) and waited a the hostel for the walking tour at 11am. However, when I asked where the tour was meeting, I was told that there was no such tour (although I had been emailed by the hostel to tell me there was a walking tour that day).
So instead I went to the museum near my hostel. It was an amazing museum with Picasso and another art exhibit, which I forgot the name of, and some weird water exhibit. When I tried to leave, however, I got on the elevator, and legitimately went to each floor, without finding the exit. So eventually I found some stairs and just went down and down and down. Then I found it.
After that I went to the Ceramics museum, which had little to do with ceramics, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
Then I had lunch at a sushi place and went back to the hostel for a little break.
After a little while I went to find a bike to rent to go to the City of Arts and Sciences which Valencia is well known for. However, it was about 2:15 at this time and the places that my phone showed me were all closed. So I returned to the hostel to do a little more research.
Eventually I found a place that was open and I went there and rented a bike for two hours.
In these 2 hours I road alone the big park in the middle of Valencia all the way to the City of Arts and Sciences. It was pretty amazing and the buildings were crazy big. Then I rode in the other direction along the park, then I rode around the historic part of Valencia and returned the bike.
For dinner I had Taco Bell again. Sorrynotsorry. Then I returned to the hostel and packed up to leave the next morning.
Thursday morning, New Years Eve, I woke up, got my Starbucks and headed to the meeting point I have determined with the girl who would be taking me to Almeria. I was taking a BlaBlaCar, my first one in fact, because it was about half the price of the bus and faster.
So I rode back to Almeria with three Spanish girls and awkwardly just listened to my podcast when I realized my Spanish was not fast enough to keep up with their hot topic discussions.
To sum up my journeys I'd say this:
Skip Madrid, go to Valencia.
If you like New York City and D.C, you'd like Madrid. But if you appreciate beautiful buildings and less crowded streets, Valencia is your place.
School starts back on Thursday. Until later...
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