Madrid: one last time

October 19 - 21

My last few days in Spain, and infact the last few days of my whole European summer adventure, were spent in Madrid. Yet another Spanish city that I am in LOVE with.

After a teary goodbye in Talamanca, I arived into Madrid early in the evening. I spent the night chatting to new friends in the hostel bar. Someone claimed to know a club we could get into for free, with an open bar til 1.30am... How could I say no to that?! I sipped on sangrias and had a little dance to some beloved raggaeton tunes.

In the morning I met Raphael. Over breakfast we gathered ideas for the day, the first of which was an art gallery - recommended by another traveller. La Neomudejar. The strangest art gallery I've ever been to. And yet...kinda cool!

It was in a run-down warehouse found on a backstreet a little bit away from the centre of town. We saw various videos made over the last 40 years, many of them with somewhat disturbing content! The setup of the place was funky - each video had just one chair facing it and most of the chairs were old and worn out.

Upstairs, there was an exhibition of contemporary art that included mostly paintings and sculptures. We were also allowed into the artists workshop to see what they were working on.

Walking back through town, we caught the 3pm carrillon show at the Plus Ultra building. The carillon, an instrument made up of various bells, was accompanied by five figures that move about on the balcony. Cute.

For lunch went to Museo de Jamon (translstes to 'museum of ham!') Not surprisingly, I had delicious ham and cheese. What was surprising was that it only cost €2.80! Why did I not discover this place sooner?!

Once our bellies were full of ham, we walked towards the Royal Palace. 

It's free for EU members for two hours each afternoon, so of course the queue was outrageous. Luckily, it moved fairly quickly and we were shepherded around the many stunning rooms. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so you'll just have to take my word that it was ridiculously stunning. Every room was intricately decorated and had its own purpose - for example one room was the room set aside for the "routine of dressing the king." There were endless al fresco paintings and beautiful chandeliers hanging from every ceiling. Simply amazing. I can't imagine ever living somewehere like that. So fancy! Not so homely.

As we left the palace it started to rain, and so I decided that the best place to be would be in the shops! I headed to H&M and Primark, both enourmous, as well as some local shops, before going back to chill out at the hostel.

Raphael and I, along with Nicky who we also met at the hostel, went just down the road for a flamenco show that night! When booking this, I had been expecting an epic dance show. But what I hadn't taken into account was that flamenco is just as much about the music as it is about the dancing. Three singers, three dancers and one guitarist absolutely wowed us with their skills. An incredible night!

I spent my very last morning in this beautiful country roaming around the streets of the Lavapies area. This neighbourhood is best described as "full of life" but "rough around the edges." I liked it! 

I found a really cool market that was very quiet but I reckon around lunchtime it would be choccas full of locals grabbing a bite to eat, having a glass of sangria or picking up some fresh produce.

It makes me very sad to say goodbye to Spain...but new adventures await in London.

Workaway in Talamanca de Jarama, Spain

Oct 5 - 19

I could not have asked for a more kind and generous family to spend my last two weeks in Spain with. Inma, Raul, Nicolai and Daniela welcomed me into their home and made me feel like a part of the family immediately.

In the tiny town of Talamanca de Jarama, just 40km north of Madrid, I spent my days playing with the kids and attempting to improve my Spanish. It was relaxing and yet never boring.

I did a couple of Spanish lessons and had plenty of time to practice with the family. I gave Inma the occasional English lesson and helped Daniela with English homework when needed.

When the kids were at school I filled my days with exploring. Whether it be the local shopping centre (factory outlets!!) or just roaming around the cute little town. While Talamanca is tiny, it has actually been host to many films. I even saw a movie being filmed there one day! The Cartuja and Roman Bridge are beautiful historical places that make for perfect film sets.

Roman Bridge

Cartuja

Hermitage

Post office

I also took a little bike ride just outside of the town one morning. On a short one hour ride (including many stops for photos!) I was able to see a fair bit of the countryside.

A huge highlight for me was the Pico Peñalara hike. One sunny Saturday afternoon, Raul, Ashley (another workaway girl) and I drove about an hour north-west of Talamanca, where the land gradually changed from dry hills into green mountains. The five hour hike was incredible.

We passed many lakes. Some of them reflected the clear blue sky, making for stunning views. Eventually, as we got closer to the peak, we started scaling the mountain ridge; practically rock climbing to make it to the peak. At times I did genuinely think I might fall and die. I'm fairly certain there was a less dangerous route..but Raul the mountain goat likes to lead a dangerous life it seems! I joke, but I loved it.

There weren't many trees along the path, meaning that it was generally very open - constant views of the surrounding mountains. Amazing hike.

Two shots at the peak, looking in opposite directions

Daniela had her 8th birthday while I was staying with them. Some family came around for a feast before the party! Raul taught me how to make paella - with rabbit, how it is traditionally made. 

And Inma cooked a gluten free cake especially for me. These people are the best ❤️

Daniela and the delicious GF birthday cake!

The party was a few hours of madness, with 20-odd kids running a muck. There were three cakes throughout the day and an endless amount of party food. Needless to say, when the festivities were over, we were all exhausted.

Playing with the 'English Dictoonary' sticker book I gave Daniela for her birthday

I became incredibly attached to this family and I wish I could've stayed longer. But alas, Spain is not far from my new home - London. So I have promised to come visit again soon.

A rainy day in Madrid

Oct 12

The 12th of October is a public holiday in Spain. In fact, it's Spain's 'national day' - but no one seems to do much to celebrate. So what to do with a day off work and school? Initially we made plans to go hiking, but the weather forecast quickly diminished all hope of an outdoor activity. Instead, we opted for museums in Madrid.

The first museum we visited was the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas: Spain's biggest bull fighting ring. I find the idea of bullfighting simply horrible...and so I wanted to learn more about it, see if I could understand why it's so popular in this part of the world.

The museum was full of paintings and sculptures of famous toreros (bull fighters) with the stories of their victories and sometimes failures - often resulting in lifelong injury or death. There were also capes and tools used for fighting. A video loop showed the tactics used to bull fighters to attack the bulls.

However the museum didn't really offer information; just a montage to bull fighters of the past. I came away feeling even more negative about the "sport." It just seems cruel to me.

Given that it was pouring with rain, we had a picnic lunch in the car!

The next museum was much more cheery. Estadio Santiago Bernabeu: Real Madrid's home football stadium! We got various views of the pitch; first from way up on the top floor of the stadium and then up close, in the dugout (the bench!)

We also went into the team dressing rooms and the press room.

The museum itself was fantastic! Modern, interactive and full of interesting football-related artefacts. 

We saw many trophies some for the team and some for individual players. This included the European Cup trophies. Real Madrid is the reigning champion - so we even managed to get a photo with the 2016 cup! 

They also had a 'football over time' style exhibit, where you could learn not only about the history and success of Real Madrid, but also see how the balls, boots and guernseys have changed over time.

Before leaving Madrid we popped into the Atocha train station. We were there to pick up another workaway chica, but I quickly discovered it's a really cool building. There's a huge garden right in the middle! 

And in the garden...there are TURTLES. My favourite ❤️❤️❤️