A Madrid Travel Guide

A Madrid Travel Guide

I was working (it didn't really feel like work) for two months of my summer in the lovely capital of Spain that is - Madrid. As always, I document my travels, in fact I pretty much document my whole life and of course I want to share the highlights of the trip here on my blog. In this and the next few travel diary posts from Spain - I'll share some photos, my must see and do things and an overall review of the cities I visited during my stay...

Retiro Park

Madrid's very own Central Park is the buzzing and thriving center of the city. The perfect place to escape the intense summer heat is by coming here and cooling down in the shade under some trees or renting out a rowing boat. Though I only visited once during my two months (I was busy doing other things), I think I saw it at its busiest. If you love people watching, you could while away many hours here taking in the different sights.

All in the one Sunday I went to Retiro park I saw line dancers, tai chai/yoga/dancing classes, an outdoor orchestra, a Bolivian festival, children's theatre puppet shows, buskers playing Spanish guitar, bands, outdoor chess and more. This really is where it's all happening, a park filled with life and movement. The park is also home to the stunning Palacio Cristal (glass house) and other amazing pieces of architecture. 

San Miguel market

Calling all foodies! This was by far a favourite of mine in Madrid, because of, well, FOOD, duh. Whether it's lunch, dinner, snacks, dessert or tapas you're after - they have it all and more than your dreams could imagine here. I enjoyed wandering around the market and browsing all of the delicious, colourful food, sampling tapas (fyi: inexpensive), sipping on some traditional sangria and so much more. Heaven.

Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza & Reina sofia museums

If you're an art buff, or just love wandering around galleries - Madrid is stacked with culture. There are plenty of museums to visit in the city but the three I visited, and are recommended on most travel sites are the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofia museum. 

At the Reina Sofia

A great way to spend a hot day in Madrid is inside a cool gallery gazing at art - in the Prado they are currently running a Bosco exhibition - heads up: the queues are often long so get there early. I visited the TB museum in my last few days as it had been recommended to me by many - the museum has a mixture of both old and new art ft. paintings by Dali & Picasso and also two private exhibitions by Caravaggio and Caillebotte which I both enjoyed. Of all I enjoyed the Reina Sofia the most - I spent 3+ hours soaking up every single painting and sculpture there was to see. If you enjoy the more experimental, modern art then you will love RS museum too. They had an exhibition ft. the works of Wilfredo Lam who was such a fascinating man to learn about.

At the Reina Sofia

Botanical gardens

The botanical gardens in Madrid is like a massive green paradise of nature and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Nestled right behind the Prado museum and beside a busy road and you can't even hear a thing but birds, sprinklers and people chattering - it's the perfect place to have some chill out time, maybe read or draw. I didn't do that. I just took photos for Instagram.

The Golden Mile

I'm a shopaholic and preeeetty obsessed with fashion, whether or not I can afford it. So it was a real treat for me to walk along the golden mile, the street famous for it's designer shops, and browse the likes of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci and more. The window displays alone are works of art and seeing designer pieces in the flesh gives me goosebumps, it's like the clothes of Vogue have jumped off the pages and into real life. There's also the more affordable stores like Zara and Massimo Dutti, so you can grab yourself a souvenir from one of Madrid's most luxurious streets.

Plaza Mayor

One of the most common meeting points and most well known parts of Madrid is the Plaza Mayor - an open square in the middle of the crowded city lined with terrace cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops that is buzzing from day till night. I sat here one day for a café con leche (basically a coffee with milk but sounds way fancier in Spanish) and within an hour saw a Suzuki car ad being filmed, a waiter that got pooped on by a bird, a man serenading the tourists with Spanish guitar and tourists flocking for photos. Similarly to the Retiro, it's a place of life and constant movement and so is the perfect place to stop and watch the world go by.

Gran Vía

If you're crazy enough to venture onto this street amongst 1000's of others in the 35+c heat, well, then you're as stupid as I was. However, if you're spending the majority of your time in air conditioned shops then it ain't so bad. All your usual high street favourites are along the Gran Vía - Mango, Zara, Pull & Bear, Bershka and all their pals too - oh and the biggest, most extravagant Primark I've ever seen in my life. As well as shops, there are plenty of places to stop and refuel as well as a few theatres which reminded me a bit of Broadway, though I have never been there... anyway, you won't be bored here for sure.

Temple of Debod at sunset

A cliché thing to do in Madrid is see the Temple of Debod at sunset - and though cliché, very worth the hype. From here you will see some of the most amazing views of Madrid and the beautiful architecture of the Debod while the sun sets and reflects off the water surrounding it. Stu-nning.

So, those are my top things to do in Madrid but here are other things I'd recommend to do/visit:

- Party at the biggest pride in the world at Madrid Orgullo (in the summer)

- Try the best churros at San Gines chocolateria

- Sample Madrid's finest pastries and sweet treats at La Mallorquina

- Grab some bargains at the El Rastro market in La Latina

- Get a 1€ glass of wine at Copas Rotas (or several)

- Visit the rooftop bar of The Hat hostel

- See a flamenco show
- Marvel at the dramatic interiors of the Palacio Real

- Go to the 9th floor of El corte ingles near Gran Vía and visit the gourmet experience (all the cuisines you can imagine and a rooftop bar with panoramic views)

There you have it, my little travel guide to the wonderful city of Madrid! Stay tuned for a post on Pamplona and other places I visited in Spain!

A Summer In Spain

A Summer In Spain

Hola! I'm writing to you from a very sunny Spain where I moved nearly a month ago now - wow, crazy how time flies huh. So much has happened and it feels so long ago since I set foot on the plane to Madrid. I wasn't intending to blog while I was away, what with looking after two children (au pairing btw, not my own!) and exploring what this amazing city has to offer - but I've genuinely missed writing on my blog and think it needs a good ole update.

When I get back to Liverpool come September I will resume my usual fashion & make up posts, but for now the blog is taking a break away from it, just like myself, like seriously -  over here I wear make up 10% of the time and am about 99% in a bikini - it's great.

Honestly, I was preeeetty nervous before coming here - I've never done anything like this before and this is probably the longest I've gone without being home but I'm surprised at how quickly I've adapted and how comfortable I feel here. My family are so super lovely and their kids are adorable too - it's been tricky at times but so worth being here. 

Here are some other things that have happened since my arrival:

- I've met the most incredible people from different parts of the world - American, German, French, Australian, Scottish - all brought together (I know I sound so cheesy, can't. help. it. ) for the same reason in one city and we all get along so well. I was quite worried of not having a good social life outside of au pairing but have been out and about spending time with new friends and exploring this new city together so the worrying was unnecessary!

- I experienced the biggest pride in the world 'Madrid Orgullo'. Like seriously, the biggest parade you have ever seen - parties on every street of Madrid till morning and lots of sangria. I also saw my favourite band Hinds perform in Plaza de Espana this night which was followed by 2 hours straight of dancing outdoors.

- I went to Pamplona, just last weekend for the famous San Fermin festival, which was honestly such a blast - everyone wearing the same red & white uniform, marching bands, drinking and dancing in the streets, people throwing water out of windows (it was BAKING hot) - 1 hour of sleep in a park then 8am to see some crazy people run away from a herd of bulls and cows. It was such a weird and wonderful tradition to experience - and the Spanish really love to party so I would recommend going to this, i'd love to go again!

- I visited the beautiful city of Avila with my (host) family. The day was spent marveling at Spanish architecture, which I have become infatuated with - I wanna marry a building.

- I've ate delicious Spanish food (tortilla, tapas, croquetas, bocadillos...etc) and got used to the late meal times (10pm most nights) here. Pool all day, eat at night - my kinna lifestyle.

- I've got sunburnt. I've tied about 100 water balloons for the kids. I've realised kids can be happy or amused by the smallest thing. I've learnt quite a lot of Spanish already. I've drank a lot of gazpacho and ate a lot of olives. I've found meditation in swimming, after doing it for 15 minutes and realising no thought other than me swimming went through my head. I've had a café con leche and actually enjoyed it (normally coffee hates me). 

So much has happened already and I still have another month to go and travelling to do afterwards - I miss home occasionally but at the same time it makes me sad and want to stuff my face with tapas at the thought of leaving this lovely country.

A Taste Of Cuba

A Taste Of Cuba

Well hey there folks! Exams are over, and summer is HERE! I'm away for 2 months this summer to be an au pair in Madrid, and I honestly can't wait! I will be busy but I promise to fit in some travel posts and travel guides after my trip as well as a vlog!

On with today's post! The lovely people over at Liquid in Liverpool got in touch about a blogger event at the brand new, fancy schmancy Revolución de Cuba bar/restaurant on the Albert Docks - with a brief mention of Cuban inspired food and drink as well as live music in the invitation - my reply was of course - hell. yes.

On arrival we were given two amazing (if a little strong woaah) mojitos - and went for a little wander round the venue to find an amazing 3-piece band jamming away on a keyboard, guitar and bongos so we sat and enjoyed the music letting it transport us to Cuba right in the heart of Liverpool.

Afterwards, Jamie, one of the youngest head chef's working amongst the Revolución de Cuba brand, gave us a brief introduction and began to hand out tapas to sample from the menu. It was obvious how much Jamie loved his job and food, talking about each and every dish with such passion!

I tried one of everything, naturally - starting with chicken quesadillas, followed by an array of roasted vegetables glazed in honey, patatas bravas, prawn/shrimp style calamari with guacamole and pork meatballs in the most delicious and AMAZING of sauces - wow. I'm crying just thinking about it all again. Such beautiful food.

Next, we were taken into the bar area and greeted by the lovely Coco, assistant manager and specialist in rum! He took us through a very insightful history lesson into where rum came from and how it's made...another member of staff of Revolución de Cuba extremely passionate about their profession! We tried three different types of rum, which I enjoyed, in all honesty though they were v strong and I am a lightweight so I didn't knock them back like it was a Friday night in town.

Following the rum tasting, we had a little burrito lesson with Jamie! All ingredients were sorted, we just had to put the burrito together ourselves (fun fact: burrito means little donkey in Spanish). Jamie showed us how it was done first and obviously did it perfectly first time round, it was a little tricky but most of us managed and got to enjoy eating them afterwards - they were filled with guacamole, grated mozzarella cheese, rice, spinach and mushroom, refried beans, sour cream, chicken and peppers - everythaaaaang. Delish.

Lastly, we were given a cocktail masterclass with two of the lovely bartenders - Alex and David! We all had the chance to make our very own cocktails ourselves with the guidance of the pro's. I volunteered to go first, to get the embarrassment out the way nice and quickly. I chose to make the raspberry mojito which had rum, sugar, soda, mint, crushed raspberries, lime juice and ice! It was good fun to make, even if I was a bit clumsy woopsieee - but actually getting to enjoy the fruits of my labor afterwards made it all worth it - and I got to use a soda gun - dreams. fulfilled.

I had such a fun night sampling the menu and indulging in the cocktails - I can't wait to go back to Revolución de Cuba to try more of the menu!! I'd highly recommend going - the food is insanely good as well as the cocktails and you can also sit outside and admire the wonderful views of the Albert Docks.

A big thanks to Liquid PR for inviting me and a huge thank you to the lovely staff at Revolución de Cuba - I had a blast!! Revolución de Cuba, Albert Docks officially opens on Friday the 10th of June - get your table booked asap!!