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Published: October 19th 2013
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My flight from Doha was super early - 3:45 in the morning - on Emirates airlines, via Dubai. The long flight was awesome. It was mostly empty except for a large Chinese tourist group, who were seated in front of me. I had the whole row to myself, so a chinese woman moved to the aisle seat, still leaving a middle seat between us. What a great flight! She and the other members of the group strained to see out my window glimpses of Dubai - the Palm, the Burj Khalifa; since I have flown in and out dozens of times, I leaned back and let them stare away.
We landed in Madrid about 2pm and it was a long long long way to leave the airport. The airport has a nice design, with a wavy roof, and didn't seem overly busy. But it is just a long walk with seemingly little amenities. Customs was pretty quick, but I lost track of the distance, the escalators, the elevators, and finally a train to the main terminal. As usual, I took a taxi to my hotel; I like taking taxis from the airport because it gives you an idea of the
layout of the city. My old, bald driver was not very friendly though. Almost annoyed he had to drive me or something. But we drive straight to the Vincchi Soho, which is located near the Prado and Retiro Park.
I really liked my hotel! The receptionist was very friendly (though, when she found out I was american, she spoke english while I tried spanish...). My room was great! It is a typical tiny European room, but it had a modernist feel to it. And I love when I love the bathrooms. The shower was open glass, with a framework wood floor over the drain - fantastically simple. The bed was not the most comfortable, but I was exhausted everyday, so I slept well.
I met Jamie and Addi that night for tapas. I found their hotel, about 6 blocks near mine, and we walked across the street to a Mexican restaurant. Ha! We had their special: chicken burritos with two Coronitas (little coronas!). Yum! Then we went to the Prado, which is free from 6-8pm. That was really all the time I needed. The artwork and museum was overwhelming, but I found a few places I liked. I
really wanted to see the Goya painting of Carlos IV and his family - it was very interesting. I've always enjoyed that painting because Goya painted them as they were - it is not necessarily a flattering portrait, but seems to get how they really looked. What I found interesting in the audio guide was it points out that it is the Queen, Maria Luisa, who is in the middle, focal point of the painting, not Carlos the IV. She was apparently the real power behind the throne.
After the Prado, we made our way via the impressive metro system to the La Latina neighborhood. Jamie had found good reviews of a restaurant called Naia. We looked and looked, finally I asked for directions and we found it - it was closed. The book said it was open on Tuesday, but I guess not. So, we made our way down to Cava Baja, a street recommended by a colleague of mine and it didn't disappoint. We found a cute little shop, got a seat in the back and had a lovely waitress. We had a meal of tapas (cheeseboard, meatballs and empanadas) and a good bottle of
Vincchi Soho
view from my balcony wine, with a great atmosphere. This is definitely my favorite part of Madrid!
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Amber
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SSooooooooooo jealous
While I enjoy school, I am rather bummed that while I'm toiling away studying for exams and writing lab reports, my friends are globe-trotting to places I really want to go one day...Happy for you! Motivation for me to get my degree and find a good job so I can join you on your travels. :)