
Zubi: Madrid in a Week!
DAY 1
To be honest there’s nothing really happening in Madrid. Its better you seat down in your house and save your money!!! 😈😈😈
Jokes!!!
Coming in was really nice considering the fact that I couldn’t speak Spanish. I just had a picture of 20 most important words …. Lets just say they didn’t come in handy 😒 because I had the World’s best Tour Guide.
I ended up taking the train from Aeroporto to Arguelles, at that point in time it was far …
Couldn’t wait to see the city so I dropped of my things at my friend’s place and we headed out to enjoy the night life!!
Ended up at EL Tigre!! Notable for its luxurious stand-up to eat fashion and throwing the tissues on the ground, apparently this is a Spanish thing, you are allowed to deliberately trash the floor … How about that “Great Britain”???
I started out being adventurous from day 1, I’m really picky with food but I decided to keep that habit and just try to enjoy it I had croquetas, Tortilla, De jarmon iberica (really staple Spanish food) with a Spanish beer can’t really remember the name, 2 pints of beer and a whole plate of that for 5 Euros!!!!!! I was loving Madrid already.
Decided to still be more touristy, went by Plaza Mayor, Sol, Barcelo and Gran Via it’s as beautiful in the night as you see in pictures.
All done with walking around and trying to see what was happening, we decided to go back home to Arguelles.
I met the other crazy fellows that live in the house and I got my highlight of the night. After being warmly welcomed by a joint!! 🤒 😷. I actually don’t smoke but Ana made me believe “quien fuma el puma”, and that summed my night up!!
DAY 2:
The adventurous spirit woke me up again and once again I was ready to go out and explore but I had no idea where to go 😩😩 (always have a plan of what to see and where to go when you go to a city). Thanks to my amazing tour guide Anita, she already had plans. First of was the Parque del Oeste which has Templo de Debod … breathtaking view, it’s a must see

Templo de Debod
Next was Palacio de Real, I was unable to go inside cause of the meetings that were being held but definitely a good one.

Palacio de Real
I can’t really remember where else I went to but I think this is the day I found out Grand Via had the ladies (if you know what I mean). Oh yeah Sol and Grand Via is like the city Center so it is always busy.
Mercado de San Miguel is definitely a place to check out!! They have so much food you can try out mostly for 1 Euro. Definitely try the Paella, Bacalao con miel y mostaza (don’t be scared by the name its nice) and Gulas y gambas.
Ended up going to the square at night to chill and drink. Had dinner at some place called taperia de malasaña, I recommend the “patatas bravas” and then went to a few bars. I think I remember La via lactea, they have indie and oldies so if that’s your vibe you know where to start from. Pretty much a chilled night.
DAY 3:
By this time, I was feeling like a Spanish kid speaking rubbish. I assumed to be Spanish. This was kind of my most eventful day I think.
I visited quite a few places like the Palacio de Cibelles, Palacio de crystalles and the circulio bellas artes which gives you the view of Madrid from the top. Best thing is all these places except Circulio bellas artes were all free. At Circulio bellas artes, I had to pay 4 Euros. It was worth it. There is also a bar at the top and a relaxation spot perfect for the summer!!!
My full adventurous self came out when I had lunch later this day at some place called Lateral. They have quite a few in Madrid. I tried a few things that tasted real nice without knowing what they were actually made of. Yeah the food actually tastes that nice!!!
This wasn’t the bad one!!
Reinia Sofia is a great museum to check out too. It is free after 7pm, but get in the queue on time or cut the queue like I did. If you do go make sure to check out Guernica by Picasso. If you love art you’d understand!!! don’t worry wannabes likers like me still fit in so still go!! Unfortunately, no pictures allowed😢 😢.
Met some crazy fellas so went to theirs for a get together before fiesta!!. Forget the expressions!! That’s how you know its time for Fiesta!! Ended up at Barco for the night!! To be honest I had a good night before I ended there but it’s a great place.
DAY 4:
This was the laziest day after a crazy night out. I genuinely thought I could make El Rastro but I woke up too late.
El Rastro is meant to be a really interesting outdoor market where you can buy a lot of stuff cheaper and its only on Sundays. So if you’re an early riser do go for that.
By the time I decided to wake up I just went to Athletico Madrid Stadium, unfortunately as it was a Sunday there was a game there so I could not just troop in. If you want to see the stadium it is better to plan to watch a game because they fully support their own. It was a messy Sunday.

Athletico Madrid Stadium
Since I couldn’t get in I decided to take a walk around the park which was nearby to the stadium. Parque de retiro is one beautiful one. It is really massive, so everyone still has a lot of space to relax.

Parque de retiro
Behind the park is some place called Matadero it used to be an abattoir but now its used for alternative art!! To be honest I didn’t really get this part it’s better you go see for yourself. Time for food I think we went to Fusion de Matadero.
Always a happy time when food is involved!! Bear in mind we were still tired from the previous night.
DAy 5: DAY TRIP TO TOLEDO
So I decided I didn’t want to come to Spain and see only one city. Wanted to go Seville or Barcelona but it was more expensive than my current trip. So I had to look for an alternative. Toledo was the next better option. It’s a city which the Christians, Muslims and Jewish co-exist and have their own attributes in the city. How interesting!!

At this point in time I Knew I shoulda learnt Spanish just a lil bit ….
I set out from the Atocha high speed station. It is like 45 minutes from Madrid and in no time I was there to begin my adventure. Genuinely you can’t get lost in the city it so small with lovely streets that you can go back to where you started.
Things you must see here are the Toledo Cathedral. Its architecture is so amazing. Can’t really remember how much it was to get in but it was more than 15 euros.
Also make sure you go to the Alcazar and the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes. There is a deal which includes all of this which I think was about 25 Euros. But only do it if you are going to the places.
Of course I had to eat, got into this place called la malquerida de la Trinidad and had this …
No worries the day ended great got back to Madrid in one piece!!!
DAY 6: Last Day 😔😔
At this point I was wondering why I booked a short stay!! Thinking about the terrible weather I was going to face!! Oh I didn’t tell you how good the weather was 16 degrees!! That’s a lot better from where I was coming from.
Today was chilled I went to some secret place called El jardin secreto and got some afternoon tea and cake. It is really classy, all for 10 Euros. I recommend to go with someone though! Don’t be a loner!
After this I had to get something from El corte Ingles which is like a chain store in Madrid. You can find all you want there even for cheaper in Europe so pop in there if you want anything. It is now time for the goodbyes and lets not forget one last lunch!!
You want to know something!! Forget every other place put Madrid at the top of your bucket list!! And don’t be timid enjoy your time while you are there!!!