Initially, the plan was to eat breakfast at the market we wanted to see, but upon wandering through all the vendors setting up their booths, we found that there was no such thing as food at this market. So we stopped at a small cafe that claimed to have the best orange juice in the world. And it was delicious orange juice. Had myself an omelet though I had no idea what I had ordered. All I knew was that ham was involved, because ham and maybe three other things are all I can understand on a Spanish menu. But it was a good omelet. And awesome orange juice.
We split up about then. Toby and Melissa wanted to check something else out, and I followed Becky because, really, I would have been lost in the city without her. We wandered up and down and through side streets of the market and bough various things. My first purchase of the day was a small, handmade Avatar keychain. It's so cute! And even comes with a little bell so it jingles with your keys. Happiest 4EUR I've spent ever. At least it consistently made me smile throughout the day, just thinking that I got it. So cute! Here's a picture for you to see:
Other things I bought at the market include an obnoxious purple flapper hat, green leggings, three pairs of socks (three pair for 1EUR = really good deal!), and two sweaters for when I traverse the North. They're pretty good sweaters too. Secondhand, but large and warm and itchy enough to make me believe they're wool. Yes, there are tags, but I didn't look. I just like the idea of having them for when I go skiing and do other outdoorsy activities in Norway. Now I won't freeze in my own sweat!
We went to the hostel to drop off our stuff, and saw Melissa and Toby attempting to find the hostel without a map. Becky and I both had maps and we both marked where the hostel was on them. I would still be lost in Madrid if I didn't have a map. No, I would still be in Brussels if I didn't have a map of that town. Maps are glorious and Becky and I are not sure how they got along the day without one. Well, they did finally pick one up upon leaving the hostel, but they were afraid to mark it up for some reason? I don't know. I find it silly, personally. Not to call either of them silly, but their decision was silly in my opinion.
Toby and Melissa signed up for a day trip to Toledo that was leaving that day, so we split up once again. They went to check out the Reina Sofia Museum of Modern Art before they met up with their tour, and Becky and I went to do some sightseeing. And I swear we saw the entire city center. We went from the cathedral to the palace to the palace gardens which were quite fun and then to the Temple of Debob (which was pretty awesome. It's an ancient Egyptian temple converted into a museum for the ruins. I liked it). From there we went to the Plaze de Espana (I think) and walked along their giant shopping street. Along the way we saw the theatres for Mamma Mia, Avenue Q, and Les Miserables. Didn't really stop to shop except at a store called Bushkas which is also in London. Didn't really look because my feet had been hurting for a while and I just wanted a place to sit down. Besides, we have a Bushkas in London. Why are you looking in Madrid?
Plaza de Sol was next. There were a bunch of street performers and street vendors. Took a picture of a giant light Christmas tree in the middle of the square which was kind of neat. Would have liked to have seen it lit up, but I'm sure it was pretty. Then we had lunch at a small place with deli sandwiches and freshly squeezed juice. The juice was delicious and so was the sandwich. I had a standard chicken, tomato, cheese sandwich because I felt like ordering something familiar for once. (Really, I wasn't really enjoying myself that much in Madrid. More on that later.)
Then we went to two more plazas with famous architectural sights and then found our way to the giant park in the middle of the city. That was pretty awesome if only because we rented a row boat for forty minutes on the big man-made lake. That was fun. We took turns paddling and sat and talked about stuff and took pictures of the singers along the coast and attempted to get close to a small waterfall but the water ended up in our boat instead. We didn't get too wet though -- we're fine. Also in the park were two buildings with art exhibitions from the Reina Sofia Museum mentioned earlier. One building had an exhibition by a photographer who took pictures of birds. I liked this one best because I enjoy photography more than sculpture/installations. The other one featured a giant tower of plastic items from around the house, like laundry baskets and chairs. I wasn't sure what the artist was attempting to illustrate with it, so I didn't get it. The main reason I don't like modern art is because the artists usually have some sort of social message to demonstrate through their art and I can never understand their message. Can't an artist just take pictures or draw pictures just because they think what they're doing in pretty? That's why I would take pictures if I were a photographer.
We made our way down to the Reina Sofia Museum then, because we figured we should check it out. Along the way, we saw the 24 hour airport express bus service I would take to the airport later that night. I wanted to find it to make sure I knew where it was, and then I learned and I felt more comfortable with the going out in Madrid alone at night thing. After spending a while there, I felt comfortable enough to call it a city and not a Highly Dangerous Zone of Crime. Which is good.
The Reina Sofia closed at 2.30p and we got there around 4.30p. Ugh. We rewarded ourselves with McDonald's. Becky got an ice cream cone, I got a highly carbonated Fanta. So much carbonation. Becky helped me finish it, though. Then we walked back to the hostel so we could take a nap.
Tried on our sweaters that we bought earlier. I journaled a bit then fell asleep for a while. I almost knew that I shouldn't fall completely asleep because I woke up an hour and a half later and just laid in bed for a while. I wanted Toby and Melissa to come back so we can go do something again, but that wasn't going to happen. I knew I needed to get some sleep because I probably wasn't going to get much at the airport later that night or on the plane, but I just couldn't sleep. I felt refreshed. So I went and I blogged about my first day. Came back and Becky was awake. Then Melissa and Toby returned.
They had a good time in Toledo. They had signed up for a day tour and would return around 8p, which is pretty much Spanish dinner time. We planned out our evening and headed out for dinner. When I said that I wanted to get to the bus stop around or before midnight, Toby asked why i would do that and not just nap in the room. Wouldn't that be safer? Becky chimed in that I didn't want to walk across Madrid at night all alone. That late, anyway. Toby accepted that as a good reason and left it at that.
The others were really excited about the pub crawl they wanted to do through the hostel. The hostel hosts a pub crawl and a city tour, I guess? It's affiliated with other hostels and do those kinds of activities, which is neat for backpackers and stuff, but I don't really party. The others were really excited and got ready and put on make up and were really really excited to go out. They were all "last weekend in Europe! Whoo!!" and I was all "I don't wanna drink because I might sleep through check-in!" but I didn't express that. I just left for the airport the same time they left for their bar hopping. Sort of glad to be rid of them, actually. No offense to that, but I can't relate to partying at all. I don't get it. And that's why I don't go out. Not in Madison, and especially not in Europe.
The walk to the bus stop was alright. I had my can of spray deodorant just in case, but I didn't have to use it thank goodness. The bus was on time and I was able to pay the driver with my lone 20EUR note. Change was entirely in coins because that's what people usually use to pay. We communicated through body language. There's only one reason to buy a ticket on that bus -- it only had one stop. So I just showed my twenty and he nodded and counted out the change. Good thing math is an international language.
From the sign at the bus stop, I figured that terminal 4 was entirely arrivals, and I needed a departure. I didn't know which terminal to go to, but the terminal 2 stop seemed pretty versatile in where you can go from there, and I had lots of time to kill and if I killed it by walking, that was fine by me. I walked into Terminal 2 and asked the woman at the information desk where international Ryanair would be flying out of. She said that it would be Terminal 1 and gave me directions. Forgot the directions, but there were signs to follow.
Along the way, I met a woman who didn't have change for a phone. She said her English was really bad, but I could understand it well enough. She needed to call her brother to tell him her flight was delayed but she only had English pounds and didn't have any Euros. I lent her two Euros and she thanked me. She asked where I was from, I said the States and studying in London. We parted ways after that because I was going this way and she was going that way.
Found the Ryanair check-in desk, which wasn't open, so I looked for a place to camp out for a few hours. Took a nice spot of floor for a sleep cycle before the floor got to be too cold to bear. Then I moved to a counter in the 24 hour cafe and slept there until the counter opened. I was confused about where to go for a bit because the woman doing the visa check looked either busy or like she didn't know what she was doing. But she stamped my boarding pass and let me go.
Had to go through security twice. Totally forgot that my water bottle was almost full, so I had to go back and dump it out. Then I went through again. Second time was faster because they opened up another metal detector and I didn't have to wait for that. No problem.
Got in the boarding line late, not because I got there late, but because I slept later than I intended. I had found a pretty comfy position in one of those chairs, man. But I managed to get on the plane and get a desirable seat. In fact, I had a whole three seats to myself. And I didn't even take advantage of it for most of the flight! Didn't matter. I had earplugs and I snoozed the entire way home. Landed in London (and I didn't get sick on the descent despite me forgetting the Dramamine!) and I was all right. During border control, the woman took my thumb and finger print. Don't know what that was about, but how you cross the border depends on the agent asking the questions. Whatever, I got through just fine.
Went to the easyBus stand to ask if I could use my ticket for 5:20p this early, and the woman said that I couldn't because tickets are only valid for an hour outside the time on the sheet. So I had to buy another one. No big deal, though. I wanted to get home so I was willing to spend the money. Doesn't cost much anyway -- less than ten pounds one way.
Slept some of the way on the bus ride back, but I was too busy looking at the fog. Traffic was bad and it took two hours to get into the city rather than the usual hour and a half. Oh well. At least I got there. Took the Tube home and took a shower. You'll hear about the rest later.
Overall:
I wasn't that impressed with Madrid. Maybe it was because I was tired and I put forth more effort than I wanted to get there. And then the city turned out to be fairly average in my book. Yeah, it's a city. Big whoop. There were cable cars and a really good metro system and some of the buildings were pretty but not all of them. Also, I'm not too keen on the Spanish language and Spanish culture to begin with, so I wasn't very impressed by that right there. The food was alright. I kept getting this black forest ham stuff and I usually got sick of it after three bites, but I ate through it anyway because it was food and I didn't know the word for chicken. In fact, I couldn't read half the menus, and that was also a bummer. So not very impressed by Madrid. I did hear it was amazing and awesome and what not, and I would recommend people go, but I don't think I'll go back anytime soon.
Another reason might be the people I was with. Of the four of us, I was the social outcast. The other three could relate on a level I don't relate to. They're usually party people and they're closer and travel together and their friends are friends with each other and my only link to the group, really, was Becky (despite the fact that Toby lives on my same floor. We don't talk that much anyway and she's never around). I attempted to talk with them, but I never had anything to contribute to their conversations. So yeah.
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