Day 8 - Madrid and Churros

 

Day 8

Well…we were neither bright-eyed nor bushy-tailed, but we all made the bus to the train station at 7 am. With our boxed breakfast in tow, our sleepy crew boarded the bus without much gripe. We got to the station with no issues and found a spot in the terminal to sit and eat our breakfasts. We had two kinds of ham sandwiches and some decent to-go items. After a short rest, we found the platform and located our train. I was responsible for loading the luggage onto the train this time. I nearly gave myself a hernia lifting some of the bags on the rack, but I appreciate the little 5-minute lift session I got in. Tip of the day: remember to always lift with your legs ;)

The train ride was the most relaxing 220 mph trip I’ve ever taken. Finding the bus to take us to our hotel was quite a headache. The Atacho Station in Madrid is huge with 2 separate buildings, about 100 zillion taxis buzzing around, and twice as many people. It was like a lively little beehive at peak harvest. We had to weave back and forth in an attempt to exit, avoid the other tour groups, and sync up with our driver just before he gets fined for waiting for us more than 5 minutes. Whew, big city life and its problems. 

The bus took us to the hotel, and we dropped off our bags at about 11 am. Then we ventured off to grab some lunch at a variety of spots nearby. The hotel where we are staying is right in the city center. It's a perfect location for us to end our trip because there are tons of shops, places to eat, and the energy in the streets below is popping. We connected with Daniele again after lunch in Plaza del Sol, just up the street from our hotel. The Plaza is a cool place and carries symbolic significance for the citizens of Madrid. We learned that the plaza serves as 0 km for all the streets in Madrid, meaning it is the physical center point of the city. 

We had a bus sightseeing tour to experience in the afternoon. Our local guide was Elisa. She was great. Did you know that the Royal Palace contains 3,400 but only 25 are open for use? It mostly serves as a host for visiting dignitaries. Grande Villa is the main street in Madrid, and there are several large fountains that pay homage to the Roman Gods such as Neptune, Apollo, and Ceres. Did you know Madrid contains over 70 theaters and 300,000 university students? This is largely why the city is so vibrant and youthful. Madrid is one of the most green/ eco-friendly cities in Europe. 

The bus tour took us right to the Prado, where Elisa continued our guided tour. Because of that, it might have been one of the better museum stops on the trip. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures inside the museum due to the flash damaging the canvas. But we learned about the work of the once official painter to the Spanish King, Diego Velázquez. Las Meninas, created in 1656, was a large focus of our discussion. It’s a pretty popular one. We also checked out the work of El Greco, Rubens, Bosch and Francisco Goya. Goya’s stuff is interesting. Go check out his “Saturn” painting…Yikes. Might have to sleep with the light on after seeing it, whoa. Overall, the museum has like 8,000 works of art. Just give it a quick Google if you're interested. 

After the Prado, we walked back to the hotel and checked in. Kids got all situated and had a few minutes to relax before we met for dinner. Can you guess which kid tested the bidet before anyone else? Let’s just say it didn’t go as planned. Reminder: always check the water pressure and temperature BEFORE fully engaging. Whoops!

Our dinner was located just across the plaza from the hotel. Our meal tonight was actually pretty nice. We had a seafood and rice soup, steak with cooked veggies, and whipped cream with fresh fruit. The kids were extra spunky for the meal. I guess they talk and laugh an awful lot when they are not on their phones. Weird. ;)

Following dinner, the chaperones decided to surprise the kids and take them for Churros and Chocolat at the famous San Gimes Chocolateria. It was nice. They all had a few churros and dipped them in homemade chocolate sauce. Fun way to end the day together. 

We gave the kids a little free time to check out the plaza area in the evening. The weather and vibe are perfect. I actually love it here in Madrid. If I ever just disappear for an extended amount of time, you might come look here first! 

On a side note: collapsible fans are a huge hit with the kids. Not actually sure why...maybe it's a little hot here, maybe they want to feel fancy, or maybe they're just teenagers and I can't really explain it. Either way, parents...soon those little treasures will be yours to enjoy too.

Tomorrow is our last full day! The time has actually flown by. We will visit Las Ventas in the morning, and then we plan to check out Plaza de España, San Miguel Market, and the Royal Palace. Just trying to soak it all in. 

Hasta Manana.