Friday:
On Friday we took a long bus ride. In fact, a very long, 6 hour bus ride.
Yet, somehow it was worth it. =]
We arrived in Madrid late Friday night and somehow muddled our way through figuring out which train to get on to get to the station we needed to be at, and then got picked up from said station by our hosts for the weekend. Once at the house, we relaxed for a bit before falling into an exhausted sleep.
Saturday:
Bright and early Saturday morning (Well... Early for me anyways...) Terah and I set off back into the city. After navigating the trains again, we made it to the right stop and headed out for our adventure. The day started off with many photos of the "Palace Real" (pronounced "ray-al") after seeing the lines to get into the palace, we opted to tour the neighboring cathedral instead.
It was breathtaking! Photos were not allowed in many portions of the cathedral, much to my dismay, but the intense detail put into every aspect of the building left me in awe.
After the cathedral, we explored the city. To my delight, there were a good number of street performers out doing their stuff. There were musicians, human statues, a man with a marionette, and several "headless men" and "invisible men". It was certainly a sight to see.
We spent the entire day just wandering the city and exploring to our hearts content.
For dinner, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe. For those of you who don't know, the Hard Rock Cafe is an international musically-themed restaurant, with locations in major cities around the globe.
It was so cool! I really enjoyed it. Our waiter also spoke english, which was a nice plus.
Sunday:
After a late, relaxed start, Terah and I made our way into the city, and made a beeline for the Prado Museum. There we marveled at the works of Rembradt and Goya, among many others. Again, photos were prohibited, but it was worth the money simply for the experience.
Something I found rather interesting was that at least two-thirds of the art in that museum could be directly traced back to a Christian origin - painting of martyrs, the crucifixion, the holy family, miracles that Jesus worked. Those that were not of Christian origin were either portraits, still life, or from greek mythology.
We sent sunday evening simply exploring more of the city and taking in the local nightlife. The streets were again filled with all sorts of performers - there was a classical group performing opera, a guitarist who was simultaneously playing the pan flutes, and a big brass band playing swing music, all within a couple blocks of each other. It was so amazing to see such diversity coming together in harmony in one city. It was truly inspiring.
Monday:
We got an early start Monday morning, and went into town for breakfast. We ate at a local chain called "Cafe a Te", and it was delicious.
After breakfast, we again wandered the streets, this time going into an older section of town, walking along quaint cobblestone walkways and later stopping in at a local cafe for some coffee and a croissant. I had my coffee with a shot of Bailey's irish cream, and it was delicious. Back home I would always get a "Kicker" from Dutch Bros., a local coffee chain, and it was coffee with a shot of non-alcoholic irish cream. In Europe, however, the drinking age is 16 (I think?) so they use the real stuff. Honestly, I have to say I prefer the version they make back home, but still, I must say it was good.
That afternoon we said our goodbyes to Madrid, and took the long bus ride home. I truly enjoyed the trip, but I will admit that when the time came to go, I was ready to come back to my home away from home, here in Torremolinos.
