Madrid

Day 267 - Sunday, October 16

In Madrid I stayed at a cool little hostel which boasted a view onto Plaza Mayor.

From Madrid

Unfortunately it was raining pretty fiercely Sunday evening, so I only managed to venture out far enough to get some food at the nearby San Miguel Market, a popular spot for Madrid foodies, with various food stalls serving upscale tapas.

Day 268 - Monday, October 15

Monday I was still feeling pretty awful, but I had things to see and places to go. So after sleeping in, I went out and explored a bit. My first stop was Citibank to pick up my replacement debit card. Despite some doubts, it was there waiting on me, and picking it up was painless unlike my experience in Barcelona. I wandered around a bit and took a few photos of Plaza Espana and one of the many courtyards outside the Royal Palace.

From Madrid

From Madrid

Monday night I met up with my friend Fiona, who I had met at the very start of my trip in Fiji, for more tapas. Our paths had happened to cross again in Madrid, and it was definitely nice to see a familiar face.

Day 269 - Tuesday, October 16

Tuesday, I still was not feeling well, but I decided to join a free walking tour to see a bit more of the city. I took zero pictures because the tour didn't really go anywhere picturesque and was mainly a 3-hour history lesson - not exactly the best walking tour I've experienced, but maybe there isn't much to see in Madrid? Afterwards, I was pretty worn out, so I got in the Spanish spirit and took a little siesta. After my nap, I spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out where I was going to go next, how I was going to get there, and where I was going to stay when I got there. I probably should've gone out and experienced the Madrid nightlife. But with my lingering illness, staying up until sunrise, as Spaniards like to do, seemed like a bad idea. One more photo of Plaza Mayor from ground level:

From Madrid