The final stops of my entire trip that I visited were Madrid & Barcelona. In Madrid I was able to stay with my friend Marta who I had met in Thailand last Christmas as well as visit with my friend Sophia who I met in Marrakech, Morocco this fall. While in Madrid, Marta and I were also able to do a day trip to Toledo. After visiting Madrid, I headed to Barcelona, the final city of my long term travels.
The bus ride from Lisbon to Madrid was a long one and it took all day. Luckily it didn’t feel too terribly long, which was nice. Once in Madrid I was met at the bus station by my friend Marta. Since I’d been back in Europe after my time in Asia, Marta had texted several times asking when I was going to visit her in Spain, so when looking at flights back to the US I knew I wanted to go through Spain to visit her. Seeing each other again at the Madrid bus station was so fun because we hadn’t seen each other in almost ten months and we had so much to catch up on. After meeting up we headed to her apartment, where I stayed while in Madrid, and after dropping off my bags we headed to the supermarket around the corner to get food for dinner. That night we made dinner at her apartment and then spent the rest of the night catching up. On my first day in Madrid we spent a casual day hanging out at her apartment. It was really nice to spend a day just hanging out together. That evening we headed to a popular museum in Madrid since there was free entrance during select hours. Unfortunately the line to enter the museum was insanely long so we opted out of visiting the museum and instead walked around for a little while until it was time for our dinner reservation. We had made a reservation at a Thai restaurant since we had met in Thailand and we both were missing Thai food. While at the restaurant we reminisced about all the amazing memories we made in Asia, both together in Thailand and the ones we made on our own. The food was amazing and it was a great night spent talking about long term travel and the experiences we each had. After dinner we headed back to her apartment and prepped for the next day.
On my second day in Madrid, since it was Sunday and Marta didn’t have to work, we did a day trip to Toledo, a town an hour away from Madrid. To get there we took a BlaBlaCar, a carpooling app where you arrange a ride with drivers who are going where you want to go. It was super easy and was cheaper than taking a bus or train. Once in Toledo we stopped for churros and chocolate, a popular Spanish food. It was delicious and the chocolate was a thicker hot chocolate so after eating the churros, dunked in the chocolate, I drank the rest of the chocolate and it was delicious and warm. After our delicious breakfast treat, we took the city bus to a viewpoint overlooking the city. It was an amazing view and the city looked so cool from afar. We then headed down the hill and into the city. Since Toledo is built on a big hill they had an escalator built into the hill that we took up to the main viewing area instead of walking up. Once in the main area of the town we took in the views and walked around briefly before going on a free walking tour. It was really interesting learning about the vast history of the city and seeing all of the sights. After the tour we walked around Toledo more before heading to a restaurant for a late lunch; the food was delicious. Once we finished lunch we wandered around some more before slowly making our way out of town to the meetup spot for our BlaBlaCar back to Madrid. The ride back was quick and once back in Madrid we made our way back to her apartment. It was a really great day trip to Toledo and I enjoyed exploring the city with Marta. On my third day in Madrid it was a Monday and Marta had to work so I had the day to myself. I had plans to wander around the city but instead I ended up spending most of the day at her apartment doing admin and writing. It was a nice relaxing day and in the afternoon when Marta got back from work we headed out to walk around her neighborhood for a little while. There was a cute cafe that she wanted to check out so we headed there and got a small treat. It was nice just hanging out at a cafe for a while and afterwards we walked around some more and found a nice park. The park was a really nice park for locals. It had a track along the outside and different areas offering free workout machines to soccer fields and more. We walked along the track for a little while talking before slowly making our way back to her apartment. Once back her roommates asked if we wanted to join them and go out for a drink, so we did. Her roommates were all super nice and it was fun getting to know them.
After spending a relaxing day at Marta’s apartment the day prior, for my fourth day in Madrid I started the morning off with a free walking tour of the city. It was a good walking tour and I learned a lot. Then after my tour I had plans to meet up with another friend, Sophia, whom I had met in Marrakech, Morocco and with whom I had gone on the desert tour. She and I met up and got lunch together and then walked around the castle area before going to a popular shopping street in Madrid. Since she needed some winter clothes we decided to hang out while shopping and it was a great afternoon spent together. After shopping for a while we ended the evening by getting crepes. It was a fun afternoon together and the crepes were a delicious treat to end our afternoon. Once we parted ways I headed back to Marta’s apartment and she and I spent the rest of the evening together hanging out. On my fifth day in Madrid I spent the day walking around the city and exploring different areas. The weather was beautiful so it was really enjoyable just walking around the city. That evening after Marta was done with work we went out for a drink together and we had a really great evening together. For my sixth and final day in Madrid I spent the morning walking around the city and then at midday I met up with Sophia again and we walked around El Retiro Park, a massive park in Madrid. While there we stopped at a small cafe for a light lunch. After lunch we kept walking around the park. The weather was amazing and the fall colors were beautiful. After seeing the “must see” spots in the park we headed to a different park space in Madrid with a viewpoint of the city. The afternoon went by really fast and it was a lot of fun being able to see Sophia one last time in Madrid. That evening was Marta’s and my last night together and since she worked late we just made a nice dinner at her apartment and spent the evening hanging out. It was a great last day spent with friends. I was so glad I was able to spend a week with Marta, even though she had to work during the day, and I was glad that it worked out to meet up with Sophia twice.
The next morning I had a really early train to Barcelona, which was my very last stop of my trip. It was a short train ride and the train was super nice which made it a very enjoyable experience. Once I got to Barcelona I started heading towards my hostel. Since the weather was nice I stopped and sat in a park and read for a while before eventually getting lunch. After lunch I headed to my hostel and checked in and then spent the rest of the afternoon people watching and reading in another park. On my first full day in Barcelona I spent the morning walking around the city. I started the day by seeing the outside of La Sagrada Familia, a famous cathedral. After seeing La Sagrada Familia I continued to walk around the city and explore. In the afternoon I had a free walking tour of the Old Town - Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. It was a great tour and the architecture of the buildings and specifically the Gothic Quarter were so beautiful. That night after the walking tour I headed back to my hostel to make dinner. That evening the hostel had a free sangria making class that I joined. Overall, it was a great first day in Barcelona and the sangria making class was a lot of fun. My last two full days in the city were chill days where I walked around and explored different neighborhoods and I also went to the beach for a while. During both days I made sure to really give myself time to soak in the feelings and emotions of being on the last days of my trip. There were a lot of mixed emotions knowing that my trip was actually ending and I wanted to give myself time to really enjoy and appreciate where I was and how far I had come so being able to just casually walk around was great. My final day in Barcelona wasn’t a full day since that evening I was heading to the airport to begin my long journey home. During the remaining time I did have in Barcelona I continued exploring the city and I saw the outside of La Sagrada Familia again and then I also bought some food to take with me on my long travels home.
The time I spent in Madrid and Barcelona was bittersweet. While in Madrid I loved being able to see two friends I made during my trip and I found both Madrid and Barcelona to be beautiful cities that I loved exploring. That being said, it was so sad knowing that it was the end of my trip but I really couldn’t have asked for a better end and seeing friends I had made along my way was a huge highlight of my time in Spain.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
- Helen Keller
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