Mi viaje espontáneo a madrid

I will start off by saying that I have been desperate to travel since I was last away in November.

The government have – rightly or wrongly – made it almost impossible for international travel to resume.

I have been watching impatiently for announcements about the easing of restrictions and on May 17th, they introduce red, amber, green list countries for international travel.

Around the same time, Spain said they would allow tourists from the UK to enter without the need to quarantine or show proof of covid status. This was a win for me – albeit a small one since Spain is currently on the UK amber list meaning a pre arrival PCR/Antigen test, a covid test on day 2 and day 8 and then 10 days of self isolation.

I promptly looked on Ryanair and saw that they had flights for a fiver each way. Yep, FIVE of the queens saucy pounds. I messaged the young un about it and told him I was tempted. He promptly asked if I needed a lift to the airport and then told me I should book it. I waited a couple of weeks as I wasn’t sure if I should do it or not.

The fact I am writing this will hopefully answer that question for you. If not, hint: I went, I tanned, I left.

I told Jason that it would probably be better if he stayed at mine on the Wednesday evening since we had to be up silly early on Thursday to leave for the airport. When I say silly early, I mean like 04:00 as the flight was at 08:25 and I wanted to be at the airport for around 06:00 as I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get through security after all the changes. As it turns out, it was fairly quick and I called Jason and let him know how fast it was – I think he just barely got back on the motorway at this point.

We decided that we would go shopping for some much needed biscuits for his tea (i’m a dab hand at being his tea lady now, just ask him) and then we decided to go bowling and play pool before heading to the Harvester for dinner and then back to mine for some Phase 10 before some much needed sleep for the aforementioned early start. But for the fact we spent way too long at dinner, we could have played cards and I totally could have won too. I guess we’ll have to save it for the evening before we leave for Krakow to find out.

As for bowling, I won 2 games and he won one.

The sleep seemed to go way too fast and it felt like no sooner had I turned out the light but the alarm went off and it was time to get ready for the airport. Obviously, a cuppa from the tea lady was in order first.

We headed to the airport and had some good chat in the car against the background of 80’s music – I was honoured that he let me choose the tunes for the ride down. We got there and it was really bittersweet. It shouldn’t have been. I hate goodbyes (I even hate them when he leaves to go home after we’ve chewed the fat and had dinner. It’s really weird) and I think this one was more bittersweet as I wasn’t just staying in Peterborough but we were going to be 1000 miles away and who knows what could happen – not that the same couldn’t be said for Peterborough to Sandy. I’m at a point in my life now where you never know if it could be the last time you see someone – not that I am old, but I am more cautious with everything these days.

Once I was through security, my first port of call was to BK because I really wanted some food – but mostly all the grape Fanta I could drink!!!

It was so nice to be back at the airport (even if I was on my own) and even better to be back on the Ryanair mobile. I was so chuffed with myself too. I got in the seat and could comfortably tighten the belt (last time I flew Ryanir I needed a belt extender) and the tray table didn’t brush my breasts and feel me up!

I slept most of the flight – which I never do but this time it was thanks to the early start – minus about 15 minutes of turbulence over the Bay of Biscay. I dutifully got my snaps too and had them ready to send as soon as I was in Madrid.

I will write about each day individually from here on in. You know the drill by now: separate days in separate accordian items.

Arrival Day

I was expecting the process of getting through passport control and customs to take quite a while given that the UK is no longer part of the EU. This was not the case. I just had to show my Spain Health QR Code and then I was allowed in the queue for passport control. It was really weird to be in the ‘All Passports’ queue instead of the EU one. Thankfully it was quiet so I got through really quick. The bit I was looking forward to was getting a stamp in the passport and that is exactly what happened.
Once this was done, I had to show the QR code again to get out into the general area of the airport.
This is where I had a massive faux pas. I told the young un I would message him once I had landed to let him know I was there. I had no mobile data once we landed and had to wait for airport wifi. I got on the wifi and my snaps went through and I also messaged him. I had to reconnect several times as it kept disconnecting. I then walked the 17 miles to get to the Metro station.
I tried to connect to different mobile networks to see if I could get mobile data. It was only once on the Metro that it dawned on me to check the mobile data roaming settings on the phone and lo and behold it was turned off. I last changed it in November of 2020 when I went to Turkey so as to avoid roaming charges. I forgot to turn it back on once I was home. I turned it on and quickly got a 4G signal. I told Jason and i’m sure his face was pricesless and was also wondering why his friend is so friggin dumb!!!
I got the hostel to send me directions from the airport and it took me about an hour and 3 changes on the Metro to get to the hostel. I started to see umbrellas everywhere so figured it was raining. I was going to just walk to the hostel in the rain but it was too heavy. Thankfully I keep a small umbrella in my bag so was able to stay mostly dry. It was a nice walk to the hostel from the Metro and I tried to get some pics for me and some snaps for Jason. I told him I was going to spam him with snaps and that’s exactly what I did.
I gave him a quick call once I was at the hostel to let him know I was there. I couldn’t check in until 2 so I sat in the foyer until it was time to check in. Everything was automated. The hostel didn’t have a reception and there were only 2 staff members.
I got to the room and the locker was broken and the light was broken too. It just wouldn’t turn on. I told one of the staff members and they said they woud find me another bed. I told them I wanted to sleep as I was tired and that is exactly what I did. I then got up after about 90 minutes and went out for the rest of the day to have a wander around. As I was walking towards the Metro, one of the workers spotted me and called me over and gave me a new card for the new room and bed. This one was much better and everything worked.
I was out for about 3 hours just wandering around and seeing what was there and then to find a spot to chill and call Jason to have a chat about his day too. I then went wandering some more and found a supermarket so I could scout what they had for sale and then saw a McDonald’s and went and had the usual offering of Nuggets and a drink.
By this time I was so tired that I went back to the hostel and went to bed.
Total steps: 12,264
Total miles: 5.8
Below are some pics from today
Day 2

One of things I like to check out before I go anywhere are walking and bus tours. Madrid was no exception. Sadly they didn’t have any sightseeing bus tours because of the pandemic.
The walking tour I decided on for today was of historical Madrid. The meeting time was 11:15. I decided that I would have somewhat of a lie in owing to the early start yesterday.
I was out by 09:15 to give me enough time to walk to the meeting point, look for souvenirs and also look for some breakfast. What I didn’t count on was the steep steps the way I went. As I got to the top of the steps, I got a WhatsApp message and an email telling me that the tour had been cancelled because there were not at least 4 people to do the tour. They told me that the tour at 14:15 would go ahead as they had enough people. I decided I would do that one.
This worked out well as it gave me time to souvenir shop and also time for some food and to have a wander.
I found some of the souvenirs I was looking for and also found somewhere to have an ice cold Fanta and some food.
Once I had my drink and food, I decided to head to Puerta del Sol to have a look around. On the way, I happened upon Plaza Mayor.
I told the young un that the tour had been cancelled. What I didn’t tell him was how rubbish I was feeling (sorry, forgive me?). That being said, from his message responses I think he gathered I wasn’t 100%.
Once at Puerta del Sol, I decided I would get the train and make use of the travel card. I decided to go to the end of the line and just sit there for about half an hour before heading back for lunch and to meet the guide.
As I was travelling there I got a message from Jason telling me I needed to check my email. I knew it was coming, but the content was a lovely surprise. I opened the email once I got to the end of the line. I’m sure people around must have thought something was wrong but they were happy tears. It was the pick-me-up that I needed and helped me focus on the rest of the day.
I got back to Puerta del Sol and had KFC and it was delicious. I then went to the supermarket to get a drink for the tour.
I picked up the tour outside of the Apple Store – surprisingly I had no desire to go on. Maybe that was because of all the people or maybe it was because I gave Jason permission to slap me if I bought anything that I didn’t need. Haha. Suck it – you missed out on slapping me!!!
The tour was just over 2 hours and we talked about Puerta del Sol and the bear and the tree. The guy gave us a few different legends of what it symbolised. I honestly forgot what he said so you’ll have to Google it. Sorry, not sorry.
We then headed towards Plaza Mayor and on the way he stopped outside one of the many calamari shops. It is a delicacy here and a disgusting one at that. For someone who doesn’t like seafood Jason has been saying how good it is. Carry on pet, you won’t change my mind – not even for half a million (s)quid (see what I did there. Ha).
After he was done telling us, we went into Plaza Mayor and he gave a history of how it had once been a lake and then this was drained and the buildings there were part of industry and that it had seen 3 fires over time. It was also used as an execution square. The Spanish were as brutal as the Brits. Up until 1972 (allegedly), they used garotting as a form of capital punishment. This is a ligature that is put around the neck and then in the back an item is put and then it is twisted against the neck until your spinal cord breaks and death happens. It is a slow a tortuous death.
After we were done here, we went to see the oldest continuous restaurant in the world. He said it was operating as such for around 300 years. It has its Guiness World Records certificate displayed in the window.
We then headed to Plaza de la Villa with its architecture from the 16th – 19th centuries. It has an Islamic influence as Madrid was founded by Muslims and when Christianity arrived they forced them to convert.
We then headed towards the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral. We passed by El Venico Curioso – a statue that is looking at the old church ruins in that part of Madrid.
The guide had us guess how many rooms the Royal Palace had. None of us guessed right – the palace went further back and further below ground than we realised. It has 3,480 rooms and is second in size only to Romania’s Parliamentary Palace. I so wanted to shout out that I had seen that too but I didn’t. This is where the tour ended. I went and got some panoramic pictures before heading to the steps of the church for my daily phone call with the young un.
After I was done, I got a WhatsApp from the tour company asking if everything was ok as I didn’t tip the guide (cheeky right). I said the app said I could tip and told them it was a rude message for them to send and that I now wouldn’t be tipping and they proceeded to send me several more messages looking for a tip.
Below is the exchange that we had
[15:43, 18/06/2021] +34: Hello
[15:43, 18/06/2021] +34: The guide told us
[15:43, 18/06/2021] +34: That you didn’t tip the guy
[15:47, 18/06/2021] +34: What happened? Everything was right?
[16:25, 18/06/2021] Chris Wilcox: Wow. The app said I could do it there. I was going to do it there when I got back to the hostel but this is a really rude message
[16:33, 18/06/2021] +34: But there not place to tip the guide using the app
[16:34, 18/06/2021] +34: We didn’t want to be rude , the thing is that you didn’t told to the guide that information
[16:34, 18/06/2021] +34: He thought that he did bad his work
[16:34, 18/06/2021] +34: He was sad
[16:12, 20/06/2021] +34: In case you wanna tip our guide
[16:12, 20/06/2021] +34: You can use PayPal or Bizum
Yeah, not a chance was I tipping after that!
I then headed back to the hostel for a rest as my feet were hurting. Once I was rested I did my daily ritual of McD’s and apple juice from Carrefour. I also scouted out the dark chocolate (bluegh) I was going to bring back for Jason. Once I had done this, I headed back to the hostel for the night. I had to try and find somewhere to take a PCR/Antigen test for the trip back.
Total steps: 15,063
Total miles: 7.2
Below are some of the pictures from today
Day 3

Today didn’t start out very well at all. I had a headache and felt under the weather physically and mentally. I got up and out of bed about 10:45 and went for food and back to the hostel before deciding that I didn’t want to waste the day – headache or not.
I had seen a picture of Madrid City Hall and decided I wanted to go see it – even just for a picture. I messaged Jason and told him the snaps would be few today because of not feeling good.
Once I got to City Hall, I was overwhelmed by the size of it. You were able to go inside and see the exhibitions for free. You could also go to the roof for some panoramic views for the tidy sum of €3. I am a sucker for panoramic views, water (still can’t believe you didn’t realise this despite all the water pictures you have seen from me – some friend! Haha), trams, trains, planes.
You only got 30 minutes here though which was a shame as I could have stayed there for a little longer. I did get some good pics from there though (as you will see soon). I got quite a few snaps from Jason today as he was in London with his other friends having a good time – this made me really happy as he said he only had plans (he uses this word quite a bit for someone who doesn’t like to make them. Ahem, yes.) to chill. I was glad he went to London and also happy to see his snaps. He did message and say that he would call me once he was home from London. I told him I didn’t care what time it was and that I was looking forward to hearing about his day.
I know I was in Madrid, but at that very moment I was envious that he was in London. It’s really strange – don’t get me wrong though, I loved being in Madrid.
Once I was done here, I went to the usual for food and then headed down towards the Almudena Cathedral as I wanted to go inside and have a look. It was a suggested €1 donation and I had no intention of giving religion anymore of my money. I was in here for about 30 minutes and it was quite relaxing. I then headed towards Plaza de España on a scenic route. I found somewhere to sit in the shade and sat here for about half an hour justy playing games on my phone and enjoying the quiet. I was still under the weather mentally and was really sad for some reason.
Once at Plaza de España, I got on the metro and headed to the McD’s and Carrefour of choice before heading back to the hostel to watch some Netflix. I watched it for a couple of hours before heading back out for a walk and to speak with Jason.
When I went back to the hostel before watching TV I sat upstairs with the workers and another of the guests and we were talking about the requirements of testing for coming back to the UK. They couldn’t believe all the tests I needed despite being fully vaccinated. I tried to book the antigen test but it failed a couple of times as for some reason it couldn’t make contact with the bank to verify. I got stressy at not being able to book it.
Total steps: 13,597
Total miles: 6.4
Below are some pictures from today
Day 4

I had booked another tour for today and this was at 10:45 – yep, it was another early start for me. It’s a good job I don’t mind them. I decided I would walk a different way to meet the guide. I didn’t mind walking to meet them – I just wanted it to be a different way from where I had walked before.
As always, I found some food and some water to take on the walk with me. This one was supposed to be of the old town of Madrid but it appeared to be almost identical to the one I was on a couple of days previous. It was still good and it gave me some more information and a view of Madrid from a different person.
This one was good too as there was me, the guide and one other person. It was good because we didn’t have to wait and cater for the masses. I got pretty much the same information as the previous one so a lot of it just went over my head and I was looking for the next picture and the next clever snap – we have a goal of one clever snap a day. I was proud of myself for being able to do it even in Spanish. I digress though.
One of the things this guide told us of was a terrorist attackback in 1906. The bomb was meant for the king and queen on their wedding day. The bomb exploded into the crowds who had gathered to watch the procession.
It is said that the guy who carried out the bombing was killed by the police. It also said he was killed by his friends to stop him from talking. I guess it is one of those things we will never know for sure.
Once done here, we headed by the main palace and then to the square on the other side of the palace and this is where the tour ended.
The guide told us of some panormaic views from the Riu hotel and I was straight there. I had to wait in a queue for about 20 minutes as they limited the number of people allowed inside. The cost of entry was €10. I didn’t mind though. I was on holiday and I was able to get some good pictures.
They have a glass floor and I didn’t mind it at all – which is weird for someone who doesn’t like heights. It was fun to see people step on it and then get scared and move quickly backwards. Once I was done here, I got on the Metro to go get food. I headed towards City Hall so I could speak with Jason. We had a really good chat today (not that the other ones weren’t good) and then after that I got some food and headed back to the hostel and tried to book the antigen test again and it failed. I went to lie down as I was really stressing out and had a massive headache. If I wasn’t able to get the test I faced a potential £500 fine once I got back to the UK.
I called Jason and spoke to him about it and without hesitation he said he would help me if I needed it and that once he got home he would try and see if he could book the test. He told me not to worry because we could work it out. I told him I was also stressing as I wasn’t sure if I could pay at the lab. He was really sweet about it and put me somewhat at ease about it. He went out and about as he had some things to do and while he was, I went back to the hostel computer and tried again and this time it worked and I managed to book it. I was so so relieved and so much less stressed about it.
He called me on his way back home and I told him I was able to book it. Mind you, I asked him if he wanted the bad news or the really bad news first. The change in his voice was very noticeable. I told him the really bad news was that I was able to come back home. Haha. Sorry man, I love messing with you like this. It’s fun for me. Haha.
Once I got off the phone I went to bed as I needed to be up early to go to the lab for the test.
Total steps: 16,231
Total miles: 7.7
Below are some pics from today
Day 5

Today was test day at the lab and I was out the door by about 07:30 to get there for 08:00. I thought that would be early enough to get seen pretty quick. How wrong I was.

I was in a queue for almost 2 hours before I got in and got the test done. I was starting to stress that I would be there all day. I still wanted to do stuff but wasn’t sure if I would be able to.

I called Jason (of course I did) and told him I had a headache and was stressed and what if I was there all day. He pretty much told me to stop being daft and that I wouldn’t be (he was right). I got in and got the test done and it was really uncomfortable. I’m pretty sure she was laughing as she did it. It was something I don’t want to do again (but will have to because of these stupid day 2 and day 8 things).

I was told I could check the website in half an hour and I would have the results. Not bad going for a test that only cost €34.95

As I was waiting I went and got some food from the supermarket below and found a bench to eat it and then also to call Jason back and let him know how it went. As I was on the phone with him the negative result came through and we were both happy.

You can view the results in the document here.

I still had a headache and needed to pack. I decided to go back to the hostel but then I was hungry so went to BK and sat there for about 90 minutes and then headed back to the hostel to pack and chill. I didn’t get much sleep as it was warm and noisy in the room. I was also stressing out about other things too (not for here though, sorry dear reader).

I think I managed about 2.5 hours sleep.

Total steps: 12,272

Total miles: 5.9

Below are all my pictures from today (not many at all)

I headed to the airport earlier than I needed to (as I wasn’t sure how long it would take) because I was ready to be home as I had to work tonight too.

The flight again was uneventful and I slept most of it. We were told the taxiing to the runway would be 25 minutes. I fell asleep as we pushed back and woke up as we were almost on the runway.

I did my usual video of the take off and then promptly fell asleep until we were starting our initial descent into Stansted.

Getting across the border was easy as anything. Nobody was checked (shock, nothing has changed since last year).

I wasn’t expecting it to be as quick so I booked a train that was 90 minutes after we landed. I sat for 70 minutes until the train I could travel on was there.

Jason called whilst I was sat waiting for the train and it was really good to hear his voice. I told him he needed to come see me as I had gifts for him and he told me to stop being daft and that he was going to come see me to see me and not because I had gifts – these are the kind of people you should surround yourself with!

The trip back to Peterborough was a little eventful. We were stuck in Ely for about 12 minutes because of a diesel leak.

I was so glad to be home and in my own bed (though I didn’t get any sleep). I skipped unpacking straight away as I am wont to do.

I owe Jason a debt of gratitude because without his no hesitation offer of taking me to the airport this trip wouldn’t have happened. Therefore – THANK YOU SO MUCH. It was even more sweet of him to do it because he had to be at work at 08:00 that day too.

All in all, it was a really good trip and Madrid is somewhere I would recommend. I have told the young un I want to take him to Madrid so he can enjoy it too.

Total steps: 74,185

Total miles: 35.3

You can view all of my Madrid pics here

chris | Sunday July 18th 2021 | Travel| Europe, Madrid, Spain, Travel | 0 Comments

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