Hola! This week I had the pleasure of visiting Madrid, Spain. A lot of Cabin Crew bid for this destination, so I was really surprised to see it on my roster this month!
After speaking to a few Cabin Crew on board our flight to Madrid, a few of us decided that we were going to go out and explore the city together. There is a lot to do in Madrid, so we headed downtown right away to try and see as much as we could within the 24 hours that we had.
Entering Plaza Mayor
We hopped on the Metro and went to Puerta del Sol or “Gate of the Sun,” first- one of the top places to visit in the city. This is because it is the location of the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, which are considered to be a symbol of Madrid. Casa de Correos, (the city’s governmental headquarters) and Kilometer Zero (a plaque showing the point where the measuring of the national highway system begins) are also there too, so the area is constantly bustling with people.
From Puerta del Sol, we ventured to Plaza Mayor a few blocks away where we had lunch. The plaza dates back to 1619 and was used to host bullfights. The structures in the plaza are a sight to see, most decorated with frescoes (a mural painting technique). There is also a statue of Philip III on horseback in the middle of it, as well as several restaurants and tourist shops around the plaza.
Plaza Mayor
We decided to grab lunch at Don Calamar (I swear that’s what it was called, but I can’t find it online anywhere to link you guys), which was recommended to by Cabin Crew. There, we enjoyed some authentic spanish tapas and some sangria before going to Mercado de San Miguel (The Market of San Miguel) and grabbing some churros!
Lastly, we ventured to Palacio Real (Madrid’s Royal Palace). Built in 1764, the palace served as the royal residence beginning with Carlos III. We didn’t go inside, but 50 of the structure’s rooms are open to the public. We also walked around the Plaza de Oriente (a beautiful plaza containing 20 sculptures of Spanish kings) and the Campo del Moro Gardens which are all in the same area.
Plaza de Oriente
If you go to Madrid, you’ll notice that a lot of the tourist attractions are close to one another. I highly recommend visiting all of the above places- it only took us a few hours to walk around and everything was stunningly beautiful.
Next Stop: Mumbai, India (turnaround). Then off to New York City!
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Twitter: @KelseyBelleDXB
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Disclaimer: My posts are my personal views and and do not represent the views of my company. For the safety and security of Emirates staff, the name of the resort Cabin Crew stay at has been withheld.
