So how did we pick for Spain and Portugal to be our Big Trip this year? It was easy...they have been on my life TO VISIT list forever and they didn't fit into our 3 week trip to Europe last year. That and I speak a little Spanish (seriously, very litttle anymore, though I use to be quite fluent after 4 studious years in high school) and thought it would be fun to travel in a foreign country where I know a little bit of the language versus not like last year with the Italian, Czech, and German languages. Honestly, you really don't need any other language besides English to successfully travel around Europe...everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) is written/posted in the language of the country and English. This means all of the airport signs, public transportation, most menus, museums, maps, as well as any of the people that you ask for help from.
We opted to fly out of Philadelphia International Airport for this trip to avoid having a layover anywhere (as airport delays can seriously mess up your trip in a heartbeat) and it was significantly cheaper. While we live only 10 minutes from BWI and this is really convenient for any domestic travel, it is not a main non-stop departure stop for international flights. Any of the oversees flights out of BWI layover in Newark or JFK, and I will pay any amount of money not to go through either of those places with their notorious delays and cancelled flights.
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| I am ready! Walking/Skipping to catch the parking shuttle |
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| Ok, seriously, let's go! |
So yes, as you can see from the pict above and below we are carrying travel packs...and this is all we took. We travel light and we travel carry-on. If we cannot carry it on the plane, it cannot go. Nothing would ruin a trip faster than lost luggage and dealing with that hassel. We also did this for our 3 week trip last year, and I promise, it is possible. It was an investment, but we bought quick-dry multi-use clothing. Both of our travel pants had multiple zippered pockets to deter pickpockets (which we have never encountered or seen) and they also roll-up into capris or zip off into shorts. We also dress in layers from tank-tops (me) to t-shirts and long-sleeved shirts. At the end of each day we would wash our clothes in the tub with laundry soap and hung them to dry (thus the quick dry clothing) overnight. Personally, I had two pair of pants, two skirts, 2 sports bras, 2 tank-tops, 2 t-shirts, 3 long-sleeved shirts, a fleece jacket, wind/rain jacket, 3 pairs of socks, flipflops, active shoes, and I was ready to go. This is all I would need on a 30 day or 30 month trip. It is just most convenient to travel this way because you never have to worry about your belongings. Adam also had his clothing (which was a shorter list than mine), we had toiletries (which I could always take less), the laptop for internet access to stay in contact with home (since our phones don't work abroad and we didn't want to bother with international sim cards) and for Adam's schoolwork, the Kindle for reading and street maps of Spain and Portugal (the apps you can get are AMAZING and highly recommended), and the camera.
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| If you know my husband, you know his love of legos. |
The flight from Philly to Madrid was an overnight flight with us arriving in Spain at 0830. Oddly, Adam was able to sleep a little bit on the plane which he is NEVER able to do, and I couldn't sleep at all. I always sleep on planes, seriously, always....as soon as the door closes and they start that recycled oxygen my brain shuts down and hibernates. No matter if I just woke up from a full night of sleep to catch the plane, I will be asleep before we are airborne. But not this trip, I was awake bright and early the day of departure, was awake all day, and then wide awake for our overnight flight. Needless to say...EXHAUSTED by the time we arrived. The public transportation system in Madrid is AMAZING. No worries, the subway can get you everywhere you want to go. We caught it from the airport to the nearest station to our hotel and walked the rest of the way. The metro has the option of buying unlimited multi-day use passes and we highly recommend them as they are the best value for your funds and get you all over the city! I wouldn't recommend them for routine use the first day or so, as getting out on foot and wandering aimlessly through the streets and neighborhoods are the best way to see the country, but it comes in handy when you want to return somewhere for a certain meals, get to another train station, or out of the city for a futbol game.
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| Plaza de Santa Ana |
This plaza was one we passed through on our walk from the metro to our hotel the morning of our arrival. We were hoping that we could check in early and take a nap since we were so exhausted. And by early, I mean 0900 when check-in was at 1400...and they let us with no extra charge. It was amazing and awesome, and I am still LOVING them for it.
THIS is where we stayed, and highly recommend it due to their awesome customer service and central location to everything. Thing we learned from this trip: always book ahead of time from home when traveling abroad because you will pay a lot more online if your IP address is coming from within the country rather than outside. Some how the internets know these things. Luckily I married a computer guy who could make us look like we were booking our room from the US when we were in Spain. This makes a BIG cost difference. We were trying to be random with this trip, doing what we felt like when we felt like it, so the only thing we had booked and planned was our tickets to and from Spain and Portugal, and our first and last nights hotels. If you want to save money, book your hotels ahead of time and while you are NOT in the country in which you want to stay if you are booking on the internet.
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| The futbol stadium for Real Madrid |
Adam grew up playing, eating, sleeping, breathing soccer, and still loves watching the games, so actually attending a game was way high (probably #1) on his list, so we went and got tickets right after we checked into the hotel and took a nap. Real Madrid is one of the best teams in the world so it was quite an exciting opportunity.
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| These tickets were the top of his to-do list |
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| First meal in Spain...so hungry! |
Hotel check-in and futbol tickets accomplished we could finally meander around the city and find something to eat. At NIH, I share my office with the Spanish interpreter for the facility, and she gave me a list of foods I could not return to the US without trying and warned me to say good-bye to vegetables. She was not kidding. The big thing in Spain is all things tapas (small plates, appetizers) and meat, especially Jamon (ham) and Chorizo (spicey sausage). As you may or may not know, I am not a fan of pork, especially sausage. Or olives, I have never liked olives. But when in Rome...or Madrid in this case. And you know what!??!?!? I LOVE ALL OF IT!
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| Meat, cheese, wine, and olives...you cannot imagine how perfect this was! |
I loved the ham (it was a dried ham that they carve off in thin shavings), I loved the chorizo, and really enjoyed the olives. I don't know what the Spaniards do so differently, but it is really delicious and completely changed my mind/perspective! Another thing that this trip solidified: THERE IS NO BAD WINE IN EUROPE. Seriously, no matter how cheap you go, the wine is smooth and delicious. We stopped ordering from the wine menu last year in Italy, where we learned to just ask for the House Red, and it has yet to fail us. The wine here, while always tasty, was always comparable in price to water or any other beverage, so we consumed a lot of wine.
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| Mmmm, chorizo! |
I had to make sure there was photographic evidence of me consuming a pork product, sausage, because not even Adam could believe I was eating it...AND enjoying it!
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| Royal Palace of Madrid: Palacio Real |
This place was HUGE. Could you imagine calling this home?!?!
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| The Royal Gardens |
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| We could totally live here...see, awesome apartments! |
Seriously, the lifestyle and flow of Madrid was really easy to fall in love with. People were really nice, everything and everyone was really laid back and relaxed.
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| More of the Palace |
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| My whole heart |
I am really blessed to have found Adam, he really is the ideal partner in life and travel. We compliment and balance each other perfectly, and I can honestly say that I never tire of being around him. There are not many people that I could spend 24/7 with for 10 days and still want to spend more time with them at the end of it. We did this for 2 straight months last year and it really amazes me. I wish this kind of connection for everyone.
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| Amazing guardians in the park across from the palace |
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| Plaza de Oriente |
Madrid is filled with so many plazas and parks where EVERYONE comes together and hangs out. There are chairs and tables outside and little restaurants EVERYWHERE to encourage the coming together and socialization of the people. It feels like everyone is constantly hanging out and eating and drinking and (UGHHH) smoking. This is something I forgot from our trip last year....the vast majority of people smoke and they chain smoke and they smoke everywhere. If you know me, you know I passionately loathe smoking. I relent, as it is their culture, but be warned.
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| Catedral de la Almudena |
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| Inner courtyard of the Cathedral |
Madrid is filled with SO many beautiful buildings, churches, cathedrals...just elaborate architecture that takes your breath away.
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| Basilica de San Francisco el Grande |
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| LOVE outdoor dining |
We received several emails and Facebook messages from people worrying about us with all of the riots being shows on the news. We didn't see ANY of it. Watching the news, you would have though Madrid was overrun and burning down, but honestly, you never saw any of it...and we were ALL OVER this city.
