Because of the delay, we didn’t arrive in Madrid until about 3:00. At the station we purchased a 10 ride metro card to share, hopped on the Metro, and got off at Gran Via. We walked down the busy, store-lined street, luggage in tow, until we arrived at the doors of Hostal MH Fuencarral. a great place to stay in a great location in the city. After checking in and depositing our luggage, it was time to find a bite to eat for a late lunch.

Stomachs full and fueled for the day, we walked toward the Palacio Real, the Royal Palace of Madrid, passing first through the Plaza de Oriente, a square just outside the palace. We waited in a bit of a line, and then made the crowded walk through the palace. There were so many rooms, but I think we were reaching “palace burn-out”, so we looked, but didn’t linger.

Heading away from the palace, we navigated first through Mercado de San Miguel and then over to the The Hat, a hotel with a rooftop bar I had read about before going. I’m so glad we went! There was a great atmosphere in the place, and I had the BEST DRINK EVER! It was so good, I had to have two!

The sun having set by the time we dragged ourselves away from the roof of The Hat, we headed the short distance over to Puerto Del Sol which was packed with people. It was the night of the total lunar eclipse.

We took in the lights of square and gazed up at the eclipse for a bit, then we wandered down the street in search of a place hosting live music. Searching the internet for a recommended spot, we first stepped into Sunset 80s, but it was empty, and we knew it wasn’t the place for us. Then we passed Blackbird which was packed, good music emanating from within. Unfortunately, it was too full to get inside…definitely standing room only. Already late and having not eaten since lunch, I was ready for some food and settled on Five Guys before heading back to the hotel for the night.

Madrid Day 2

After grabbing a Starbucks, we jumped on the Metro and headed back to the train station to catch a train to Toledo for half a day. We were too late for the 9:20 train so we bought tickets for the 10:20 and got into Toledo just before 11.

Trying to make the most of our time, we took a taxi to the top by city center rather than climb the steep hill. As we exited the taxi, free walking tours were beginning to leave from right there in the center square.

We quickly jumped into one, figuring it would be the best way to get highlights of the holy city in our short time there. The tour took just under two hours, but we saw a lot.

As the tour ended, we grabbed lunch in the center square before walking around a little to explore on our own. The streets were such a maze, we didn’t see much before deciding to grab a bus back to the train station for our 3:25 return trip back to Madrid, but not before trying a little marzipan.

After the train pulled back into the Madrid station, we headed for Parque del Buen Retiro to walk around. If we weren’t nearing the end of an already long day, it would have been fun to take a boat ride on the lake…but the water did look a bit dirty!

A quick trip through the Prado (entry was free after 6pm), overwhelmed with all there was to see, and we were on our way to Circulo de Belus Artes. We had to wait in line for a bit, but getting up to the rooftop bar for a view of the sunset that night was worth it.

Tired after a long day, we had a drink and relaxed a little before leaving and heading back toward the hotel for some dinner, a plate of chicken wings and vegetables.

My feet were throbbing at this point, making it hard to keep going, but powering on, we headed back to Blackbird only to find that, yet again, there was standing room only. It was time to call it a night!

Madrid Day 3

The first stop on our final morning in Madrid was San Gines for churros and chocolate. This is a must for anyone visiting Madrid. So DELICIOUS!

After a sweet breakfast, it was time to head back to hotel to check out and store our luggage until later that afternoon, but not before stopping back by Puerto del Sol for a daytime viewing.

Once our luggage was secured at the front desk, we used the rest of our time in Madrid to wander around a little more and do a little shopping (I think we went into 5 different Ale-Hops in that time.) Then we had lunch at Steakburger before returning to pick up our bags and hopping on a Metro to the airport for our flight to Lisbon. Little did we know, it would be a long wait in the airport.