With very little knowledge or expectations for Madrid I was happy surprised. The main reason for this leg of the trip was because it was the most reasonable route to Lima price wise. But actually we have spent 3 thoroughly enjoyable days in this beautiful chilled city. One of things I love about traveling is these unexpected highlights.

We arrived late night, and stumbled into our airport hotel at around 2 in the morning. As with most airport hotels it was a simple affair and nothing to shout home about but the clean and comfortable beds were very much appreciated.

My main mission after Rome was to find more protein!!!!! First stop was a local cafe which had an old worldly Spanish charm to it. Definitely not a tourist sport, surrounded by the chatter and laughter of Spanish pensioners we enjoyed eggs and chorizo breakfast with coffee, all served by a gentleman with a tanned face and deep smile lines.

After the late start we worked out the metro (tourist pass was well worth the money) and made our way to our apartment for the next three nights. Although a faff getting in (because it required an electric key and mobile data) the compact but well equipped apartment suited us well. We could relax more, eat cheaper (and healthier), wash clothes and generally have our own space for a few days.

Our first afternoon/evening was spent wandering the Retiro park. And after the dusty, dry, unkept parks of Rome this was a pleasant surprise. Green and shady with all sorts of arrangements of people lying around on the grass. Couples, groups of young professionals, pensioners, families, and groups of teenagers. We saw birthday parties, people playing frisbee, walking dogs, playing chess, people doing workouts, people feeding turtles and ducks and of course kids running and riding everywhere. If you like people watching then this park is heaven.

Our second day (after I possibly had a small melt down about having to organise so much 🥴) husband led us on a walking tour around Madrid. We took in the many beautiful buildings, churches and wide bustling streets, all broken up by small parks for the boys to run around on. Madrid was busy but it felt much less hectic than Rome. More people just wandering and spending time in the parks, and I was more than happy to fall into this vibe. Also being much cheaper than Rome we could stop for multiple coffees and ice creams without breaking the bank!

Now for our last day the boys had just one thing they really really wanted to do in Madrid…. Yep you guessed it. Visit the Bernabéu (Real Madrid’s) stadium. As much as I enjoy playing football and enjoying watching international games I must say the price put me off a little. At 5 times the price we paid to enter the colosseum it seemed a little steep this modern stadium. But family travel is about all of us and I must admit even I was starting to lose my enthusiasm for churches and cathedrals 🫣.

Hubby again came to the rescue securing tickets for general admission and just like the rest of Madrid I was pleasantly surprised. The boys of course loved seeing all the trophies, playing on the interactive displays and posing in-front of animations of their favourite players. For me I found it fascinating the way the grass is transferred under ground for controlled maintenance and allowing the space to be reconfigured for many other purposes like concerts, basketball courts, tennis courts…. Etc.

It was also fascinating to see the progress of the balls, boots and shirts as the club grew and years progressed. Some brought back memories from my teens, saving up money for the newest/latest Adidas boots.

All in all a pleasant morning was spent by all and it was interesting to directly compare the modern stadium to the coliseum. Both with its hidden inner workings, main thorough fares, teered and hyrachical seating, in a way it further brought to life the coliseum.

And finally in the afternoon it was hubby turn to get his wish…. The Prado art museum. After I navigated us a good 20mins in the wrong direction we managed to get late entry tickets and the boys were free. Which is probably a good thing… as after the football stadium I don’t think anything would really have grabbed their attention but the amazing fine arts on display did not. However with a little encouragement we did manage a couple of hours viewing some stunning works. Some so well painted they looked like photos, others that looked 3D and others portraying gruesome tales of times gone by.

For our final evening we decided to go out for Tapas, but as we were in Spain the restaurants don’t serve till gone 8. We enjoyed a last few hours in a park before finally sitting alfresco to eat. Next challenge was the menu… all in Spanish…. We finally after much confusion ordered what we thought the boys would like. Well the wait and confusion was worth it as everything we ordered was delicious, the Parma ham and panacottta (not in the same dish thankfully) were the boys favourite.

All in all Madrid was a pleasant surprise of park time, perfect weather, chill time, interesting museums, friendly atmospheres and yummy food. I can see why the people here seem so happy.