Madrid

What I did:
Nun cookies-
I came across a story about nuns that bake and sell cookies from a convent without letting any outsiders see their faces and deciding to look into it myself.. During certain times throughout the day (9:30am-1pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm), you can ring the bell and be let in to an area where you can purchase the cookies. I went with a group of friends to order some of the cookies for ourselves. Without seeing the nuns, we ordered the cookies then placed our money rotating tabletop. When the table rotated, our cookies were sitting where the money had been. While the cookies were good, the best part was the experience of actually getting the cookies.

Art museums-
There are a few art museums located in Madrid. Depending on the time and day, many of the museums have free entry.

Sandeman's walking tour-
Walking tours are a great way to see a city and get some of the cultural context of the city. Sandeman's is one of my favorite free walking tour companies. Any time I am in a city where they offer it I go on one of their tours. In addition to culture and historical context, they also provide good recommendations for things to do and places to eat in the city. At the end of the tour you simply pay whatever you think the tour was worth.

Saw a Flamenco show-
Flamenco is a type of Spanish music and dance show featured all throughout the country. I particularly enjoyed the guitar music in the show.


Where I ate:
Fatigas del Querer-
Many places in Spain have a "Menú del día" (menu of the day) that offers an appetizer, a drink, and entree, and a dessert for one combined price of roughly 10-12 euros. The food was good, but the amazing thing was the amount of food. The portions at Fatigas del Querer were extremely large, especially considering the relatively low price.

Mareas Vivas-
A nice tapas bar where I went to after a walking tour. It was a nice place to share some dishes and conversations with new friends.

Sungate One Hostel Dinner-
The hostel I was saying in offered a free dinner. While it wasn't anything special, it fostered a great atmosphere.

Where I stayed:
I stayed at the Sungate One Hostel. It came highly rated and for good reason. It is one of the best hostels I have stayed in. They even washed my laundry for free. The environment was amazing, and it was easy to make fast friends with the fellow travelers in the hostel.

How I got around:
Madrid is a very walkable city. I took the train in to Madrid, but once I was there I walked everywhere.

My favorite thing:
Sungate One Hostel is one of the best hostels I've stayed in. The atmosphere was awesome.

My least favorite thing:
Madrid had many great things to offer, but because it is located in the center of Spain, a beach is not one of those things. Also, due to the distance from the coast, the temperature can fluctuate higher and lower than Spain's coastal regions.

For next time:
Next time I am in Madrid I would like to dive farther into the food scene. The few places I was able to try were good, and I would enjoy trying some more. I would like to get the chance to spend some time in Madrid's markets such as the Mercado de San Miguel.