Let's Go, Jane!

My first award trip finally arrived! This is the one I booked back in August for $126 and 58,100 miles. At the time I thought that was a really solid redemption, but my trip to London this coming August was significantly less, coming in at $289 and 18,000 points. Regardless, I made it to Madrid, y’all!

My boyfriend ended up joining me for this trip, and I was happy to have another person to help navigate as I build my travel muscle. He’s also just really good company, and as motivated by delicious food as I am. 

The overnight flight out of Newark was uneventful. We arrived on a Tuesday morning, took the Metro to our Airbnb (an adorable duplex on the edge of the central Sol neighborhood) to drop off our stuff, and headed out for the free walking tour I had registered for in advance.

I read advice in a travel blog to take a free walking tour on the first day in a new city, and I think it’s a great idea. It keeps you awake and active during the worst of your jet lag, and orients you to the city and its neighborhoods. Guides can be a valuable source of advice and local recommendations. Often the tours themselves are free as the guides work for tips, in this case 5-10 euros per person.

After the tour, we hit the grocery store for coffee pods and snacks. I love visiting grocery stores in foreign countries. I could spend an hour wandering all the aisles. Following a late afternoon nap, we sat down for a delicious tapas and sangria dinner and then headed to Puerta del Sol for the “practice” New Year’s Eve. At midnight on December 30th they do a trial run of the lights, music, and bells. Puerta del Sol is like Madrid’s Time Square, and if there were that many people there for the practice run, I can’t imagine how crowded it is on the actual night! We stopped on the way home for churros dipped in chocolate (Chocolatería San Ginés is open 24 hrs, 365 days a year!) and then we were off to bed.

For the next two days we explored Madrid on foot. When I say we walked many miles for food, I’m not exaggerating. We’d walk a mile, graze on tapas or sweets, and then continue walking. Our two-day step count was over 50,000 steps! It’s amazing what you can find when exploring on foot, there’s an adventure waiting around every corner. I was surprised by a bowl of tripe and blood sausage, having only understood the words “cow” and “traditional” in the waiter’s description.

For our last full day in Spain, we opted to take a day trip to Segovia. It took about an hour and a half to get there, first by metro, then high speed train, then bus. We were greeted by a Roman aqueduct, a cathedral, and a huge 12th century castle rumored to have been the inspiration behind Disney’s Cinderella Castle. 

On our final evening in Madrid, we visited Mercado de San Miguel, a fabulous indoor food market, followed by mouthwatering seafood paella and sangria at a family-owned restaurant and some mochi donuts.

Overall it was a delicious and enjoyable trip. I am happy to have had this opportunity to put my backpack and travel cubes to the test and get some practice figuring out public transportation, currency exchange, and SIM cards. I am, in fact, writing this from the airport in Madrid as I prepare to head back to New York. Happy New Year to all!