Heading to Steemfest for our 2nd time, @sharingeverybite and I flew into Madrid because it was SO much cheaper than flying into Lisbon ($550 vs. $1200). We took the opportunity to see another part of Europe, practice our Spanish, and save a bunch of money.

My first impression of Madrid left a lot to be desired. We got out of the jetway at the airport and walked through a series long, drab, and antiquated tunnels to get to baggage claim. Considering it's the Capital of Spain, I expected a much more modern Airport.

The baggage claim area was also out of date with an employee standing there manually scanning each bag as it came through the tunnel. This is a far cry from the advanced, automated baggage systems in modern international airports.

Time to get a ride to our Airbnb

We couldn't figure out where to get an Uber from the airport, it seemed the Taxi union probably had something to do with that because there was zero Uber signage and not an Uber in sight. Considering the massive unemployment rate here, I'd expect to see a great deal of people driving for Uber to make an extra buck. In Arizona, everybody and their daughter drives for Uber/Lyft, despite having a much lower unemployment rate than Spain.

Running late to meet our Airbnb host, we didn't have the time to take public transit, so we were forced into taking a cab. The enormous line of cabs waiting at the airport, along with the lack of people getting in them, was an indication that they were WAY over-priced. Were they ever.

All taxis from the airport to El Centro (the part of Madrid where everyone stays, and where all the action is) is a flat €30 for a 7 mile ride. Once again, probably thanks to the Taxi union. Because of the artificially-high-fixed price (and the artificially-long taxi lines that come with it), I think it's safe to say that cabbies get no more than one ride each hour.

A few minutes later, we get to our destination and the driver says it's €35. He was probably just trying to steal and extra €5 from us, but we were too tired to argue. Begrudgingly, we handed over the €35.

NEED. SLEEP. NOW.

Day 2

All rested up and ready to become a tourist.

First Stop - Plaza Mayor

On the way to Plaza Mayor, we saw some of the gorgeous architecture of Madrid, along with a Dunkin COFFEE?!?
I've seen a thousand Dunkin Donuts in my lifetime, but what on Earth is this? Mind. Blown.



Built 400 years ago, it was time for some upkeep. Much of Plaza Mayor proved to be under construction, so we didn't get the full experience.

Here's what it's supposed to look like:

source

Next Stop - Mercado San Miguel (Saint Michael Market)

A few minutes walking from Plaza Mayor is Mercado San Miguel. It's a modern building encased in glass, featuring dozens of food and drink vendors. A really cool spot.

Hang out with the crowds, get a bowl of paella for €5, una copa de vino (a glass of wine) for €3, or choose from hundreds of other options. That's the regular price. Here in Madrid, every hour is happy hour. So. Much. Yum.

Enjoy my one crappy picture that doesn't do justice for all the deliciousness happening here. I really need to get better about taking more pictures. Ugh. Heading back tomorrow for some more goodies - I could (and just may) do an entire post on this magnificent mercado.

Next Stop - El Parque Retiro (Retiro Park)

Retiro is a large park with many walking paths, trees, and a man-made lake. Here we witnessed a funny cat-and-mouse game between the (apparently illegal) vendors and the cops.

Walking down a path by the lake, there were some vendedores (vendors) with a bunch of products laid out on blankets.

But then the cops came a ridin'

As soon as they see the cops, these entrepreneurs pack up their ingeniously-modified blankets (altered for exactly this reason), and scurry away with their Santa Clause sacks.

After checking out a little more of the park, we hit a few more sites, grabbed a drink, and called it a day. I liked Madrid a lot more after day two for a few reasons: Everything is pretty cheap (for instance, I bought four large 1.5L bottles of water for €0.89 total), there's a lot of culture, much history, and gorgeous architecture.

Unfortunately, much of the city is really dirty. There were police all over the place, yet I didn't see a single person cleaning up the streets.

Dear Madrid Bureaucrats,

Please get rid of some of your police and instead hire people to clean your city. You could have a much nicer city with a little bit of effort.

Sincerely,

A friendly tourist

Hasta Mañana, Madrid.

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