“You must be mad to go to Madrid so many times!” Okay, so no-one’s ever said this to me but it’s true that I have been to the Spanish capital a fair few times over the course of the year. Why is this? In true BuzzFeed style, here’s a non-irritating list of reasons why:
1. It’s a stone throw away from Soria
Transport-wise Soria is quite poorly connected. Whenever we want to plan trips, we have always had to travel by bus. This hasn’t been too much of an inconvenience as it’s cheap and Spanish motorways are virtually traffic-less so it’s fairly quick too. With Alsa, a bus service that has services to Madrid running approximately every 2 hours daily, you can get to Madrid in 2.5 hours with a return trip costing under 30 euros. (PS – There is a train service but it takes around the same time, if not longer to get there. Add that to the incredibly rocky journey and infrequent journey times, you are left with a very unappealing method of transport).
2. The bigger the better
Madrid is to Soria, like the US is to the UK. Everything is bigger, better and more extreme. Living in Soria, a city of around 30,000 people with a relatively old population means this 20-year-old can’t stay cooped up there for too long. Soria’s bar and restaurant options can seem quite limited at times, so going away to have a more unfamiliar routine or a bigger night-out with friends is always on the cards. There are just so much more things to do in Madrid: you can never see everything in a weekend which is why spontaneous getaways to the capital continue to be so tempting. Even things that I’ve done before are must-do’s on every visit, like walking around the Retiro park or the gardens around the Palace.
The Royal Palace of Madrid
3. Variety is the spice of life
Being the cultured individual that I am, Madrid’s ‘capital’ status gives it the size and diversity that can be encountered in any capital city. Museums and changing exhibitions showcasing the rich heritage of Spain mean there is always something to see in the Prado or the Reino Sofia. The Prado, especially, is too big to see in one afternoon so invites second visit. But if you look past these main two galleries, you’ll realise you haven’t even scratched the surface of the enormity of what Madrid has to offer in terms of art and culture. There are gems hidden in ever corner and you only have to look past the tourist brochure to find them.
Entrance to the Prado which houses famous paintings by Goya and Velazquez.
4. Love thy neighbourhoods
Madrid’s largeness means there are little neighbourhoods scattered all around the city, each with characteristic charm and features. Take Barrio de las Letras, for example, named because it was once home to Spanish literary greats Quevedo and Vega so Calle de las Huertas has excerpts from famous works pasted on the pavement in gold metal lettering. In fact, you could just hop on Madrid’s superior Metro system and just get off at any random stop outside of the centre to wander around and experience a different, and often more authentic, view of the city.
Barrio de las Letras
5. Stuck in the middle
Its geographical location means sometimes you have no choice but to stop off in Madrid while waiting for a connecting flight/bus/train. But as well as that, Madrid is an ideal place to stay while going on day-trips to surrounding smaller cities of importance like Alcalá de Henares, Toledo, Ávila and Segovia, the latter I visited on my last weekend in Madrid a couple of weeks ago. It was a beautiful day, we met up with an old friend , saw all of the sights (the aqueduct, the Alcázar – which famously inspired the iconic Disney castle – the Cathedral), had a lovely picnic…all was well in the world and I ended up having one of the best days of my Year Abroad.
Friends and I with the ancient Roman aqueduct in Segovia.
So that’s that. 5 reasons why Madrid is wonderful and makes for a great spontaneous getaway after a hard week’s work as a language assistant. As lovely as Madrid is, I’m glad I wasn’t placed in Madrid, or any big city for that matter. They are full of tourists which might make it hard to actually speak any Spanish and it’s so big that it might be more difficult to make friends or any kind of plan. I would love to experience living in Madrid one day, but for now fleeting visits are enough to keep me in touch with busy city life.
ESPANA IN THE WORKS 