Butterflies In My Tummy

Slowly the sun approached the earth, almost leaning at the back of the long mountain range close to Villanueva de la Cañada. The balmy rays of sun touched my skin, and wind was grazing through my long black hair. Around me, relaxing reggae sounds, and these butterflies in my tummy. Can’t really describe it in words, but I guess you know what I am talking about, or maybe not?

Truth is, I was sitting in the bus to Madrid with opened windows, next to a dude listening to the music of his smartphone at 7 p.m., and tried not to fall off my seat. The trip from Villanueva la Cañada to Madrid is adventurous. During the first 20 min. of 45 min., you experience how hard it can be to sit stably on your seat without holding something tightly. Being in a roundabout, makes you either lean at your seat neighbour or hang halfway in the hallway. Depending on the bus driver, he either slows down before or just drives over the speed bumps with high speed. That can cause the butterfly feeling. Don’t worry! You’ll get used to it. By now I’ve managed to fall asleep ignoring the noises and the effects of the speed bumps.

Weather Groningen vs. Madrid

After that sunny day, it has rained the whole day for a week and it was clear that autumn has officially begun. Comparing to Groningen, the Northern part of the Netherlands, it barely rains in Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, and the air is quite dry. It starts to be colder than 20°C in the middle of October.

Survival Tips: Public Transportation

http://crtm.es

... is also available in English. Here you can find all information about the public transportation system, from bus, metro to train.

Metro

About 17 metro lines are available in Madrid city center. You can catch a metro every 10 minutes from 6 a.m. until ca. 1:30 a.m. If you stay less than a month, I recommend you to buy a 10-T(rips) ticket for € 12,20*.

Bus Interurbanos: Madrid <-> Villanueva de la Cañada

You can either choose bus

no. 627 (Madrid (Moncloa)-Villanueva de la Cañada-Brunete)

or no. 581 (Madrid (Príncipe Pío)-Brunete-Quijoma).

Both bus lines lead to Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio (UAX).

To find the schedules, simply visit the main website, click the bus button, and finally “Esquema a y horario de ida” or “Esquema a y horario de vuelta” below the box.

Note:Currently digital displayboards are getting more common at the bus stops in Villanueva de la Cañada. Also remember that the last bus to Madrid leaves around 10:30 p.m. and from Madrid at 11:30 p.m. If you miss that one, have fun at the fiestas.

Búhos Interurbanos – Madrid -> Villanueva de la Cañada

http://www.autoperiferia.com/horarios/buhos.html

Fortunately, if you miss your last bus during the weekend or public holidays, you can hop on the night bus, called búho meaning owl, with your usual bus or all inclusive ticket. Busses leave outside of the station in Moncloa every 1h 15min between 00:15 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.

Note: http://ecomovilidad.net/madrid/situacion-autobuses-nocturnos-madrid/ Here you can find all the night busses within and around Madrid.

Tickets for Bus and Metro

If you live in Villanueva de la Cañada, you can go to the well known Tabacos/Estancos in Calle Real to buy the bus ticket from Villanueva to Madrid. Metro tickets can be bought at every metro station within Madrid.

Staying less than a month:

Use a 10-T Ticket. You’ll need one for the bus (zone A-B3, € 23*) from Villanueva de la Cañada to Madrid and one 10-T for the metro (€ 12,20*).

Staying longer than a month:

Use the monthly ticket (Abono Transporte Mensual) for zone A-B3. For € 78,40* each month, you can travel with all metros and busses in and around Madrid. A lot of students use to live in Madrid and travel to UAX every day. That ticket saves you a lot of money, especially if you are younger than 23 years old, you pay only € 49,30* for Abono Joven. To buy the ticket you go to one of the Tabacos and hand in a recent photo and an official proof of your age.

That’s about the public transportation. I hope that the information was helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below. 

*Prices can increase due to the current crisis.

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