Spain, Day One

It was February 2017 when I visited this country with my friends Marta and Bella. Maybe it sounds crazy going on a trip in February, but you must have in mind that while most of the world is freezing, Spain has a nice 20 degrees temperature. The plan was crazy – 4 cities in 7 days. Marta and I would arrive first and Bella would join us the next day.

Before Trip Problems

We booked our Ryanair flights several months earlier and therefore saved a lot of money. However, booking this early means that you risk that your flight might not end up at the most convenient time. For example, Marta's exam was scheduled right in the middle of our trip. She wasn't sure if she will be able to go until the last minute when she finally managed to postpone the exam. The problem with the cheap airlines is that any change on the ticket (passenger name, flight date…) costs more than the actual ticket.

Packing. Like most girls i can hardly imagine going anywhere without at least half of my wardrobe, several pairs of shoes and tons of make-up. But what can you do when your budget is limited and you can only carry the so called carry-on luggage? This bag can not exceed proportions and weight that the airline demands. It took me several days to plan what I will carry and in the end I did not pack that well. I should have packed those ugly but incredibly comfortable sneakers instead of my stylish boots. I also managed to forget to bring a mascara. What a beginning.

Day One

These first parts of the traveling are usually filled with stress. Why is my carry-on luggage suddenly not? Will I be able to find it later? How do I get from the airport to the city? Where is my apartment?

Marta and I landed on the Madrid airport. The bag is here! Finally all the stress with the luggage and flying is over. There is a 24h bus from the airport to the city every 10 or so minutes. Great! Maybe I can finally start to enjoy my trip... But where is the apartment? Madrid is a huge city and finding an address is a bit challenging. We used an app called Maps Me to navigate around even without Internet. It took much longer than expected, but we found it.

I use the website Airbnb for finding places to stay when traveling. There is always a risk that what you see online is not what you get. But sometimes you are very pleasantly surprised. Our place was located above a bar in the street called Calle Salitre. A very good location for students looking to have a fun road trip.

My first impression of Madrid is that I have never seen a city so alive. There are bars and cafes at every corner. You can smell the local cuisine on every turn. There are a lot of happy people walking by. No one seems in a hurry. Even though Madrid is a huge city, somehow you don't feel small, you feel welcome.