I slept like a freaking dead man last night. A ton of bricks couldn't have woken me up, well, I guess then I WOULD have been a dead man.. anyways, I slept really well last night, in a clean, comfortable bed. Which got me thinking about how great staying at this hostel has been so far. It's only been about two days, most of which I haven't been at the actual hostel for, but when I am here it's just so nice. The guys who run it are insanely cool, free breakfast is always awesome, and it has this incredible atmosphere, which I'm guessing a number of hostels have. What makes the deal though is it's secure. You have to be buzzed in every time, and there are lockers for all personal items. The bathrooms are shared, but it's expected that they are kept clean by each guest, and they are also cleaned by staff every day. The beds have crisp clean sheets on them, nothing fancy in the least but they're clean. This place really makes the trip that much better by creating a chill, comfortable atmosphere to come back to after a day of walking 20 miles like yesterday.
We left the hostel at about 9:45 and just started walking in a direction that we hadn't already been, walked along a bunch of little streets that were absolutely empty, and ended up at La Plaza de Indepencia where we stopped for sandwiches and drinks. Then a girl with us realized that she didn't have a memory card for her camera, so we walked back. Then we went back to a park that was close to the plaza where we had just been and wandered around for a bit looking at a street fair that only sold books, we walked past the Royal Palace, and a couple other plazas and sculptures that I didn't recognize.. but we took pictures! At the park, we walked some more, and then rented a small row boat at a pond and paddled around for a little bit. After, we had had enough of the water, we went and got bocadillas con jamon serrano (delicioso little sandwich) and ate them in the grass at the park. The whole thing was really great, super chill and it was just a really, very fun day. After the park, we walked around more looking for for the Museo Reina Sofia and we COULD. NOT. FIND. IT. (So we asked around and came back today.) After we gave up looking and were all exhausted, we came back to the hostel, hung out for a bit, went and bought churros, and went back to the hotel. The people I was with were going to take naps, and so I decided to hang out on my bed and read until they woke up and we went out again. Instead of reading though, I ended up passing out entirely at seven pm. I woke up at 2 am, seven hours later and realized what I had done. Oops. So I changed into my PJ's, went through the whole bedtime routine, and went back to bed. I didn't think I would be able to sleep anymore, but surprised myself and fell back asleep almost immediately and didn't wake up again until nine the next morning. At least I can say I'm caught up on my sleep though, right?
Today we got a late start because everyone had been out really late the night before (while I had slept), but we left the hostel to find a place for breakfast. There is a small fruit shop around the corner from the hostel, so we stopped in there and then went exploring. We Ate the fruit as we walked and then stopped at a small café for café con leche just outside of Plaza Mayor. It was really a beautiful part of town, with ancient buildings towering over us, and this quartet of young men in street clothes playing incredible classical music. Because it was a Saturday morning, there were tons of people milling about, both tourists and locals. The shops were packed, and there was just a great energy. It was a great way to start our last day in the city. After we drank our drinks, we paid and wandered around the city some more and went to see the Museo de la Reina Sofia. Because the museum is free after 2:30 on Saturday afternoons, we got lunch at a shop in a plaza out fron and waited. The Bocadillas at the shop were huge. I got a bocadilla con atún y pimientos and it was SO oily but SO good! That great sandwich followed by seeing so many incredible pieces by Alexander Calder, Picasso, Salvador Dalí and so many other artists made for a truly great day. My feet were dead by the time we were done, and to sit down felt great.
Tonight I also had to switch rooms at the hostel (because I forgot about booking a room for tonight originally), and my new roommates are ALL Canadian. One from Toronto, three from Quebec City, and one from BC. All are really, very nice and they’re all pretty funny. Tonight a bunch of people from the Oviedo group that are staying at my same hostel are going out to celebrate our last night in Madrid, so I’ve gotta jet.
Hasta Mañana!
P.S. Here’s the website for the Way Hostel. → Click Me!
**THIS POST IS NOT FOR CLASS**
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