In and Around Madrid

July 21-30, 2021

By Hector Gonzalez

August 18^th, 2021

Our trip to Spain was meant to be low-key. We weren't doing hardcore tourism; really, we were just trying to avoid roasting in Cairo in July. So in Madrid we mostly just hung out. Luckily, it is a fabulous city to just hang out in. We spent a lot of time in the park right beside our house, as seen below. But we did do some interesting things, so I'm going to share them here.

We did take a visit to the Royal Palace, because it was around the corner from our house and because, well, why not. It was very ornate, but photography wasn't allowed once we got into the actual rooms. For us, though, the highlight was the cafeteria, which was a classic low-budget cafeteria with some nice warm churros.

On one of our last proper days we rented a car and drove just outside of the city to see the mountains. Our first stop was a village called Manzanares el Real, which had an adorable town square and a cool castle. It also had a Roman bridge still in use, which we walked over. And we tried to stop for churros but the waiters were too slow so we just took a photo and left.

Our main destination was a giant ropes course up in the mountains near the town of Cercedilla. Between this and the zipline in Toledo, clearly Spain is best enjoyed from way up high. Next to the ropes course was a natural pool which we jumped into, but it was cold and we had one more appointment to keep before we had to turn in the car.