[Jan. 2023] We returned to Madrid, the starting point of this trip, by train from Ávila in Spain.
The station in Madrid we arrived after the journey, which took less than two hours on a train which was not fast, was called Principe Pio.
It’s our first time here.
The name and station building are cute, but the signs on the premises were difficult to understand, and it was difficult just to get out of the station.
From here we took a taxi to our hotel, Petit Palace Plaza del Carmen.
It was more expensive than the hotel near Atocha station at the beginning of the trip, but the room was small.
It is located in an area called Centro, which is thought to be the centre of the city, and this is a busy shopping area for the common people.
I was disappointed because I expected a slightly different image, but Spain’s largest department store, El Corte Inglese, is just around the corner.
After all, one of the pleasures of the city is shopping.
As soon as we arrived, we went out for shopping and bought a few things there.
In addition, my husband told me that he didn’t have enough underwear, so we went to Uniqlo.
This Uniqlo is worth a visit.
Luxurious like a theatre.
In Porto, Portugal, there is “the most beautiful McDonald’s in the world” and it is even listed in a guidebook, so we went all the way to see it.
Probably this Uniqlo will become a tourist attraction in the future, too.
The next day, our return flight was late in the afternoon, so we took a walk in Madrid in the morning.
We went through the Plaza Mayor and headed for the San Miguel market.
In Plaza Mayor, I was shocked to find that the luxury souvenir shop I had been to before had disappeared.
It had turned into a childish chain store.
Probably, the original shop did not survive the pandemic.
The whole town was lively, though.
Both the night before and this morning, it was full of people.
According to my husband, Spaniards love to be out and about, and even during the recession, the shops were filled with non-buyers.
The San Miguel market we arrived at was also thriving.
There were a lot of delicious things, and I felt happy.
We decided to have lunch here.
There was even a booth specializing in spritz, which we had never seen during this holiday in Spain, so we bought it first, secured a table, and settled down.
I guarded the table and my husband went shopping.
He bought 5 kinds of canapés for €1.50 each.
They were seafood based and every thing was very tasty.
To keep things going, we also had a glass of red wine each and a plate of ham and salami.
The platter was about €30, and the amount was large.
The Italian + Argentinian couple came to sit at the same table and we had a lively chat, so at the end, we gave them some ham that we couldn’t finish eating.
I was glad they accepted it.
That concludes our trip to Spain.
Travelling here and there, like this time, gives me a sense of fulfilment.
Also, the food, especially the red wine, was delicious, which brought me a sense of happiness.
However, it is also true that I got physically tired.
From now on, we have to think about the itinerary while consulting with our physical strength.
