So, this is Madrid

I can’t decide what’s more exciting, planning the trip or the actual traveling. Maybe it’s more a matter of my mood at the time and what stressors I have brought to my current country, place, city, whatever. Truly, many of us don’t have the luxury of long trips or Hollywood caliber adventures. We are faced with tight budgets, figuring out whether one location or another is better for a weekend retreat, or if we should stay at home and save money for a longer excursion in the months ahead. 

Some might question the amount of research I do, especially as I walk around and vlog, often oblivious to the importance of a random statue or location to the local population. While at other times, I seem to be the most informed person in the area. Part of this has nothing to do with the trip, but simply the amount of time I have prior to a journey. 

For many travel vloggers and bloggers, the weekend adventurer types, we only have so much time in a given day. Usually, mine is focused on the day job, which leaves only enough time for me to get a general idea on where I’m going and not much else. I have to admit, I like this part of traveling. 

I do enjoy being informed about an area, the history, and where to go and eat, but at other times it’s fun to get off a plane and just go with the flow. Or maybe it’s not necessarily fun, but it certainly allows one to gain more appreciation for details and for different experiences.

That’s what happened last week when I was in Spain. I didn’t do any research for Madrid, save how do I get from the airport to the center of the city? I figured those logistics would be the most important as I didn’t want to stay at the airport the entire time or necessarily get ripped off in my first few minutes in the region.

And yet, even being informed, I was annoyed with the schmuck working the ticket machines. He forced himself on the uninformed tourists to get a few euros for pressing buttons that I otherwise could have done without his guidance. I far preferred to pay the English speaking information desk for a multi day pass, if it meant that guy on the machines would scam one less person.

Truly - that’s how my mind worked in that brief exchange. There should have been a sense of relief once I stepped on the train, venturing towards the center city. I didn’t have any though, because Madrid threw me for a loop with a train network and information system that was clearly meant for locals and not for the many tourists who frequent the capital. While in Poland I could easily look at a map, hear stops called in both Polish and English, Spain doesn’t bother with anything outside of the native language. 

Sure, that’s okay, I get it. We do the same in the States, but not clearly identifying which train goes where and the accompanying stops is a giant pain in the ass. Out of every location I have traveled, Spain was a nuisance and confusing. We don’t even have to get into the fact that the airport is not easy to navigate with multiple terminals that are miles apart. As a seasoned traveler, they didn’t sell me on wanting to fly back into that mess again. 

Now let’s focus on the positives. Once I was in the city, settled in my overpriced single room, it was time to explore what I could in the few hours I had allotted. Simply stated - Madrid was respectable, but not worth a future effort. If I hadn’t had an overnight layover for my next flight to Morocco, Madrid would have remained off my to-do list. I wonder if there are other parts of Spain I might gravitate towards, but the capital city, not so much.  

Did I enjoy exploring the side streets, going into different churches, and seeing the cafe lined streets? Sure I did, but I didn’t like the Western European prices, nor did I like how crowded it was even on a Monday night in April. Part of that is city life, but the amount of cars clogging the city streets, made me flashback to Boston and other American cities where traffic noises dictate much of the experience. 

I’m sure others gravitate towards this place. There is an allure with the decor, the restaurants and city squares where one can sit, have a beverage, and people watch. For me, it was nothing more than a stop over. I can check off the box for visiting Spain and can focus on other countries, other hamlets that pull more to my introverted soul. 

Granted, I imagine if my hotel room was cheaper and even the meal I ate was more reasonable, I might be swayed to think otherwise. Then again, I was only in the city for a night. An entire weekend would have made me feel more disgruntled and wondering what better ways I could have used my allotted travel budget. 

This is why we travel though, to experience new places for better or worse. Some resonate, while others do not. If you like a place, you go back. If you don’t, there’s more than a few to choose from. Till the next adventure . . . 

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