I have recently returned to Madrid. I first encountered Madrid two years ago, and two of my friends that were living here were kind enough to show me around. In all of Spain, Madrid stood out as my favourite.
Do you like never ending sun and happiness? Madrid may be worth a visit.
Every town in Spain has a distinct feel. Whilst they are all most definitely Spanish, I've found it to be the most organised and well done town in the country. And in fact, in much of Europe.
The roads are wide and a lot of the city looks planned. As with most old European cities, the centre is a bit of nightmare, but it is still well done here. Traffic still flows and there is a lot of walking space for people, with a thriving local economy that provides a variety of food and entertainment.
The food. The food markets and supermarkets are simply some of the best in the world! Possibly two of my favourite things about the place is that most eat out and restaurant food here is obviously junk food whereas it is a little harder to tell in most places, and the coffee is bad. While this seems a little counter intuitive, this helps me to save on money and I get some really quality meals here because I am forced to cook most of my own meals! Add to that the produce is some of the best in the world, and we are talking about the healthiest diet I have had in a long time.
There are some serious gems hidden in the rough too, and they're cheap. Check out these ribs at New York Burger! Have you ever seen so much quality meat on a set of ribs?!
Retiro park. Retiro may be the thing that draws me the most to this place. It is one of the most sophisticated and pleasant parks I have ever encountered. The vibe there is perfect. For those that have never been, allow me to explain.
Retiro is divided into many distinct areas, there is a rose garden, an elaborate peacock garden, several workout areas, pedal machines for the older generations, open roads for skaters and bladers, a central pond where you can hire boats, thick forested areas with soft gravel, and hundreds of sectioned off natural areas.
Retiro simply has everything, and everything is very well done. Out of the 25 days or so I have been here, I have been to the park for at least 20 minutes a day every single day.
Affordable. Everything here is affordable. I am excluding luxury items here as they are not at all affordable, but for everyday rents Madrid is one of the cheapest major cities in the Western World.
There are also many statues and a lot of embedded history. I did a tour when I first arrived and I remember it being very enjoyable. The history of the provinces and division of Spain is fascinating and really helped shape the understanding of where I am.