chongl

The next morning we walked the short distance to Atocha train station and went to what reviews said was a local spot for breakfast. We ended up ordering a few items to share, with the highlight being the raspberry tart







From there, we went to the Royal Palace







Some bro tourists





Cathedral



The armory





Not wanting to wait in line to get into any of these areas (especially the armory and palace with security scanners), we circled towards the market





Stopping by a ham shop that had free samples. The signs seemed to indicate we could bring them back, but I didn't want to deal with bringing any sort of meat through customs





Statue





Finally arriving at the crowded indoor market



We did one round around the area to see what options were available before putting in some orders. Most of what we had was simple, but delicious.



With caviar to drown out my economy flight sorrows



Egg tarts!



Inside one aisle of the market



Then we sat down at another tapas place just outside the market for some more food. Wife wanted more padron peppers, and I wanted some potatoes and a cold beer. Free appetizer as we sat down with some sort of fish and what tasted like a chicken nugget



Cold beer



The peppers



And the potatoes to finish it all off



With stomachs filled, we went back to the hotel, snapping a picture or two along the way





With the last night of our trip, we found a nearby place









Dessert of chocolate cake



A few night shots before we say goodbye



Train station







Back to the hotel once again



We took the train to the airport the next morning, which was cheap and efficient. After going through security, we went to submit our duty free paperwork. It's uncanny how many people got denied and we thought we would have trouble. What it came down to was people not understanding the rules and whether they qualified or not. We were in and out in a jiffy



Knowing food was going to suck, we went for some lowly whoppers which went down extremely well. It was nice to have a good ol' burger to scarf down before boarding started. Once seats were taken, we made ourselves comfortable for the flight where I watched 5 movies in a row to pass the time.

On climbout



Meal wasn't as disgusting as the outbound



And the lunch/snack before landing in DFW





I always seem to end with a crappy picture of a domestic leg, so here we are. At DFW, we stopped by the Centurion lounge to get some real food before continuing on the leg home to SAN. Hope to hit the skies again in a few months! Thanks for reading!

cruisingmickey

Looks like you had an awesome trip! Did you feel safe in Madrid (pickpockets etc)?

chongl

Yeah, we felt completely safe. I normally make minor adjustments whenever I travel anyway (items in front pocket) and my camera is strapped cross-body typically. The camera backpack I have can only be opened on the side that is touching your back so it's quite nice too

jcm55a

Thanks for an awesome post. I always enjoy the photos that accompany your TRs. I'll be visiting BCN for the first time in a month, is there anything specific you'd recommend for a first-timer? Also, what backpack are you using? I'm going to carrying some gear and am still searching for the right one to take as I'll be in BCN and Paris. thanks!

chongl

Thank you, jcm55a. It's a Lowepro Flipside 300...not the greatest looking backpack, but very functional and allows me to carry the tripod when needed.

I was a first-timer to BCN as well, but I especially liked strolling the Gothic quarter. If we had more time, we likely would have opted to go inside La Familia Sagrada. Park Guell was another worth checking out, in my opinion.

roadwarrier

As touristy as it sounds - take the Hop on Hop off bus. It really is full of information, and beats trying to get to various sites by Metro. Also, from the top deck, you really get to appreciate the unique architecture.
Watch out for pickpockets along Las Ramblas. Avoid the restaurants on Las Ramblas - cheap meals,(in terms of price and quality), but expensive beers and wines. You will get better deals away from the touristy areas.
El Corte Ingles, or as we refer to it - The Short Englishman, is a decent department store and if you just want a picnic, you can stock up there.

Do try the tapas places - but away from the touristy places - nothing like a few nibbles with a cold beer or a glass of cava. Yes, enjoy the local sparkling wine, it is good value and really pleasant.
Oh, and they eat dinner late, so do not expect much before 8 PM - but, the food is well worth it.

Enjoy the trip.

LewDog

Beautiful report and photos, chongl. You mentioned that the weather wasn't the most amenable to outdoor activities in Majorca -- was your visit in February? And were the pools at the PH open and heated, but just not warm enough to swim in?

Very many thanks!

chongl

Yes, my visit was in February. I think the pools were open, but we were never in the area until late in the day, so I never saw anyone there. I'm not one to get in a pool much anymore after swimming competitively for years either. Sorry I can't give you the answers you're looking for!