Madrid, Spain

My story with Madrid began with the search for a couch surfer to stay with. I had sent out a tonne of requests but everyone was away on holiday! I quickly learned that most people do not choose to spend their holiday in Madrid! I was running out of time to find a couch, then I got a message from a lady saying that she could not host me because she was out of town, but her husband and children were still at home so I could stay with them. I was eternally grateful. She said that they would meet me at the bus station with a sign with my name on it. I was blown away.

However, when I was on the bus to Madrid, we ended up running quite late. When we finally arrived I was unsure if they would have stayed around or not – and without internet I had no way of contacting them to find out. So I prayed and then gathered my bags and walked into the arrival room at the bus station. I looked around for any signs with my name. None. But then, out of the blue a man and his grown up son approached me and asked if I was Gina! It was my couch surfers! I was delighted and so thankful. They immediately took my bags and walked me to the car. They drove me through the city and pointed out landmarks to me on the way back home.

We arrived at their apartment and they showed me my room. They were incredible hosts – right away they gave me the WiFi password, a towel to have a shower and gave me a nice cold drink. I had a shower and changed, and then I was able to properly meet the family. So there was the father, in his early 50s, and then the two sons – the eldest, Toni, was 28, the younger, Carlos, was 25. The boys took me to the local park and showed me around the neighbourhood. We stopped for tapas and a drink. The boys were really fascinating to talk to – they did a lot of volunteer work, were involved in improvisation theatre, played musical instruments, were well travelled, and had very interesting jobs.

Carlos said that he had the week off and would be able to show me around Madrid the next day. I was so glad! The next morning the boys and the father had arranged to have breakfast at a local cafe with their grandmother. They said that I was welcome to join them too, so we set off altogether the next morning. The grandmother was lovely – she spoke no English but we had a good time altogether anyway. I had a Spanish dish of hot chocolate and fried dough – you would dip the dough into the hot chocolate and then eat it. The dough was similar to churros – the Spanish donut, except it was slightly thicker and named porras. After breakfast I said goodbye to their grandmother and Carlos and I took the metro into town.

He showed me many different buildings and places of significance. He knew a lot of history of the place which was great. It was a very hot day so every now and then we would stop for a cold drink. We walked through a park and sat for a while on some grass under the shade of a bridge. He suggested some things for me to see the following day. He would not be able to show me around, but told me how to get there. Then we had a Madrid favourite for lunch – a deep fried calamari sandwich. It was actually pretty tasty! That evening we got back and Carlos wasn't feeling well (luckily it wasn't the calamari sandwich) so I spent the evening chatting and sharing music with Toni. When Carlos felt better the three of us spent the rest of the night watching hilarious YouTube videos until we were exhausted from laughing.

The next morning I set off on my own. I had mapped out an itinerary from the suggestions that Carlos and his dad had given me. I visited several different parks – they were very beautiful and lush. In one of the parks I decided to have a picnic (with some delicious nectarines!) then I took a 2 hour siesta under a lovely tree. It was bliss! Later that afternoon I visited art galleries and other places of interest. Then I stopped into a supermarket and bought up a few items to make a salad for the family for dinner. We had another enjoyable night. I spent some time talking with Carlos and his father. His father told me many different stories of his travels around Europe and India. It was amazing. Carlos played us some songs he had composed on the guitar and then we all watched the football. I was flying out early the next morning, and Carlos kindly offered to take me. So at 4 in the morning I got up and loaded my things into the car and Carlos dropped me at the airport. It was the beginning of my busy day – I had breakfast in Madrid, lunch in Brussels and dinner in Vienna!

I was sad to leave Spain. I had met such amazing people in Barcelona and Madrid. Very warm, hospitable and friendly. I loved the fruit and vegetables, the landscape and the lifestyle. I would love to come back to Spain, and to visit Portugal next time too.