I can’t believe I got to spend NYE 2023 in Madrid but when I say it was incredible – it was incredible. This was my first trip to Europe so I am trying to cram in as much as I possibly can including all of the last minute mistakes I don’t want you to also make. In this post I will share with you my flight and airlines, hotel and some of the restaurants and attractions I went to. I will say, for my first taste of Europe spending New Years Eve in Mardrid will be hard to top. Here’s the run down on the trip.
Depart Overnight flight from Bush IAH to Frankfurt; Frankfurt to Madrid
I flew Lufthansa from Houston all the way to Madrid. I had a connection in Frankfurt, which personally, I wish the flight was direct or stopped at a different airport. I didn’t mind having the connection, however 5 hours in Germany when you’re fighting sleep and don’t want to miss your flight is a little wild. The flight from Houston to Frankfurt was a little under nine hours. This was my longest flight ever. I was anxious; however, the flight was so easy. I boarded at 4:50 and we were immediately served dinner on the plane. Now, I had packed a Jersey Mike’s sub so I could have my own food so I kept that stowed away and had the pasta with salad, brownie, and roll that was offered. I was also offered complimentary wine. I flew basic economy so I LOVED this part. That wine helped my anxiety. After my dinner, I watched a few movies (Jurassic World series with second glass of wine for the win!) and then finally dozed off. When I woke up, it was time for breakfast. Egg salad on croissant, fruit, coffee/juice/tea/wine, and granola bars. Shortly after breakfast it was time for landing and of course I started to get a little paranoid cause of my layover, and hi, I’m in a new country.
The layover and security were interesting. I went through customs and found the restroom and staring making the trek to my next gate. I remembered I bought a liter bottle of water for my last flight that I was happy I held on to (Lufthansa provided full-sized water bottles during the flight. I love Lufthansa in general). Well, I had to chug said liter water while in line for security going to my gate. I found it odd that I had to go through security again even though I never exited the airport.
Moving on, I found a quiet place to sit, and rest my eyes for the next four hours. I was super careful not to fall asleep, I was kind of paranoid of falling and sleep and missing my connector. So I used this time to also call back home and wake my mom up super early. The connector from Germany to Madrid was only two hours but by this time I literally slept from the moment I sat down to the moment we touched down. I passed out!
Finally in Madrid!
Okay, I fell in love with Madrid the moment I got in the taxi. Taxis are very easy to come by at the airport. They are literally waiting for you. I hit the ground running and immediately starting exploring the city center with some friends. Some places I highly recommend checking out include the Prado Museum and The Palace. The Palace is absolutely STUNNING and if you love museums I highly suggest checking out Prado. You can easily walk to both locations, by the way. Madrid is definitely a walking city. Get ready to get your steps in.
We also took a bus ride out to Toledo which is a must see. Toledo is this medieval city that literally looks like you stepped into like Game of Thrones. I really don’t know how to describe it other than being beautiful. It’s the trend of this blog post. I loved everything, and everything was stunning and beautiful. Literally a whole other world. Take a look at this post’s feature image. That’s Toledo. I wish the image did it justice but it doesn’t.
Restaurants and Eats
Tapas Tapas
Tapas is literally the entire vibe in Madrid. I loved Tapas Tapas (okay, I loved everything in Madrid. Except one restaurant that I am not mentioning). We each ordered two tapas and shared. There were five of us. Paired with a glass of wine, it was perfection.
Prada a Tope Madrid
Best place to eat and just enjoy the company you’re with. That’s it, that’s all I gotta say. I had the steak with fries with a glass of red wine. I ate that everywhere, but this one was the best. Also, Prada a Tope Madrid has their own wine and it was excellent.
Churros con chocolate: OMG. I have been ruined when it comes to churros. The cinnamon churros we eat here in the states has NOTHING on the churros I had in Madrid. I kid you not. First off, churros are popular for breakfast (sign me up) and I can totally see why. The churros in Madrid are not covered in cinnamon and sugar but you can get them filled with flavors or plain with chocolate to dip it in. Think of the chocolate as a thicker hot chocolate. I drank my leftover chocolate. So delicious. I’m actually mad that I waited to the last night to finally try them.
NYE Tradition
In Spain, you have 12 grapes at midnight. You make your wishes for the new year, at midnight and you eat your grapes. A bell is rung every second and at every chime, you eat a grape. Your mouth is stuffed with grapes by the end. Of course I made it my personal mission to eat them with ease and not choke all while making each chime. I succeeded.
Hotel – Axor Barajas
My hotel room at Axor Barajas was the perfect size for just me. Axor Barajas is right outside the city and about fifteen minutes from the airport. If you are running late for the airport, this will come in handy.
Madrid Airport
Arriving was much easier than I thought it would be. Remember, this is my first trip to Europe and the fact that I could exit into the open air without going through customs was interesting to me. For those of you that don’t know, yes, you can just walk out! The airport is only about 15 to 20 minutes from the city center, so if you are Get there three hours before your flight, I am begging you. Leave your hotel four hours before you’re flight. You will thank me later. It literally took me two and a half hours to get from check in through customs to even get to my gate. Yes, I was traveling on New Years Day, however; I am told this is how the Madrid airport always is. It’s a zoo as a departure airport. In my opinion. If you have flown in and out of Madrid, let me know, I want to know your thoughts.
Things You Don’t Want to Forget
Okay I waited to the 11th hour to purchase a European adaptor and euros. Make sure you preorder euros at your bank a few weeks out before you leave. Don’t show up at your bank thinking you can withdraw some cash in euro. You can’t. Trust me, I tried. I rolled up to the bank on December 27 (I was leaving the next day) and had to go on the hunt. I ended up at Memorial City Mall getting same day euros. I honestly preferred paying in euro versus using my debit card.
No one told me I was going to have a hard time finding a European adaptor to charge my phone. Because of Christmas, Amazon was going to take too long to deliver, and I ended up getting what appeared to be the last one at Walmart. Plan ahead, y’all.
While I didn’t get to gameday in Madrid, I did pop by the Real Madrid team store to get my sports fix. I hit up an Irish sports pub that played 80s music watching soccer *ahem* futbol. Don’t worry, I will be back. I will make it my life’s mission. This was a long post that quickly went over everything. Let me know if you want me to write specific blog posts on my experience in Madrid.