Our Journey

The past couple of weeks have been tedious waiting for the visa, but we have kept ourselves busy. We enjoyed many strolls around Madrid, especially after 8 pm when the weather becomes more bearable, on some occasions the temperature has hit 40+ degrees C. Raul has been very patient with us and has allowed us to stay in the apartment as per our needs. We viewed events on Facebook, and things to do on TripAdvisor.

Hot weather, Madrid

We saw an Open Air Summer Party in one of the parks in Madrid, so we decided to attend. It was organised by a group called 'After Brunch' who organise parties around Europe. It was enjoyable (if a bit pricey) and had Ibiza-like vibes, but we enjoyed it for a couple of hours.

After Brunch Open Air Summer Party, Parque de Atenas, Madrid

We also did an 'Escape Room', something which seems very popular at the moment. I noticed one opened up in Portsmouth before we left to go traveling. According to TripAdvisor, there are 72 escape rooms in Madrid, and we went for the number 1 rated called "EXIT Madrid'. We had to book a day in advance and were apprehensive about what to expect being our first time. Upon arrival, we were briefed about which room we would be in; we were placed in a Science Laboratory. We were told that this is not about how clever you are, but more about logic and intuition. The average escape is about 50% for larger groups up to 4 and more like 30% for couples. The aim is to escape the room in 66 minutes, and we managed it in 65 minutes which we were really pleased about. The game was fun, and bonding and I would recommend it to do when on holiday.

EXIT (Escape Room), Madrid

The visa for Bali was finally sorted, after having to wait 2 weeks for authorisation from Jakarta. We picked up the visa and booked the flight for the next day. Conscious of money, and overspending in Madrid, we booked a 25-hour flight, with 2 stops (in Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong). I write this blog as we are waiting in Hong Kong, still yet to arrive at our desired destination, with delays to our flight of 2 hours....

Gran Via Station, Madrid

Gran Via Station, Madrid

Cathedral, Madrid

Frog outside Gran Casino, Colon, Madrid

Trying to get into some sort of routine, we explored gyms locally. We found a decent everyday 'budget' gym for 5.90 euros a day. It has been 2 weeks without working out, part of our everyday routine when we were back in England. We had a good workout and planned to continue in order to stay in shape. Amal wanted her nose pierced so we found a place in Sol in the evening to get it done.

Bruges Zot, In CafeeKe, Madrid

Fitness Centre, Dreamfit, Vallecas, Madrid

We were just trying to chill as much as we could without spending money. There are only so many episodes of Friends you can watch on Netflix before you are itching to go out. We were joined in our apartment by 2 Mexican girls, who were staying for a week, also waiting for the visas to travel on towards their next destination. We left the apartment, to head to Retiro Park for a few hours, whilst the apartment was being cleaned.

Amal and I went into Sol in the evening when the temperature had started to cool down. It is around the hours of 8 pm when Spain really comes alive. Locally where we are staying, there were many local people hanging around near the train station. This area has many benches and playgrounds for children. There was a mix of women and men, old and young. We understood that the children are on their school holidays and because the weather is so hot during the day, this is the only time they have to play outside.

When we got into Sol, that was busier than we have seen it. There were many more tourists at this time than there are during the day. We found a nice place to sit, where we could eat and drink alfresco, whilst watching the world go by. We returned back to the apartment around 11 pm, and the locals (and children) were still out socialising and playing.

We started preparing to leave the country, for our flight on Wednesday. I got a hair cut and beard shave, and we washed our clothes ready for the long journey. The evening before we were due to pick up our visas, I received an email from the Indonesian Embassy, saying that there have been delays in processing the 60-day visa and that it could take a further 1-2 weeks. I was confused and angry, I was ill-advised by the Indonesian consulate of Madrid, to book flight tickets and accommodation, which would both be non-refundable at such short notice of cancellation. We decided to visit the embassy the following day to clarify the situation.

We visited the embassy the next morning, questioning why the delay. We have already spent money on flights and accommodation which we will lose, and were told is necessary in order to grant the visa. The consulate told us that this is a new process for them as well, and there were other people having to go through the same process, unfortunately, and there was nothing they could do. We arranged to stay at Raul's place for a further week, hopefully, enough time for the visas to be granted.

In order not to waste the time in Madrid, we decided to embrace it. We went into Sol, and visited the Royal Palace of Madrid, and walked around the various squares in Madrid, our favourite being the Plaza Mayor.

At least another week to go....

Plaza Mayor, Madrid

Royal Palace of Madrid

Royal Palace of Madrid

Royal Palace of Madrid

Today we chose to have a 'duvet day'. Being a Sunday, most of the shops were closed, and we did not feel like the visiting the busy tourist centre. We watched Netflix for most of the day. We went to the local grocery store, in the local area there are plenty of fruit and vegetable shops, so Amal and I have decided to opt for a whole food diet, in the interest of becoming healthier. I cooked lentil soup with rice. 2 days until we fly to Bali! The excitement has started to kick in.

Madrid - The Outskirts - Puente De Vallecas