Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // Madrid, Spain

Seville may have stolen my heart but Madrid is a close second. Prior to leaving for this trip I was most excited to see Madrid. Again, I was not disappointed. Madrid is beautiful and while I only got to see a few key locations, I loved spending my time leisurely wandering around the Palace and Cathedral...see below.


Royal Palace of Madrid
Also known as my home, haha, the Royal Palace is beyond beautiful. Palaces are one of those places for me that no matter how many I visit, I never get sick of it. The tapestries, the architecture, the furniture, the art, every palace in every city is so unique and different that I will always make visiting a palace a priority. Madrid was no exception. One of the unique things I loved about this palace was they had a room set up with the Nativity scenes as it was just after Christmas and completely beautiful. The outside is also gorgeous as you can see below. I couldn't take pictures inside the palace so that just means you'll have to try and get there yourselves! *wink*

Plaza Mayor
A hot spot of gorgeous buildings and street performers and food, Plaza Mayor can be a quick or long stop while walking Madrid. You can stop to eat in the Plaza and enjoy the scenery or just take some photos and bask in the beauty around you--like I did. I also did a little shopping around the area for gifts for friends which was super fun.

Almudena Cathedral
The beauty and peace and serenity that is the Almudena Cathedral was exactly what I needed when I was in Madrid. I won't lie, for personal reasons I was having a rough time while in Madrid. It took me a little while to get up and start my day but I adjusted my crown and made the most of what could have been a wasted day feeling sad in my hotel room. I'm so happy I made it out as you can see from everything else I'm focusing on in this post. This Cathedral is not only objectively beautiful inside and out but, to me, it's a place of true blessings. Because I was having not the best day, I decided to just sit in the church and reflect and pray on a few things and, I'm not kidding you guys, after sitting there for while I felt like a weight was physically lifted off my shoulders. I felt like everything I was worrying about and sad about just went away. It was truly unbelievable. I felt so blessed to have been in that sacred place and pray and just...be. This place will forever hold a special place in my heart and I'm so grateful I came here.

Churros and Hot Chocolate
Oh dear. Thick, melted, chocolate is what Madrid natives call their hot chocolate. It's rich, decadent, and delicious, and this coming from a person who isn't a big chocolate fan. Add into the mix churros to dip in the chocolate and fuggedaboutit. Such a great break in the day to enjoy a sweet treat that Madrid is infamous for. I went to Las Farolas off one of the main streets of Madrid but I'm sure it's amazing anywhere you go!

Plaza del Sol
The hub of Madrid comings and goings, the Plaza del Sol is home to a huge NYE festivities and the symbol of Madrid, the bear, see below. There's a ton of stuff to do here. Shopping, eating, people watching, photo taking, it has everything you need. And just up the street that connects to it are a ton of bars and clubs for some Madrid nightlife.

Does this make you want to go to Madrid?! I hope you enjoyed my travels to Spain, don't forget to check out my time in Seville aka nerd girl's dreamland.

Don't forget to post on Instagram with the hashtag #WanderlustWednesday! It can be anything--a throwback travel photo of a place you've been, a Google image of where you want to go, an inspirational quote, a travel themed trinket you have, anything that inspires your wanderlust.