EUROPE 2019 - BARCELONA

Madrid Atocha - Barcelona Sants

Departed Madrid Atocha - Barcelona Sants @1030 onboard Renfe AVE 3103. Comfortable seats, no WiFi but movie available for viewing.

Barcelona Sants Station

Reached Barcelona Sants as scheduled.

Parc de l'Espanya Industrial

Situated just beside the Barcelona Sants Station. The iconic iron dragon statue is clearly visible from the station.

Expo Hotel Barcelona

The hotel is across the road from Barcelona Sants Station. Booking made through booking.com. A decent size room with walk-in closet, tub, and shower, 42" TV. Fast and stable WiFi.

Barcelona City Tour

Took the 48hrs tour and focused on just 2 routes namely Red and Blue. Change from Red to Blue Route at Passeig de Gracia (one of the major avenues in Barcelona) stops. From here its a walking distance to La Rambla.

We started at this stop situated at the back of Barcelona Sants Station.

Camp Nou (FC Barcelona)

Stopped at Futbal Club Barcelona on the Blue Route.

The Basalica de la Sagrada Familia

Commonly known as Sagrada Familia, it is a large unfinished Roman Catholic minor basilica and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Barcelona.

HRC Barcelona

Located near the Placa de Catalunya stop on the Red Route.

Halal Restaurant

We found 2 halal restaurants in the vicinity of La Rambla.

Habibi Restaurant. The owner is very friendly and can even speak Malay. He also warned us about the famous pickpocket which is rampant in Barcelona.

Bombay Spicy. Situated a bit further from Habibi. The mineral water bottle is somewhat different.

Other places visited included Placa de Espana, World Trade Center, Port Olimpic, Port Veil, and Maremagnum.

More pictures...

Street vendors near the Colom-Museu Maritim stop.

We finished our tour and returned back to the hotel to pack for our next destination.

EUROPE 2019 - MADRID

Madrid Chamartin and Madrid Atocha

We reached Madrid Chamartin @0840 as scheduled and had breakfast at a cafe in the station.

From Chamartin to Atocha we took the Metro (Cercanias) and cost €1,70. Its only 3 stops and the journey took 15 minutes to Madrid Atocha.

Hotel Mediodia Madrid

Hotel Mediodia is across the road from Atocha. Booked directly from the hotel's website coz it's cheaper than through booking.com. Was allowed to check-in early at 1200. During the checked-in process, we were advised to take care of our backpack and belongings as pickpocketing is rampant in Madrid and Barcelona. We had a first-hand experience when my wife's backpack was opened even though we were very careful and vigilant of our surroundings. Luckily nothing was taken but what surprised me was the speed they took to open the backpack in broad daylight. A word of advice for those traveling to Madrid, Barcelona, and Rome, please be wary of people around you especially those looking like tourists following you with maps on their hand.

Our room is bigger than the one we stayed in Lisbon. It has a bathtub and shower but the TV is very small. Wifi was reasonably fast. It is also equipped with a fridge. The position of the powerpoint is perfect.

Madrid City Tour

We opted for a 48hrs hop-on-hop-off ticket and it costs €30/pax. There are 2 routes namely the Blue (Historical Madrid) and Green (Modern Madrid) Route.

Real Madrid Stadium

We preferred the self-tour ticket (Tour Bernabéu) and took us about 2 hours to complete the tour. 

Plaza Mayor

It's a major public space in the heart of Madrid. Was once the center of Old Madrid.

Halal Restaurant

There are 2 halal restaurants near our hotel namely Steak Grille House and Jalo. Both served a delicious menu which can be consumed by 2 person. 

Hard Rock Café

Hop off at Plaza de Colon (stop no 3) on the Green Route or stop 4 Blue Route Madrid City Tour.

El Rastro Flea Market

We had the opportunity to visit this flea market which is Madrid's largest open-air market (held from 9am to 3pm every Sunday and also public holidays). It is also said to be the largest flea market in Europe with up to 3500 different stalls extending through several streets in one of the city's oldest working-class neighborhoods. It's just a short walk from the Puerta de Toledo (stop no 13) on The Madrid City Tour bus (Blue Route).

Puerta de Toledo (Gate of Toledo)

It was declared Bien de Interest Cultural in 1996. Construction began in 1812 and was not completed until 1827. It's one of the nineteen city gates that had the walls of Philip IV (Wikipedia).

Plaza de Armeria (Palacio Real de Madrid/Royal Palace of Madrid)

The official residence of the Spanish Royal Family, although now only used for state ceremonies. The palace has 135,000 square meters of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It has the largest functioning Royal Palace and the largest by floor area in Europe (Wikipedia).

CaixaForum Madrid

A museum and cultural center in Paseo del Prado 36. The Vertical Garden at the square is also well known (Wikipedia).

Paseo del Prado

It is one of the main boulevards in Madrid and the oldest historical city street. 

International Women's Day (8 March 2019)

We had the opportunity to witness the International Women's Day celebration in Madrid. The streets around our hotel were flooded with women from all walks of life.