Once a stranger told me, “If you really want to experience Spain, you have to go to Madrid.” Nationals will have long debates with you about what the true Spanish experience is, but this sentiment has stuck with me for years and I had a burning desire to find out for myself. I am the type of person who will take a strangers recommendation. I’ve recently starting working for a major airline with amazing flight benefits and now have the ammunition for my curiosity. I also have a network of friends who live all over the world and luckily my friend Dana was teaching English there and was available to host! I dragged my co-worker Bianca along for the ride and there we were, in Madrid with only twenty-four hours to explore!

9:30am — Landed at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) and took the train directly from the airport into the city center and got off at Gran Vía, a little like the Spanish equivalent of Broadway.

11:00am— Climbed (mostly took elevators) to the top of Ayuntamiento de Madrid (city hall) to see the panoramic view of the city overlooking the famous Plaza de Cibeles, a square with a neoclassical complex of marble sculptures with fountains.

Inside city hall there was contemporary artwork on every floor and a cafe where we enjoyed a nice café con leche to hold us over until lunch.

12:30pm— We had a moveable feast at La Paella de la Reina on Calle Reina a few steps away from where Gran Vía and Calle de Alcalá merge. We ordered a pitcher of sangría and seafood paella for two.

2:00pm — We met Dana at the large McDonalds near Gran Vía (we needed wifi ha) and she took us to her flat to change and stow our bags. The three of us headed out into the streets, Bianca and I refreshed and overexcited. We walked down Puerta del Sol, had coffee at Plaza Mayor (the square was inaugurated in 1620), stopped by Mercado de San Miguel a trendy market with fresh tapas, desserts, meat and seafood where Dana had some olives.

We continued walking on to Palacio Real de Madrid(the royal palace) because there was a coronation for the new king, Felipe VI, the following day. There were flocks of supporters and the crowd was gay. Unfortunately no sightings of Felipe or Letizia.

6:00pm— We grabbed a few cheap bottles of red and white wine from the grocery store and parked on Dana’s balcony overlooking a very busy pedestrian-only street near Gran Vía.

9:00pm — We took the train to a cool local spot with free tapas called Entre Cáceres y Badajoz. For every drink you order they bring out a mystery plate of tapas for the table to share. We sampled bull, breaded muscles and many other delicious bites that I’m still jonesing for. Locals came up to us to ask how we found the place because tourists don’t usual frequent there (My inner tourist diva was screaming with joy, it was virtually undiscovered). We all had about 3 or 4 drinks and our total bill was only 12 euro! (4 each)

Midnight— Dana took us to this hookah placed tucked away from Puerto del Sol while we devised a plan for our final hours in the city. It was a place where foreigners and locals mingled until it closed.

2:00am — Following many failed leads we finally found a place to dance. A flyer boy on the street gave us a pass for free entry. We danced to techno, spanish pop and all types of dance music until our feet were sore and we had to deny to0 many Spanish men for a chance to show us the night of our lives; we even had a group offer to take us to the airport after ha.

5:00am We returned to Dana’s flat with 3 hours to nap until we needed to head back to the airport.

You cannot see all of Madrid in 24 hours but we definitely gave it our best shot. We spent very little money because we spent most of the time window shopping, walking around and finding places with cheap food and drinks. I hope to spend many more hours and maybe a little more money in this beautiful city. I am grateful for my new job and the opportunity to explore and satisfy my curiosity one city at a time.

Instagram : @BrittaUrban