Barcelona, Spain was on my list of cities to visit in the world, for a long time. I went to Barcelona and I liked it there. However, Madrid, was the one that captured my heart. It took me by surprise that I was so comfortable and felt like I found a new home in Madrid.

Public transportation was so easy and accessible in Madrid. I think they have the best public transportation even compared to New York City. Their Metro system is so easy to use and very accessible. Almost every stations have elevators which are great for people with disability. Their buses are also great. So many lines and so very accessible as well. On every bus there is a monitor where it will tell you what your next stop is. Even if you lived a little bit outside of Madrid, it’s pretty fast to get to the city. My AirBnb was near Casa Di Campo and it took me only 15 minutes to go to Plaza De Espana (city center of Madrid).

Madrid is so walkable. I walked a lot in Madrid and found so many hidden gems in the neighborhood of the city. It didn’t feel like I walk a lot either because I was enjoying it so much. My average steps were around 12,000 steps per day. One day I even walked 20,000 steps.

Madrid is a diverse city. You can find any food from any country there. One of the reasons why I love Madrid. You can even find an Indonesian Restaurant there. Sabor Nusantara is an authentic Indonesian restaurant. I went there once for lunch and I almost cried because their food is so good and reminded me so much of my home country, Indonesia. I had their Soto Betawi (Coconut milk based soup with beef and beef parts) and Ayam Goreng Krispi (which is crispy fried chicken Indonesian style). The service was great and somehow they knew I am Indonesian without I had to say anything.

I also had some great Tapas there. There are so many places serve tapas in Madrid. One of the food that you must have in Madrid is the Bocadillo de Calamares (fried squid sandwich). It’s pretty much a sandwich with fried squids in it. Apparently it will be better if we asked for the Garlic Aoli sauce (which I didn’t know). You can get the best ones of Bocadillo de Calamares around Plaza de Mayor. It’s a cheap sandwich too. I spent about 3 euros for one. Definitely a must try.

I also love how beautiful Madrid is. The view of the city skylines from Rooftop bars in Madrid are top notch. A lot of people like to go to the Riu Hotel across from Plaza De Espana because they only charge 5 euros for people to go up and see the view. However, that resulted in long lines. Here’s a trick to avoid the line, go to Dear Hotel instead. It’s next door to Hotel Riu. Their rooftop is on the 14th floor (not as high as Riu’s) but there’s no fee to go up there and you can spend that 5 euros for a drink instead (their wine, beer, cava starts at 4 euros). Then you can sit for a while and enjoy the view.

Another thing that made me fell in love with Madrid are the people. I’ve met some amazing people during my trip there. Even my AirBnb host were so kind to me. They made me a cocktail and two dinners. I haven’t had homemade dinners in a while and I was so appreciative of their kind gestures to me. You should check out their AirBnb listing if you are thinking to visit Madrid. It’s very affordable for a private room. The bed was so comfortable (there were days that I didn’t want to get out of the bed) and the view of Casa Di Campo during sunset or sunrise or anytime of the day were just so breathtakingly beautiful.

I’ve made some new friends as well. Everyone are so open, welcoming, and they made me want to come to Madrid again and maybe stay there for a while. I am going to post about attractions and things to do in Madrid for my next post. Make sure you are sign up to subscribe to my blog (look to the top right of the homepage) so you will get a notification when the new post is up. Hasta Luego!