More Than Madrid
Best Day Trips Outside the City
While exploring the more popular cities like Madrid and Toledo was really fun, we had a whole 10 months in Spain and we wanted to make the most of it. There is so much history and amazing architecture only a train ride away. The Renfe is a train that travels across Spain to different cities and towns. There are even some international routes if you’re looking for a longer get away. We knew It was our ticket to cities both near and far. Our trips took us from fun college towns to luxurious castles, each one providing us with a a new appreciation for Spanish culture.
Aranjuez
On a map, Aranjuez is a little province underneath the large letters of Madrid. With a quick train ride from the city you’ll arrive in a serene place lined with beautiful trees leading straight to the heart of the Aranjuez. There is a quaint square, decorated with shops and restaurants, but the biggest attraction- an exquisite white castle fit for royalty. The estate is open to the public and quite impressive. As Americans who never experienced a real castle before we were impressed. We took our time and walked through each room admiring the ornate chandeliers, colorful canvases and velvet drapery.
Segovia
After moving into our apartment and having some time to explore, Priya and I began our new jobs in Spain as English teaching assistants. Priya was lucky enough to have a fellow assistant. His name was James and he was from England (little did we know that this would be the first of many adventures). We also made a new friend named Imanol and he told us Segovia is a great town to visit because it has amazing architecture and food. Not far from Madrid is a quaint little town where the main attraction is a large aqueduct that runs right in the middle of the town square ( the “ plaza” which every Spanish city has). Imanol also took us to some great restaurant for tapas. Tapas are an amazing way to get a taste of all that Spain has to offer from jamon iberico to a spanish omelette. Unfortunately for us, they aren’t necessarily vegetarian friendly. This town was a little ways off from Madrid, it still holds on strongly to its rich Spanish history and cuisine which means the experience is really authentic. Between the delicious tapas, the picturesque views, and rich history) this town was a pleasant one day visit.
Chinchon
We were looking for a quick getaway, we had to look no further than Chinchon a small town only a hour away. After we hopped on the bus and saw the city pass us by, we realized that the ride was filled with a lot less people and a lot more olive trees. It seemed a little deserted, but we are always down for an adventure.
This pueblo was so cute and quiet. Without a lot of people on the streets we were able to walk the entire place at our leisure. We also learned the true meaning of siesta and how serious it was for Spaniards. Many shops and restaurants closed so they could relax before the dinner rush. It was a very different experience than being in NY where things are open 24/7. Luckily one restaurant was open and we were able to taste the specialty liquor of Chinchon. While there are some people who love black licorice, we are not those people. This liquor definitely made us purse our lips, but at least we tried. Unfortunately that wasn’t our only mouth puckering moment, because Alexis also tried an olive straight off the tree and realized raw olives are not the wave.
Alcala De Henares
Everything was beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Madrid and we were so excited! A few coworkers suggested that we visit the small town of Alcala de Henares. Unlike the other cities that were a bus ride or Renfe train ride away, we were able to take the Madrid metro to the northern edge of this adorable town. We did not realize how much we would enjoy the festivities in this small town. This picturesque city was decorated from building tops to sidewalks with Christmas joy! We enjoyed classically Spanish desserts like Pan de Nata, and Christmas roscones. We couldn’t get over the Christmas markets, live music and the brightly lit nativity scene.
El Escorial
Christmas time was very busy for us, between the trips that we had plannedand constant visitors we had little time to rest! When Alexis’ cousins came we decided on a quick and easy trip to a nearby town that was historical and classically Spanish. After a little help from google we decided on El Escorial. In the town, is a beautiful Spanish Monastery that houses the bodies of Past Royals. It is in the middle of beautiful mountains and at the bottom is a small town that has hardly changed since its inception.The most interesting part of the tour of the monastery was the very end where we took a long windy staircase down to a dungeon seeming room. We were surprised to find a red velvet interior with quite a few caskets of the royals. The caskets were adorned with gold leaf, silk and jewels – embodying the definition of luxury. They even had an empty casket for the next royal…kinda creepy but its tradition.
Avila
When Priya’s boyfriend decided to pay us a visit, we wanted him to experience one of little Spanish towns that we loved exploring. After arriving in the town we were amazed to see a grand castle awaited our exploration. At this point we were convinced that the Spainsh loved castles more than jamon iberico because there was literally a castle in every city for every season. We bought tickets and received a headset to give us some history about the town and its main attraction. It was amazing to walk along the majestic site while looking out onto the city.The well preserved medieval walls, “Muralla de Avila” that circulate the center of the town are definitely a must see!
“Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere.”
-Isabelle Eberhardt
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Costumes and Carnaval kfjsdovnslfgnsilhnsfnhlsnbfls Peak fgkslnlskfnbls;ns; nb Valley dgdfhdfmbs.fb Appreciation gdjnv lskfnv sfnmh;dnbs “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou Like this article? Share on facebook Share on Facebook Share on twitter Share on Twitter Share on linkedin Share on Linkdin Share on pinterest Share on Pinterest Leave a
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