AspiringNomad

I’m sitting al fresco at a small cafe in the centre of Madrid. Sipping a cappuccino and fresh orange juice and eating a croissant. The smell of coffee and the sound of chatter fill the air (mix in a little cigarette smoke too, I am in Europe after all). As cheesey as it sounds, I know I am exactly where I am meant to be! After 10 months of waiting, the first leg of my journey is well underway, and I couldn’t be more excited about what the next 10 weeks are going to bring.

With all my creature comforts left in Fakenham along with my beloved cats, I am off to a part of the world that I never imagined I would get the chance to visit, South America.

I start my journey at Sandy Lane. As Arron bombards me with 1 million questions about my flight schedule I do my final checks; passport, dollars, euros (thanks Arron for the 20€) and phone.
I double check that I have remembered everything I need to keep me comfortable for the next 10 weeks and finish squashing it all into my 65L backpack, weighing all of just 15.7kg, it begs the question, what are all the other clothes doing that I have left at home? …Maybe it’s time for a clear out!

Mum and Dad kindly offered to drive me down to Stansted to see me off on my big adventure. In true Martindale style, we missed the junction to ‘Stansted Airport’ off the M11 and took a short 8 mile detour with just enough time to spare to say our goodbyes outside of the terminal. ‘May the wind always be on your back’. A few wise words from Dad who assures me his questionable travel quote is not about anything other than hoping that I have a smooth journey!
I hugged them both goodbye and took the usual routes through the airport, getting only slightly annoyed at the general public for moving so slowly!

As I get off the plane in Madrid and retrieve my luggage I soon feel the buzz of being somewhere new! I follow the signs to ‘Metro’ but it’s not long before I have to stop to readjust my backpack. Who knew that Madrid airport was so massive, and 15.7kg becomes very heavy, very quickly! I was close to chucking half my clothes out there and then, but after a few rearrangements, I was good to go again.

I spent some time negotiating the travel card machines in the metro station before paying for my travel card, hoping it is going to last me for the next 48 hours! I am required to change 3 times before I get off at the stop closest to my hotel. A short walk brings me to Artiem Hotel on the edge of Madrid centre. A lovely hotel, ideal for a couple of nights. I was especially pleased when she told me the fridge stocked with beers and bottles of wine were complimentary!

After a short time to recuperate, charge my phone and have a cuppa, I headed out to the city centre.
I jumped on Bus route 21 (much quicker than the metro) to find that the travel card I purchased earlier didn’t work! To my dismay, I used my contactless bank card and took my seat. Surprisingly, the bus routes are very popular, as we got towards the center of Madrid the bus was packed full! I got off at Colòn which I was told is just a short walk from all the hustle and bustle. Madrid has completely taken me by surprise, it is by far the coolest city I have ever been to! I am completely in awe of the people, the buzz and the architecture! I’ve already told my friends that I am coming back with them! Every restaurant and bar was spilling out onto the street, the pathways were a chaotic nightmare to navigate with locals and tourists filling up every part of the pavements! I walked down the Calle Gran Via, which had a similar feel to Regent Street in London. It was getting pretty late and I felt I had soaked up as much as I could for one evening, so I turned around and started to walk back to the bus stop.

I am now sitting in the hotel bar/restaurant with a complimentary Estrella. What a fantastic way to start my trip! A complete change of scenery to kick start what I can feel is going to be an incredible 10 weeks of adventure!