Un poco de Madrid...

Bex couldn't resist trying on a new dress

Bullfighting, sangria and tapas...es Madrid, el capital de Espana. Continuing on my Eurotrip, once again I used Eurolines bus transport. I made my away across the dusty french landscapes and, 18 hours later, found myself in the land of sexy senoritas and hunky hombres.

This is where the party really began and my taste for spanish nightlife kicked in. Myself and travel pal stayed in one of the best hostels I had seen thus far. Cat's Hostel is set in the city centre and surprisingly there are no cats in the hostel, thank god. In fact, the local Madrid people are nicknamed cats because they are always out and about, hence the name.

Located off a narrow alleyway, the building is an 18th century palace and boasts culture and history. It is adorned with quirky decor and archaic awnings making it a rather rad place to stay.  With a bar and common room we were soon making friends and heading out to numerous fiestas.  

On any trip a hostel can make a huge difference if you're able to pick a decent one. BEX FYI: Try to be based as central as possible, read reviews beforehand and a bar or common room is always a bonus as you're then bound to meet some new travel buds.

This hostel, like most others, offered a range of tours, including a free walking tour. However, if it’s your first time in Spain, a tapas tour is highly recommended. It gives you a flavour of the Spanish culture while gently introducing you to Spanish delicacies- pigs ear being one of the most popular. 

Eating and drinking aside, there is an array of culture to soak up in Madrid. On arrival I had thought differently. I couldn’t list anything I particularly wanted to see or do, with no famous landmarks pitching it as a competitor to Paris. But I was wrong and soon discovered the history that lay deep in old Madrid.

Dotted around the city are marks left by the years of conflict during the Spanish civil war, 1936-1939, and the dictatorship under Franco. The history walking tour details the role the city played during that time and is a recommendation for any history buff. 

Today, Madrid enjoys a monarchy and you can visit their residence in Madrid. The Palacio de Madrid is a tourist hot-spot and a more exotic version of our own Buckingham Palace. You can walk around the gardens and state rooms to sample a bit of the royal life.

The Museo del Prado is another site worth visiting. It is the country’s official art gallery and even for those with no artistic interest, it is worth a visit.

Palaces, museums and clubs, sounds like any standard european city. It may be that on each getaway you visit similar sites but, in my experience, each city is unique and has its own story to tell. A parisian church may have once been the home to Quasimodo and a Madrid church may have been home to a group shoeless sisters (The Covent of the Royal Barefoot Sisters).One may smell of croissants and the other of patatas. Either way when many claim all cities seem the same they would be wrong. They may all have churches and museums, night clubs and restaurants but it is the history, the people and the culture that make each destination unique and deserving of a click of our cameras.

J'adore...

Tour de Eiffel

By this point, I think we are all US-ed out. We’ve travelled east coast to west coast, and have probably devoured all the chunky chips and diet soda we can stomach. It’s time for a European twist. 

Cobbled streets and hidden art, a touch of glamour and a thirst for fashion, wistful romance and petit delights-Paris, a unique and sacred city that habours an elegance and charm that no other city has.

Thinking it was time I explored some of Europe’s own treasures, I decided to see what I could using Eurolines bus travel. The cheap and reliable service takes travelers across the continent from city to city. It’s an affordable way to travel, as long as you don’t mind enduring that blocked-toilet smell and an overweight stranger nestling into your shoulder. 

Once you reach your destination though, you soon forget the long and restless journey and are met with vibrance and colour, glamour and style. Paris is a bustling hub overspilling with stereotypical floppy-haired musicians and artists, interspersed with french beauties offering pastries and wine. 

The city has numerous hostels well-equipped for backpackers, however in the heart of a European capital they don’t come cheap. €25-€30 a night is the going rate but Aloha hostel was a good buy. It provided all we needed and was in a perfect location. 

BEX FYI: Location is key as you don’t want to spend precious time traipsing all over town.

It also offered a Sandeman’s free walking tour. As a tour lover, the fact that it was free had me spilling with geeky excitement. Led by young people, the Paris tour provided historical and cultural information tailored to a younger age group. 

There are all the must-see museums, like the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay. There’s also the spectacular monuments, like the Arc de Triomphe and the Sacre Coeur. The tour brings you to each of these famous faculties whilst also exposing the hidden jewels you never knew existed. 

A few days in Paris is certainly not enough, there is always more to see and do which is why many people never tire of the city. The Louvre itself could have you lost for days in the world of art and sculpture. After 5 hours, myself and Jenna had still not seen it all and so we returned the next day determined to find Miss Mona Lisa. 

And how could I not mention the Eiffel Tower. Of course it is not to be missed and you could see it time and time again and still be overwhelmed by its grandeur. Night up the Eiffel tower provides some of the best views of the city as it sparkles below- if you can find a few parisian hunks to accompany you then all the better. Myself and Jen did one better than that though. With my celeb spotting eyes on, sipping coffee in a cafe round from the tower,we found Jackson Rathbone (aka Jasper from Twilight). Oh yes, forget experiencing a moonlit Eiffel with a french fittie, we found ourselves a vampire...

I could spend hours detailing the quirky patisseries that need a visit, the famous museums that must be explored, the intricate artworks that must be discovered, but I would be here all day and you’d be clicking away. What I will say is that often the best moments in Paris are those of doing nothing. Forget all the things “you just have to see” and merely saunter through the rustic alleyways, pause to savour a sweet crepe and enjoy the entertainment poised at every corner. The stroll alone will have you tasting the Parisian flurry of passion that floats in the air of the city of romance.