Madrid

Last weekend I visited my friends Rocio and Luigi in Madrid. Being one of my favourite cities in Europe, I couldn't wait to indulge in great Spanish coffee, tapas and cervezas and the great Madrid nightlife.

Madrid is a city that pretty much has it all covered. The public transport network is fantastic - it's cheap, modern, had a tube station under the airport and is open from early in the morning until late in the evening. It's population is friendly, festive and surely know how to enjoy life; afternoon naps, all day drinking and eating and night that start slow but end late - and messy.

A couple of the many, many highlights:















EL LACON is a typical Madrilena eaterie (and boozer for that) with a huge variety of wines available per bottle and per glass. Tapas come for free with every drink you order and additional food is available. Close to tube station Plz. Anton Martin.















TEMPLO DE DEBOD is the centre of a great green space in the centre of town. The park itself a a great place to relax. From from some points there are magnificent views over the city and the Rio Manzanares valley.




















EL RASTRO is an open air flea market. It is held every Sunday and public holiday during the year and is located along Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores, between Calle Embajadores and the Ronda de Toledo. Tube station, la Latina.
















Go to Malasana for a great nightlife and some great, slightly edgy pubs. Have a paella in a typical Spanish restaurant (and prepare to pay slighly more than in a tourist area), have a snooze in Retiro park. Most imprtantly treat yourself to Jamon Iberico.

Avoid Zara, souvenir shops on Plaza Major and don't sit on a terrace next to Spanish kids playing football.

Still not quite there...

So after years of working, studying and traveling through Europe (with the occasional escape to America and Africa) I managed to stay in the same place for three years now. A miracle.
Having set up camp in London for a long time wasn't at all what I had in mind.
I couldn't wait to start a summer job in Paris after I had visited the city for the first time in my life. For some reason though I ended up working in the French alps for a couple of months.
When I moved to Berlin I was initially totally unimpressed with the city and was close to booking myself on a KLM flight back home after spending my first week there. Six months later I couldn't imagine myself leaving that place, but I had no choice. I still needed to finish my degree, and had to go to England to get some work experience.
After spending six months in London I told myself when I was sitting in the Eurostar back home that I would never go back. But here I am.

The above pretty much reflects the past 5 years in my life. I moved from place to place, worked for government institutions, as a barman in a club in the South of France, managed the marketing for a hotel in a forest in a remote Dutch village, was mountain sports instructor in the French alps (without any previous experience I must add) and ended up job hopping in London. In the meantime I finished a couple of degrees, dipped my toe in the dark waters of politics (and pulled my toe out of the water after a short period of time), but most importantly I've been 'on the road'.

This blog is mainly about my little trips here and there, my London life and everything I might find on my way on a daily basis. As you might have concluded from this introduction you might also find posts on here that don't match the above criteria, but hey, life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.

Niels