So after recovering from what can only be described as one hellish week of lying in horizontal agony drugged up on antibiotics, I was recuperada and ready to make the five hour coach journey with my flatmate down to Spain's centre, Madrid, to see some much missed uni friends! A LOT much got packed into that short stay so here's an attempt to summarize:
I'm a bit 'meh' about zoos: whilst I'm lucky to have Marwell as my nearest one at home, there are plenty of crap ones to disappoint you; Barcelona for example, was a major mammalian fail. Plus I'm reluctant to go to zoos that fail to support wildlife conservation and all that. The Zoo/Aquarium in Madrid is thankfully a pretty awesome one! I saw a baby panda for the first time in my life, got extremely close to a rhinoceros (funny spelling, always think that) and a pair of lopey, mopey brown bears.
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| some dear deer whatsits |
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| 'mingos chillin' |
So in conclusion, if you like your zoos, don't bother with the one in Barcelona cos it's pretty naff.
The rest of my weekend was spent running around attempting as much site-seeing as possible in the little time we had (and as much as we could manage whilst nursing a hangover from a particularly alcoholic night out on Friday).
Exploring the neighbourhood of Malasaña was a highlight for me; a cramped network of alleyways and narrow roads offering a glut of hipster boutiques, bars and alternative cafés. I could have spent a week in that area alone, so definitely an excuse to go back!
The rest of my weekend was spent running around attempting as much site-seeing as possible in the little time we had (and as much as we could manage whilst nursing a hangover from a particularly alcoholic night out on Friday).
Exploring the neighbourhood of Malasaña was a highlight for me; a cramped network of alleyways and narrow roads offering a glut of hipster boutiques, bars and alternative cafés. I could have spent a week in that area alone, so definitely an excuse to go back!
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| on the streets of malasaña |
One beautiful, blue-skied evening was spent wandering around el Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid's main park, eventually perching ourselves on monument steps to watch couples rowing boats upon a lake of liquid mercury in the dusky light.
The weekend also included an awesome gig and a last day visit to a huge, three storey bookshop in which I could've spent more than a day lost between its bookshelves...(another excuse to come back!)
It was great to escape Torre and venture to a big city and I felt the contrast between the small town quietude of Cantabria and the hectic rush of Spain's capital hugely. On my return I found myself both missing the buzz and bustle of Madrid as well appreciating the peace of a small town all the more!
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| sunset at al parque del buen retiro |
The weekend also included an awesome gig and a last day visit to a huge, three storey bookshop in which I could've spent more than a day lost between its bookshelves...(another excuse to come back!)
It was great to escape Torre and venture to a big city and I felt the contrast between the small town quietude of Cantabria and the hectic rush of Spain's capital hugely. On my return I found myself both missing the buzz and bustle of Madrid as well appreciating the peace of a small town all the more!
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