Day 21: On the road from Seville to Madrid
Our breakfast choice, La Mala, felt like a café in Brooklyn. But it gave us options beyond coffee, pastries and sandwiches, which is more typical. I had multigrain bread with avocado, spinach, tomato and mushroom. Scott had a ham and spinach omelet, as well as a croissant with Nutella (smart addition!). Then, we were off to Madrid.
Madrid is about six hours from Seville, and the road trip was smooth with no traffic till we were well into the center of the city. We saw another Osborne bull and some very old castle-looking structures along the highway, but otherwise it could have been one of our Stateside road trips (including the bustling scene above of the Gran Via in Madrid at night). What we couldn’t have done Stateside is had a paella and sangria dinner at La Paella de la Reina.
Since we missed Valencia, I made sure to pick a restaurant where we could have good paella. At La Paella de la Reina, we chose the paella con chorizo, which also had chicken. I’m not a drinker but we opted for a pitcher of their house recipe Sangria – excellent. Paella takes time, so we had an egg and asparagus appetizer, also great. We ended our meal with a crepe, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce dessert. The whole meal came out to just 96 Euro!
Our hotel, the Aloft Gran Via, is like we’re staying in Times Square. It’s easy to get everywhere, but it’s also packed with people. We ducked into the Primark (it’s five levels!) and Scott got some shirts, including one that said, “Madrid.” If souvenir shirts are your thing, definitely go to Primark while you’re here.
Three Final Days: Madrid
Where to Stay: Aloft Gran Via
Where to Eat: La Paella de la Reina, Chocolateria San Gines
What to See: Madrid history museum, Prado art museum, Gran Via (and the giant Primark), Plaza Mayor, Royal Botanical Garden and the used bookshops along Retiro Park, El Rastro flea market
Day 22: Walking tour of Madrid
The Aloft is centrally located so we would be able to walk from there to many of the main tourist sites. Our rewards level with Marriott gives us free breakfast at the Aloft, and it was the perfect way to fuel our walk. Scott had his typical scrambled eggs and sausage. I built my plate around things I don’t normally make for myself — smoked salmon, guacamole, baked beans (in tiny individual crockpots!), roasted vegetables. We both tried several pastries – chocolate and plain croissants, banana bread, chocolate muffin, chocolate cooking (we didn’t even select everything!)
Our first stop was the Madrid history museum , which is free. It focuses on the rise of Madrid up to the early 1900s. It’s small but mighty with something for everyone – maps and models, art, furniture.
We then walked to the Plaza Mayor, which is a shopper’s paradise and great for people watching, since it’s packed.
We ducked into the Mercado San Miguel, also wall-to-wall people and lots of goodies.
We visited the Puerta del Sol (just like Washington Square Park for my New York readers).
We also checked out the Chocolatería San Ginés, which has been serving churros since 1894! The line was well up the block, but we took note of the location and did return — it’s open 24 hours on the weekend.
We arrived at the Royal Palace to catch the end of the changing of the guard.
The Prado is free for the last two hours of the day, so after an afternoon siesta we headed back out to take in some art.
Dinner was more a late afternoon lunch, when we ducked into one of many sidewalk cafes. I took the opportunity to have more paella — seafood this time.
Day 23: Retiro Park, Royal Botanical Garden, El Rastro flea market, and finally churros
On our way to the Prado the evening prior, we passed by Retiro Park and noticed a line of used bookstore stands closing up for the night. We returned the next day to check them out, as well as stop into the Royal Botanical Garden. The collection of bonsai trees were our favorite.
We also loved the fruit section, including several varieties of grapes.
We also spent some time checking out El Rastro, the 400-year old flea market that spans multiple streets and offers a wide selection of household items, vintage clothes, souvenirs, even pet supplies.
We took time out of our walk for Sunday mass at San Gines Church, one of the oldest parishes in Madrid.
And we couldn’t leave without trying to get into the Chocolateria San Gines one last time. We tried in the early evening since most people eat much later, and we were able to get in after a short wait. (Bonus tip: don’t pick the first line you see. There are multiple cafe entrances, and lines could be shorter and faster if you keep walking.) We shared one order of six long churros and a cup of thick hot chocolate — 8 Euros!
Day 24: Flight from Madrid to JFK, NYC
Our final day was all travel. We knew were in a Spanish airport, however, as one of the stores was selling sides of pork and ham right in the terminal!
Another happy omen for us — our plane was named Costa Rica!
We planned this trip to scout multiple cities and find our next international property after Condo Boom in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. We think we have our city and our returning there in February 2025 — stay tuned!
We are Scott and Caroline, 50-somethings who spent the first 20+ years of our adult lives in New York City, working traditional careers and raising 2 kids. We left full-time work in our mid-40’s for location-independent, part-time consulting projects and real estate investing, in order to create a more flexible and travel-centric lifestyle. 
Financial independence and early retirement is not something we originally focused on, but over time realized it was possible. Our free report, 
