NO NUN COOKIES FOR YOU! | The Roving Vlogger Day 7 (2017-10-06)

Churros for breakfast and sangria for dinner... We must be in Spain!

Despite staying up until midnight, I still woke up at 5am. Instead of lying around trying to force ourselves to sleep, Nash and I went out into the streets of Madrid. The only people out were a few revelers from the previous night and Plaza Mayor was eerily empty.

We went to Chocolateria San Gines for breakfast, since it was the only place open. The normally-overflowing store was empty apart from a few police officers. As far as I can tell, churros con chocolate are the equivalent of donuts in the United States. It’s not uncommon for our cities to have 24-hour donut shops that are also frequented by cops.

San Gines when we arrived.

Minutes later.

For 4 euros, we shared a warm cup of melted chocolate and 6 churros. When I decided to take some back to my parents, the man behind the counter pulled a fresh tray of churros out, cut them up, and placed them piping hot in my to-go bag. He gave us way more than I had ordered!

After the sun rose, we went out again. My dad wanted to go on a walking tour of the city and take an audio tour of the palace. I was willing to accompany them to only one stop on his route.

At the Monasterio de Corpus Christi, cloistered nuns usually bake cookies that they sell for 10€ a bag, all without seeing or speaking to their customers.

I’m a sucker for sweets and gimmicks, so it seemed like a fun stop. Unfortunately, there was a sign on the monastery door saying that cookies wouldn’t be available until Monday. Oh well! I met back up with Nash to hang out at a cafe (one of the many Rolleries in Madrid) for a few hours.

We met my parents for lunch at the Azotea atop the Circulo de Bellas Artes, with one of the best rooftop views of the city.

With reservations, you don’t have to pay the 3€ fee to enter, but the food is expensive! It’s definitely not the kind of place I would go on my own, but I knew my parents would appreciate the view. We ended up dropping 65€ on a single meal.

Expensive view.

Watching the city in motion.

Madrid's City Hall, welcoming refugees

I’m not much of a museum person, but I was willing to give the Prado a chance during free hours, which run from 6-8pm on Monday to Saturdays and 5-7pm on Sundays and holidays. Otherwise, regular admission is 15€. Several other museums, like the Reina Sofia, have similar policies.

Of course, the line was super long (a guard informed us people begin lining up at 5pm), so we decided to stroll through the nearby park instead.

The 350-acre Parque de Retiro is about a third the size of Central Park in New York.

It has sports fields, lots of walking and running trails, an exercise area, gardens, and playgrounds. Many families were out enjoying the evening. The beautiful Palacio de Cristal stands in the center by an artificial pond. This was originally built as a greenhouse for Filipino plants in 1887 (back when Spain ruled the Philippines) but now hosts art exhibits.

That night, we shared a pitcher of sangria (16€) and a couple tapas at a table in the Plaza de Santa Ana. The wind came up, and what had been a warm day turned chilly. We retreated back home after midnight and this time I slept through the night.

My Expenditures

Lodging: $28.75
Transportation: $0
Food: $27
Entertainment: $0
Total: $55.75

We splurged a lot on food today and it shows! Still haven't spent any money on entertainment but that will change tomorrow...

Thanks for reading/watching!
- Katie, @therovingreader

_{!steemitworldmap 40.413814 lat -3.681375 long A day in Madrid with churros con chocolate, amazing rooftop views, and a walk through the Parque de Retiro. D3SCR}

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