The first impression I got of Madrid was actually quite disappointing. We arrived late at night, we were not able to find our apartment and it was so cold that I felt a bit sad for leaving. However, in the morning everything changed.
After a shower and a delicious breakfast, we walked to one of the centre squares in the city. There, we met with a tour guide and introduced ourselves to people from England, Canada, Australia and many more. This immediate mix of cultures was very pleasant to me. The guide looked Swedish, with a sort of a goofy smile, but he was kind and sweet throughout the whole journey and promised us that he was actually Spanish. We started our trip from Puerta Del Sol (Gate to the Sun) square and walked all the way to the famous royal palace. We visited the oldest restaurants, hotels, streets and along the way many shops with traditional sweets.
He told us numerous amazing stories about the significance of each place and how Spain developed as a country over the centuries. You can really mix the history of the country with the beautiful places all at once.The only problem was that the wind was really strong and it made us want to go to the apartment more than anything. However, the guide made it as interesting as possible and I would definitely recommend to use one to understand where you are going.
The city itself is really crowded but not in a way that makes you feel trapped. There are a lot of ways to avoid most of the people but we decided to walk mostly around the tourist spots for the first day. The people are loud and noisy but always friendly. Here are some pictures of the first day!
Self- improvement 