As I’ve mentioned before, free walking tours are one of my favorite ways to see a new city! They’re generally about 3 hours long, tip based, you get to know the layout of the city and where all the big attractions are, and sometimes, you get some new friends out of the deal! Friends that remind you why you started traveling in the first place, and why those ‘5 minute friendships’ I complained about in my last post isn’t always a bad thing.

Discovering Madrid By Foot

On my first full day in Madrid, I made my way downstairs to the lobby of my hostel, OK Hostel Madrid, to take advantage of the free walking tour offered by the hostel. There was a small group of girls also waiting, two Americans and one Australian. Unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of people staying at the hostel at the time, and we were the only ones interested in a tour that day. Therefore the staff told us where we could find another free walking tour hosted by Sandemans (a fabulous walking tour company that I highly recommend).

The four of us quickly got acquainted with each other, and, after a few wrong turns and a bit of confusion, we made our way to the nearby Plaza Mayor where the Sandemans tour started.

We made it just in time for the start of the tour, and after learning about the history of the Plaza Mayor (all while watching a plethora of workers starting to set up the Christmas market stalls throughout the plaza), we set off through the streets of Madrid.

We found the ‘bear doing something to a tree’, aka the coat of arms of Madrid

The Guinness World Book of Records anointed ‘Oldest Restaurant in the World’

The Catedral de la Almudena

And the Royal Palace of Madrid

Exploring Madrid With Friends

But while I enjoyed learning about Madrid’s history and exploring the city while on this tour, what I enjoyed even more was making some new friends over the course of those 3 hours! We all had a great time talking and getting to know each other. So much so, that we ended up hanging out together not only for the rest of the day, but for the next few days as well!

Together we found the Egyptian Temple of Debod

The Crystal Palace

The (apparently) only public statue of Lucifer in existence (though unless you knew it was Lucifer you might not otherwise guess that)

And of course found a lovely spot in the park to take a little siesta in the sun

That evening we enjoyed a wonderful home cooked family-style dinner thanks to the hostel (and the free booze DURING dinner was a nice added bonus). Then the hostel played Backstreet Boys. Leah approved of the song choice.

These awesome ladies also dragged me out on my first pub crawl in quite some time. While we ALL regretted that life choice the next morning, it was a blast.

And the best way to start the ‘day after’? A trip to the local deli for some fresh ham and cheese.

And of course, how can one resist getting lost in the alleys of a Spanish city? The colors. OH man I could wax poetic for hours on the colors, the balconies, the sounds of the accordions and harmonicas.

Changing my tune a bit

While I might not be 100% over the travel slump I talked about a few weeks ago (and which become one of my most popular posts ever), thanks to that walking tour, I found some new friends that certainly helped to make things a bit better for a while. Maybe not better for my wallet (I’m looking at you Leah), but definitely for my attitude towards travel.

Unfortunately both Erin and Molly had to return to the States 2 days later, but Leah became my travel buddy in Madrid for a few more days, and again in Seville! We even have plans to possibly meet up again in Thailand.

So while those ‘5 minute friendships’ can be tough to deal at times, at other times, it’s exactly what you need. And occasionally those friendships last beyond the quick ‘in and out’ stage.

It might not have sounded like it in my last post, but I truly treasure those friends I’ve made on my travels that I still keep in contact with. The fact that we only hung out for a few days, but still occasionally chat and support each other’s travels, is amazing. When, after a year, you still virtually wave hello to someone you maybe physically hung out with for a cumulative 18 hours, that is pretty damn cool.

We’re all bound by our love of travel, of experiencing the world, of leaving the comforts of home for the hectic and unknown. We might not ever be in the same place again, but it takes a unique kind of person to do what we’re all doing, whether it be for 2 weeks or 2 years. I’ve had some of the most fulfilling conversations with people I only know for 3 hours. Everyone is supportive of each other’s hopes, dreams, and travel plans. We brush past the small talk and straight into meaningful discussions.

We might only know each other for a short amount of time, but that time is always well spent.

Thanks for the reminder ladies!

Did meeting a new group of friends ever help bring you out of a travel slump?

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