Day 2 of our Spain vacation is officially done!
Our hotel reservation didn’t include breakfast, although we could have added it for €10 per person. After reading some mixed reviews, we decided we’d rather explore the local food scene instead. But most breakfast places around us didn’t open until 10:00 AM, so we enjoyed a slow morning in the hotel before heading out.
For brunch, we went to Zurch, a highly rated breakfast spot in the area. The place was beautiful, the food portions were huge, and everything looked great. It was a little on the pricey side, but we enjoyed the food.
After brunch, we wandered around the neighborhood and stopped by the Church of San Antonio simply because Antonio happens to be my husband’s namesake. The church was quaint and peaceful, with beautiful paintings covering the walls and ceilings.
As we continued walking, we found ourselves at El Moderno, a lovely concept store filled with all sorts of beautiful things. It was one giant collection of “I want this, but I shouldn’t buy it” items. Haha! I decided that starting tomorrow, I’ll borrow a tip I learned from Kelly Bangs during her Japan trip: take photos of all the cute things I want to buy but don’t need, then print the photos later and include them in my travel journal. Much cheaper and it saves luggage space too! But just as much happiness brought.
We also stopped by Zara, but the store was massive - three or four floors and packed with people. I quickly decided that was a future-Ana problem and that I could always come back another day while we’re still in Madrid.
Primark, however, was a different story.
I happily made my way up to the third floor (the fourth was mostly for kids) because, well… Primark! I’ve loved browsing Primark ever since my first visit to one in London back in 2018. Back then, I bought shirts for family and friends for around ₱200 each. Prices have changed since then, of course, but what amused me was realizing that I now compare European prices to Saudi Arabian prices rather than Philippine prices. So technically, they are cheaper now because I'm comparing it to Saudi. Funny how living abroad changes your what's mahal and what's not perspective.
I managed to pick up a few things for myself, along with some gifts for family and friends. There were definitely more things I wanted to buy, but I exercised some self-control. Besides, it’s only Day 2. There’s still plenty of vacation left! Worst-case scenario, we can always end our trip with one final Primark visit in Barcelona. Hehehe.
After all that shopping, we stumbled upon a cute bookstore called Casa del Libro. Most of the books were in Spanish, but they did have a small English section. I’ve been searching everywhere for a physical copy of Freida McFadden’s The Dinner Party. Since it’s a choose-your-own-adventure style story with multiple endings, I feel like it deserves to be read in book form rather than on a screen. So far, I’ve had no luck finding it in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the Philippines, or now Spain. The hunt continues!
The first half of our day ended with smoothies and a donut from a bakery near our hotel called The Best Brunch and Breakfast.
Back at the hotel, we rested for a bit, finalized plans for the next few days, and video-called my family so I could proudly show off my Primark haul. Here's my haul excluding those we got for the hubby and our cat sitter:
Then it was time for Round Two of our day.
For the evening adventure, we took the train like locals. Hehe.
While exploring the city center, we passed by the Presidency of the Community of Madrid, where they were live-streaming the Pope who arrived in Madrid early during the day.
Next, we visited Chocolatería San Ginés, probably the most famous churros spot in Madrid. The churros were delicious, but what surprised me most was the chocolate. It wasn’t overly thick, which meant you could actually drink whatever was left after dipping. Very dangerous information for someone who loves chocolate.
We spent some time relaxing at Plaza de Isabel II before walking toward the Palacio Real de Madrid and the Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena. Unfortunately, both were already closed when we arrived. It was around 8:00 PM, but there was still plenty of daylight outside, which continues to amaze me.
By now, we were hungry and ready for dinner. We headed to Mercado de San Miguel, fully intending to finally eat something Spanish. Unfortunately, it was incredibly crowded and a little too warm for our liking.
So what did we do?
We ate Japanese food.
In Spain.
At a restaurant just outside the market.
Hahaha.
The restaurant was called Yakitori, and we ended up having the entire place to ourselves. It was quiet, comfortable, and exactly what we needed after a long day of walking. One of the owners was Japanese and told us his family was from Kyoto. His grandfather was even the chef. It was like a little piece of Japan tucked into the middle of Madrid.
After dinner, we continued our walk through Plaza Mayor before finally grabbing an Uber back to the hotel.
We got back around 9:00 PM and there was still daylight outside.
As I write this, it’s now 10:00 PM. Whether we head out again for a late-night snack or simply call it a night remains to be seen.
Knowing us, both options are equally possible.
For now, I’ll sort through today’s treasures, admire my growing pile of junk-journal goodies, and rest up for another day of exploring. Day 2 brought us beautiful churches, shopping finds, churros, trains, unexpected Japanese food, and plenty of steps on our fitness trackers (hahah joke lang. wala kami nyan!). Not a bad way to spend a day in Madrid.
Oh but first, I’m also sharing a photo of the “junk” I collected throughout the day for my traveler’s notebook. Hehe. Receipts, tags, brochures, packaging, and other random paper bits may not look like much right now, but will be nice once I start my journaling.
Until tomorrow!
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