Hilton Madrid Airport Hotel Breakfast buffet
The breakfast buffet was so good. All you can eat and drink. I had a great cup of coffee followed by some eggs, hash browns (or as the Spanish call them, Croquetas de Patatas), sausage, ham, and a couple of pasties. It was well worth the jet lag and wait.
After breakfast, I took a cab to the city center, which was about 16 Euros or so. I had enough time to walk around a beautiful park called Buen Retiro Park. It was peaceful at the time, with joggers running in the morning and people doing their morning routine. Kids going to school, and people rushing to work. The city is beautiful. I’ve never been to Madrid, and it was making me sad that it was only a layover.
After the park, I walked around some of the town squares and got assaulted by Mini Mouse, who wanted me to take a picture with her… but not for free… I respectfully declined.
I walked into a couple of souvenir shops and looked for a Ronaldo Jersey from team Real Madrid for my little brother, who loves soccer (which was 40 Euros!) I managed to get into a cafe (Priorite Coffee House) and order a nice cup of coffee, sit and soak in the fact that I was in Madrid. It made me miss Barcelona (my favorite city in the world). The coffee was only 1.50 Euros. After that, I walked up and down a few streets. Caught a cab and headed to my hotel to check out and take my last flight to Tangier, Morocco.
MAD to TNG Coach on Iberia Airlines
My flight from MAD (Madrid) to TNG (Tangier) was the only flight I did not get upgraded on, so I flew coach, which was fine. I was somewhat rested, and the flight was only an hour and a half.
We waited on the runway for about 45 minutes before taking off, though. That was a little frustrating, especially since I was fading fast. The crew was Spanish and very friendly. I was seated in an exit row. Therefore they came and asked us if we are willing to participate in emergency procedures in case of an emergency.
I was really excited but also very tired. I fell asleep for what seemed like 30 minutes. I can’t remember if they gave us anything to drink or snack on. There’s a good chance they skipped me since I was asleep.
The flight was entirely smooth, and the crew was great. There is nothing to complain about, except the fact that we were now running 45 minutes late, and I desperately wanted a bed. As we flew across the Straight of Gibraltar and entered African territory, you could see how low we were. You could see the water underneath us.
My excitement was hitting on a larger scale now. It’s been about 48 hours, and we are finally arriving in TANGIER!