Sunday is a very eventful day here in Madrid. From a street being turned into a pedestrian road to an outdoor flea market with no end, Sunday is the perfect day to go out and enjoy all that Madrid offers. It is definitely not a day you will want to miss out on while visiting Madrid.

Sweet Morning

The day started off with a trip to an amazing bakery called “La Mallorquina”, which is in “Puerta del Sol”, so it was a quick, simple walk from our hotel. The bakery was spacious, and it smelled so good. This place is liked by lots of people, so the expectation was that we would have to wait a long time in order to get our pastries, however the service was straightforward and rather quick, so I would recommend trying it out even if the amount of people seems intimidating. We tried their famous “napolitana de crema” and a macaroon, and they were both incredibly delicious. They were so warm, and as soon as they hit our mouths, they just completely melted. The pastries weren’t too sweet to where it makes you sick. They were just right, and every bite was extremely enjoyable. I loved these pastries and I will definitely come back just to try out some more. If you want to satisfy your sweet tooth, “La Mallorquina” is the place to go.

El Rastro

Later in the day, at around 12PM, we started our walk towards “el rastro”, an open air flea market that runs in the city of Madrid every Sunday from 9AM to 3PM. We actually took a longer route towards the market so that we could experience walking on this street that is usually for cars but is closed and turned it into a pedestrian street every Sunday. Walking down that street was an amazing experience because it was filled with people just enjoying their time and soaking in as much of the environment as they could. There were cyclists, people walking their dogs, children, etc. It was very interesting to learn about this idea of closing a street off every Sunday for people to walk on, but I absolutely loved it and I thought it was an amazing idea, since it gives people something to look forward to every week. Eventually, we got to the “rastro” and right away the amount of people that were there took me by surprise. Although. there were many people, it still did not feel overwhelming. Quite the contrary, it brought the market to life. Right off the bat, I noticed that the market had a large so many stores and so many things that could be bought. From clothes to electronics and collectibles, I truly believe that the market had at least one of everything ever made in the world. As we made our way through the market, we realized it was much bigger than it seemed at first. Every time we took a turn, there were more and more stores. It was so much to where I am not even sure I saw it all. Overall, “el rastro” is truly a shopper’s biggest dream. There are so many things to choose from and the prices are very good for the most part. This was one of my favorite experiences in Madrid so far. If you’re patient and don’t rush, then you will definitely find a good deal on something you want.

Real Jardín Botánico

Later in the afternoon, we headed to the Real Jardín Botánico. The weather was not the best, unfortunately. It was cloudy, and it even rained a bit, but that still did not take away from the beauty of the garden. The garden had a vast collection of flowers, trees, and much more that came from all over the world. The biggest thing that stood out to me was their bonsai collection. They had a lot of them, and they ranged from all ages, some were even 100. Beyond its amazing nature, my favorite thing about the botanical garden was its environment. It was a very relaxing and quiet place. I am not sure if that was because of the weather or the time of the day, but I thoroughly enjoyed how it felt to be in the garden, it is a great place to take a break from the big city, and it was a nice contrast to “el rastro”.

So far, Madrid has been the easiest city to fall in love with. There is so much to do, the food is delicious, and the environment does not compare to anywhere else in the world. Madrid quickly became one of my favorite cities and one that I recommend everyone visits.