My corporate trip to the Spanish capital

My initial trip to Madrid happened 10 years ago, when me and my brother were still children and our father and mother brought us on a family journey with the car. I had some vague memories, but appreciated the enjoyable feeling and thus when my ceo explained I needed to go on a business travel to the Spanish main city; I jumped with joy… although I didn’t show it while in front of him!

The office manager in our company reserved my plane tickets and informed me she organized my Madrid holiday apartment, which initially seemed strange and I questioned her why not a hotel apartment. She stated that she has been to similar Madrid lodging when she went on her honeymoon a year ago and that she was very pleased with the facilities and the discounted rental price tag.

As she said, the Madrid apartment she selected for me was simply marvelous. I stayed in the middle of the city, had direct link to the business zone where I was presupposed to train my local colleagues and connect with the management and had every one of the comforts I wanted.

The most charming thing of all was that I was accommodated very close to the Plaza Mayor area, which for me is the most inspiring spot in Madrid. I had time to enjoy the statue of King Philip III, the architecture of Casa de la Panaderia and the marvelous Arco de los Cuchilleros. In the evenings I went for dinner at the outdoor eating places at the square. I was by myself but never felt lonely there, as Madrid has that great enchanting atmosphere, where one could never feel bad after being surrounded by so many friendly people. Then I went back to my Madrid apartment for a good night rest as I had to be ready for the next day.

One day in the park

My business trip was going just as planned, I was able to organize all my professional duties and still to have time and rest in the Madrid accommodation I have hired. On the 3rd day of my visit to the Spanish capital I had a free afternoon and a regional co-worker offered me to take me to the El Retiro Park. I’ve by now seen the place as it is quite close to my Madrid short stay apartment but haven’t had the time to explore it. So, when my co-worker offered a pleasant afternoon under the open sky I didn’t wait at all, we bought espresso and snacks and we went to the park.

I was happy to read later that the park is extremely large, embracing a region of 12 hectares. My colleague informed me that first it was arranged like an Italian recreation area in a baroque style, later being transformed like French gardens. These days, the El Retiro Park has a large man-made lake where one could hire a boat at a good cost. My favorite spot however was the Rose Garden with the sculpture of the Fallen Angel, while my colleague said she liked most the Paseo de las Estatuas or the Statue Walk.

We ate our sandwiches and went to Plaza de Colon to get some tasty ice-cream. The area is set between Paseo de la Castellana and Paseo de Recoletos and has a good area referred to as the Gardens of Discovery with its cascading water fountains, etc.

Now that I think about it, I was lucky to be with a local as I got a lot of info for the city and we talked a lot about how the locals live. As we parted, I headed straight away to my Madrid holiday apartment where I had a long shower and went to bed early.

Having fun in central Madrid

As I resided in a equipped and serviced Madrid holiday apartment in the center of the Spanish capital throughout my business travel, I was ın a position to investigate the Puerta del Sol area, that is a popular place for the tourists and the locals. The spot has a nice zone where these days are being celebrated numerous events including the New Year’s Eve. Here is also located the image of the city, which resembles a bear statue of bronze that climbs a strawberry tree. I made several photographs of this statue, and also managed to capture the people of the square, which were having tea, having ice-cream or sandwiches or just sitting and thinking about the life going by.

My Madrid flat was also in close proximity to a number of the nicest restaurants and night clubs in the spanish capital. It was hard for me to get accustomed to the late dining hours here because the dining establishments were open for guests after 8 and at times even after 9 o’clock. The night clubs however were open until the morning of the day after. Several of the best dance clubs I discovered were set along the Plaza de Santa Barbara where except pubs and bars, one could find fast food restaurants. I read that the districts Moncloa and Arguelles are usually preferred by the College students and I did not went there. Rather I selected a pub in the Malasaca area, where I met several people from my region and they took me with them to Pase de la Castellana where we went to another popular night club. After that I was so exhausted that I called it a night and went to my Madrid hotel were I went to bed. At the next morning I took a quick bath, enjoyed a hot cup of tea and requested a taxi to the airport as my business trip was over.

The Scottish capital Museums

Mark got up quite early on the next day, thus he went outside our Edinburgh apartment for some breakfast and a paper, then made the coffee and woke me up. We had some peaceful hours and after that headed towards the very first of the many monuments I had on my list.

The one nearest to our serviced apartment in Edinburgh turned to be the National Museum of Scotland, and then we went to the Royal Museum with its Millennium Clock. Mark insisted on viewing the National Gallery of Scotland as he is a great fan of fine art and after that he dragged me to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

I needed some fresh air and right after our visit down the museums, I convinced Mark we had more than enough for this day and we went to the Princes Street Gardens where we made a picnic. The park was full of moms and dads with their children and they all seemed pleased.

In the evening we headed to the Leith district, that wasn’t that close to the Edinburgh short stay apartment we were residing at, but was so wonderful that we could not resist. We went to the Britannia Royal Yacht, which is on port there and then we went to the Shore, which is an area of fish and chip shops, curry houses and elegant seafood dining places, along with conventional Scottish bars. I picked a nice brasserie called A Room in Leith, which offered a waterside location and we got a good Scottish meal.

Next Mark was the person to choose the pub we left for after dinner and he picked The Kings Wark on the coast, which turned to be a traditional pub on the water. There we had some ale and snacks and stayed really late until we finally got a cab to our Edinburgh apartment.

The Fringe Celebration

We had 2 additional days in the Scottish main city and were extremely happy that they coincided with the beginning of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Mark was thrilled that most of the alternative performances were to be arranged in the vicinity of our Edinburgh journey apartment and we actually managed to see several of them.

Being in the Scottish capital when the biggest arts festival in the world begins was very exciting and we actually noticed how the population doubled when all the entertainers and visitors arrived to enjoy the festivity! The city was filled with students, thrilled to present on stage what they are able of.

Mark and I appreciated the open-air street event along the Royal Mile and some free performances too. Mark appreciated most a musical we saw, while I enjoyed best a dance theatre. Throughout the first night of the festival we had a dinner and then went to a great club where we went to a special night play.

On the last day of our stay in the Scottish main city, we woke up earlier, packed our baggage to be prepared and left in our Edinburgh residential home, after which we headed to see 2 comedies that we genuinely had fun with.

After that we still had time and money to had a salad and some delicious meal at the Hendersons bar, which was popular among the non-meat eaters. The feeling was fantastic and we were content that we really had the possibility to see the main landmarks of the Scottish capital and also to see some of the Fringe Festival shows.

I bought a lot of candy and small souvenirs for my colleagues at the office, while Mark bought souvenirs for our two families. Then we went straight to our Edinburgh housing, grab the luggage and took a cab to the airport.

First visit in the capital of Scotland

Four weeks ago I received a unique prize from work, that involved a free journey to the Scottish capital for me and a person I choose to go on with. Every little thing was set up from the secretary in the office, thus me and Mark got the airplane tickets and the instructions on how to get to our Edinburgh holiday flat as soon as we reach the international airport.

We got accommodated and I was satisfied with all the comforts I found in the holiday holiday apartment in Edinburgh that we were booking. As that was our very first time to the Scottish main city, before the trip I made a very good investigation on the net and built a plan of just what we are to see. For the very first day of our vacation Mark and I took the sightseeing buses, to get to comprehend the town and to choose the spots we want to come back to on the subsequent days. We covered all 4 bus trips available and we did some nice photographs.

The next day, after we woke up in our large comfy bedroom, we had tea and some fruits and left our Edinburgh apartment for a stroll to the Royal Mile area where are located most of the historical points of interest in the city. We spent an hour checking out the Edinburgh Castle and then we visited the Holyroodhouse Palace on the other side, while along we enjoyed some other historic sites like the Cathedral St. Giles and the House of John Knox, had a coffee and purchased several souvenirs. I was glad I had my cozy strolling shoes on, because we wandered a lot.

Our second sightseeing day ended with a stop by at the Arthur’s Seat, wherefrom we could enjoy some nice views in the direction of the city, before we had a good dinner at a pub close to our Edinburgh vacation flat.

Prolonged break in London

I came in the British main city in the late afternoon previous Thursday for a long weekend break and went without delay to my London getaway residence. I was supposed to see a friend, however her flight was scheduled for a later hour, therefore I had time for a bath and some rest opposite the TV set. When my date eventually came, she put her suitcases in her bedroom and we didn’t spent a minute yet rushed outdoors to look at the city.

Before my trip I tried to make a research about which might be the best bars in London, but was really lost. There were numerous comments and so many testimonials by travellers, that is why I decided we will go to the cafes near to our holiday apartment in London and attempt to follow our instincts. We paid an appointment to the Last Drop Pub, since we were fascinated by its long history, then we’d some beers at the Sandy Bell’s Pub in which we listened to some folk songs.

After that we went to the Portobello area which was not near our serviced apartment in London but was a fascinating region as we had been told. We stayed for an hour ay the Malt and Hops Pub where the beer range was awesome, then we went to the Sogo where we were served the best beer for the night.

We were in a fantastic mood and we met some new friends, who were thrilled to learn about our countries and home towns and we exchanged our SkypeIDs to keep in contact once back at home. The time was flying and therefore Marta and me and we decided to return to our London lodging and get a good rest, as we had quite a lengthy program for the next couple of days.

Exploring the capital of Britain by walking

On the following morning, Hilga and I got up early and spent enough time having chocolate and looking at the men and women from the terrace of our London vacation dwelling. The moment we appeared to be dressed appropriately to go for a stroll, we went immediately to the Royal Mile in the Old Town and thus we saw the London Castle and the Palace. Maria has informed me that I need to wear flat and comfortable footwear and thus I could manage the cobbled roads in the old town.

We’d a sandwich and a drink in the nearby Park on the eastern area and then headed towards the Arthur’s Seat and then towards the Cathedral St. Giles and the Scotch Whiskey Heritage Centre. After that we certainly required refreshment and Tom recommended we need to have a bite and some ale on one of the bars along the Royal Mile. Following the snack we had, we went for some souvenir purchasing. Then the two of us decided, it might be better to go back to our London holiday accommodation and have some sleep. I watched TV, whilst Tom checked out the email and made a study about the pubs and restaurants in the Scottish main city that were near our trip apartment.

Later in the mid-day we went out once again and had a good long stroll along the Princes Street, which signifies the centre and in a way divides the Scottish capital into an Old and a New Town. On the Princes Street we discovered several great department stores, and noticed exactly where the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery are and decided to visit them on the following days.

We’d a peaceful meal at Rick’s pub, that is a trendy pub in the heart of the city, serving meals and beverages. We’d deep fried pizza, which we discovered is a usual local meal and then we went to bed earlier as we were quite tired from the landmarks and shopping during the day.

London’s Fashion Town

On the following day, after an extended and great night’s rest in the holiday London vacation home we’ve rented, we’d a breakfast and decided to explore the New Town, which as we saw on the guide was located to the north direction from the Old Town and was in fact next to it.

Hilga explained we have a lot to find out in that section of the Scottish capital and I agreed. The very first monument to view was the Trafalgar Monument, which was made and set up for the memory of Trafalgar. From there we enjoyed nice views over the city and made some excellent photographs. The following place to visit was the National Gallery of Britain where we managed to view the best art collections in the country. There was no admission charge at all, that was good and the exact was valid for the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, that on the other hand we couldn’t go to because it was closed for repairs until November 2011.

Maria was starving, therefore we purchased hot dogs and had some rest at the Princes Street Gardens, that is a tiny but beautifully arranged park located between the Princes Street and the Castle Hills.

In the afternoon we climbed the Hill and after that we went shopping along the Main Street, the George Street and the Broughton Street.

As this day was totally dedicated on the New Town, in the evening hours we went out of our London arranged apartment and we went to a pub we have noticed during the day – The Living Room, where the food was excellent and the guests could enjoy not just the ale and the cocktails but additionally the show of the bartenders. Then we went to the Standing Order Pub and finished the night there.