Before I started my elective in the UK during last summer, I have spent two weeks travelling around in the Europe. It was indeed a very exciting adventure for me as this was my first ever trip to the European countries. I first landed in London, UK after flying for 13 hours from Malaysia. It was an enjoyable long haul flight via the Malaysian Airlines which was considerably cheap since I bought the tickets at a last minute that cost me MYR1250 (US$305) one way.

Ryan Air airline

A couple of friends (seven) and I began our Euro Trip by heading to Madrid through one of the European budget airlines, Ryan Air. Prior going for the trip, each of us was given tasks to do research on the country that was assigned to us and I was responsible for Spain's itinerary. Having said that, I had spent considerably huge amount of my leisure time getting to know all the attractions, navigation, cultures, not to mention planning the schedule for the days we spent there.

Honestly speaking, planning for a trip was really exhausting. Apart from making sure that the destinations and meals fitted everyone's preferences, I needed to become familiar with the roads in a country that was entirely new for me. In addition, I also had to learn some simple Spanish as I found out that not everyone in Spain spoke English, let alone Malay or Mandarin.

Day 1

We arrived at the Terminal 1 of Madrid Airport approximately 12 noon after four hours of journey in the plane from London Stansted Airport. The crowd was mental, especially for the foreigners as we went through strict inspection from the officers. It took us a good 30 minutes to pass through the security check. Then, in order to get to the Atocha Railway Station which was our first stop, we picked the most affordable way to get there.

The Atocha Railway Station

We got on to the free bus from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 and then from Terminal 4 floor 1 we boarded Cercanias Line 1 C1 for 6 stops to the destination. All of that cost us only €2.6. The Atocha Railway Station was the first and largest railway station in Madrid that serves local commuters, intercity and inter-region travelers in Spain. It was located in the district of Prado which is situated near the center of Madrid. Within the station, there was a mini garden that was so mesmerising!

Potato cake and bun!

Lovely florist!

Before we went to the next place, we stopped by at the nearest market which was the Mercado Anton Martin to have a quick lunch. It was a beautiful market that offered a variety of local food and products. There were not many tourists when we were there and the food was sold at a quite affordable price.