See and Do in Madrid: The View from the Palacio de Cibeles Adventures

11 things to see and do in Madrid

  • by tvatravel

The Spanish capital is a city of millions, the 6th biggest one in Europe. Hence it has the entertainment factor to match it and finding things to see and do in madrid can be overwhelming. Madrid became the capital of Spain in 1561. However it has been intricately involved in the rich history of Spain even way before. A lot of this history can still be felt and even seen throughout the city. In later times, Madrid has modernized along with its country, becoming the modern metropolis it is these days. Although it has managed to so while always respecting its legacy.

This makes the city enormously rich in activities and sites to see. I’ve lived in this city for almost 2 years now. But there are still so many things I need to explore. I can only imagine how hard it must be to try and capture the essence of the city in only a few days or even a short weekend. So I have tried to make life easier on you by providing my selection of sites and activities. This list will probably grow over time, while I continue to explore new possibilities. So stay tuned and enjoy my list of things to do and see in Madrid.

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Milan: Reflections in the Fort Adventures

Milan for non-shoppers – What to do and see?

Milan is a great city, fantastic even, or at least that’s what every shopaholic will tell you. They can spend hours, even days roaming around the luxury stores of this Italian metropolis. But what if you don’t like shopping? No worries, there is still plenty you can do and see during your visit to Milan. You can roam around an ancient cemetery, peak at an opera rehearsal, wonder at Leonardo da Vinci’s genius or explore the rich bar and club scene at this trendsetting city. Find out here where to go and what to experience!

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Armenia: The Ararat volcano towering above Yerevan and the Armenian Highlands Adventures

Armenia: Art and Architecture in Yerevan

  • by tvatravel

I could see the whole city spread out in front of me. Beyond the buildings began the long and empty Armenian highlands. But dominating the view and towering above everything was the Ararat Mountain.

I do not only travel in my free time and vacations, but I also need to take regular trips for my job. My team works for the EMEA region, which stands for Europe Middle East and Africa. In the past 2 years and a half I’ve been to some destination that I honestly never thought I would go to anytime soon. One of those destinations was Yerevan in Armenia. To be completely honest, when my boss told me about the project, I quickly googled where exactly the country was. I also never heard (or remembered) about the capital: Yerevan. So I had no clue what to expect when I got the chance to wander around the city for 2 nights. In this post you will find out why I was very pleasantly surprised!

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Alexandria: The glorious Fort Qatbai Adventures

Alexandria: City of Lost Glory

  • by tvatravel

Lunch in Greek Club with an amazing view over the harbor and the bay

Alexandria has played a very important role in Egyptian history. Founded by the infamous Alexander the Great and Capital of the last great Dynasty of Pharaoh: the Ptolemies. If that name does not ring a bell, I’m sure you’ve heard of Cleopatra, the last of the Hellenistic rulers of Egypt. This city has had it all over the centuries. It was the center of Mediterranean trade, with its enormous harbor and famous lighthouse of Pharos. It was called center of knowledge due to the vast collection of books and scripture in its gigantic library.  However when the Muslims invaded they ignored the capital of Egypt and nestled themselves in Cairo. Since then it has been conquered and reconquered several times, destroying its heritage and pushing it in the background. In two days we explored the remnants of that glorious past and it’s path to renovation.

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Al-Azhar Mosque in Islamic Cairo Adventures

Cairo: 3 days of Mosques and Madrassas

  • by tvatravel

We literally left him biting of his nails when he realized his mistake

We had started preparing and packing already some days before our flight. Since I was still working that week and Daisy still had school we used our nights. It was going to be a three-week trip after all. Although Egypt is not the end of the world, we did want to avoid having to buy a lot over there for financial reasons. Our flights from Madrid to Cairo and back were cheap. As a result the timing was also rather bad. We were scheduled to take off in Madrid at 1:30 AM. So we left our apartment late in the evening around 10 PM, said bye-bye to our homicidal fish: Mad Max, and hoisted our backpacks (which ended up to heavy anyway)  on our backs.

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