Adventure to Templo de Debod

So much has happened in this first week in Madrid.  We arrived just under a week ago and successfully moved into our temporary apartment.  For the next two weeks, I will be in training for teaching English.  It is a intense, there is a huge focus on grammar and we have several online courses to complete.  With hard work though, it will be manageable.  I already have set up a bank account and have a cell phone plan.  In addition we also must hunt for an apartment which is quite a competitive process.  All the university students are trying to find housing as well and AirBnb has made it even more difficult to find affordable housing.  Despite all this work, I am still out exploring Madrid.

                I have already used the metro a few times.  Since I am 26, I am not able to get the discounted metro pass, so I have been buying 10 ride passes until I know which zones I am teaching in.  Madrid’s metro is incredibly fast and easy to figure out.  It is important to watch out for pickpockets though, especially during rush hour.  It is a great place for people watching, you may even see a traveling band!  The metro is what led us to my favorite adventure so far: Templo de Debod.

                For those unfamiliar with the Templo de Debod, it is an ancient Egyptian temple that was gifted to Madrid and rebuilt in the park in 1972.  One of the reasons it was rebuilt was because the original location in Egypt was at risk of flooding due to the Aswan dam being built nearby.  It is a very popular site in Madrid to visit.  Unfortunately, the temple is currently closed to visitors, although just seeing it is spectacular.

                 After studying on Saturday, we decided we wanted to go for a picnic.  So many people recommended the temple to me, I was told it is the best place to see sunset in Madrid.  Now I can confirm, the view is quite beautiful from there.  Two short metro rides from our flat and a ten-minute walk was all it took for us to get there.  It is a very laid back way to spend an evening, many other people packed picnics, a lot of people bought bottles of wine.  There were even vendors selling beer there!

                We relaxed in the grass and listened to a saxophone solo of ‘La Vie en Rose’.  There were a lot of outdoor musicians there, we passed a man playing a blues medley on a resonator guitar before we found our spot.  We had had a very busy week, so it was very relaxing to lay in the grass, watch the sunset, and think about nothing for a bit.  I am predicting another visit to Templo de Debod in the future, especially since we did not even come close to seeing all that the park has to offer.