On Sunday morning, we checked out from the hostel in Barcelona and packed our bags to rental cars. Our hostel, Central Basic Universitat, had served us well during our stay but it was the time to continue the journey and head west, towards Madrid and the coming excursions. The six-hour drive through the countryside took us to historical Zaragoza, where we stopped for lunch and a quick sightseeing tour.
The car drive went smoothly and without problems. After five days in Barcelona, the beautiful scenery of rural Spain was a welcoming and astounding sight. The mountain ranges and hills, with dry valleys inbetween, were something quite different compared to what we had been used to in Finland. It also took us by surprise how high up we were from the sea level: when driving uphill we started to notice the air pressure in our eardrums, similar to what happens in airplanes.
We arrived to Madrid around 7 pm. The next day’s excursion was in the afternoon so we had plenty of time to get to know our new environment and also to sleep in after many days of (semi) early rises.
