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Spain football – Real Madrid and Barcelona FC stadium tours.

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The first week of April 2025 would be my last week on this adventure. I left on January 12th, and it was time to return to Arizona. My Airbnb tenants were checking out, and I had a home.

The plan was to hang around Italy since my flight left from Rome on April 7th. 

My first day, I toured the Colosseum, and the second day was the Vatican. I did not want to spend six more days in Rome, and the train to Venice was over $200 return.

I checked out my Wizz pass to see if there was availability to depart and return within a 72-hour window. My choices were Gdansk, Poland, or Madrid, Spain. I honestly did consider Poland before I found the Madrid flight.  

Ultimately, I chose Madrid so I could also visit Barcelona with a quick train ride.

There is no better feeling than booking a last-minute flight for $10 on an all-you-can-fly pass!

One minute, I am in Italy and the next day flying to Spain, watching football locals in a Madrid pub!  It sure beats working for a living!!

I also like to think that I am responsible when traveling, but not this time. Once I arrived in Madrid, I was very hungry, so I went to find food. I thought there was food in the Irish pub, but only beer. 

I was going to find a hostel after the game as I stayed for the whole game, plus, whoopsie! 

GOOOOAAAALLLLLL!!!

After the game, slight panic started as it was after midnight, dark, rainy, and in a City I had never been to in my life.  How is that for an adrenaline rush!  I reset and looked for food and nailed it!

I have honestly never had Tapa’s before as it reminds me of the foos-fos that go for Dim Sum or Sushi.  Well, holy shit – I am foo fucking foo for this Tapa’s gig!!  Check this out!

Pushing 2 AM, still no hostel but new friends!  We pigged out on so many items!

Since it was past midnight and check-in time, I set out on foot, in the rain and half in the bag, looking for a place to sleep.

** I have a string chain around my neck with two charms, a cross and a foot for adventure.  I was rubbing the cross this time, and it always works out!  ***

After knocking on door after door, I came to find out that the entire City center was sold out. 

Well SHIT!!  This is where I do my best thinking, WTF now dumbass?  Why not head to the train station, catch a high-speed train to Barcelona for $40?  Perfect recovery plan!!

I was able to get a couple of hours’ sleep on the train even though it was going 300K/H.  I woke up in Barcelona (huge bucket list) and I was able to find a great hostel in the city center for $30 a night.  After touring the city for a couple of days, I was off to find the biggest attraction, the Barcelona FC iconic Stadium, on my last day.

Ironically, the football stadium was closed for renovations.  I did visit the amazing team store and do not think I have seen anything else like it in the world. It was massive:

I cannot wait to reference this memory when the new ultra-modern stadium opens. I can say, I sat in this pub pre-gaming months/years earlier preparing for the grand opening. LOL

I had better luck when I got back to Madrid.  I was able to take the metro with fans to a Real Madrid game and experience gameday.  I was flying back to Rome that night, so I could not go to the game, but this was amazing enough without paying hundreds of dollars for tickets.

It was a match between Barcelona FC and Valencia, and here is a little pre-game action:

After waiting an hour walking around as fans entered the stadium, I needed to leave.  I was one of the few headed the other direction on the metro as more fans arrived for the game.

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Spain – Madrid and Barcelona with a side of Tapas!

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Spain and Portugal have been pretty high on my European bucket list because it is supposed to be two of the cheapest Countries on the Western side of Europe. Cheap is all relative, I guess, as I did not see it being any cheaper overall. 

I flew to Madrid, Spain at the last minute as I found a return ticket on my all-you-can-fly pass. The flight had me getting to Madrid late on a Wednesday night and flying back to Rome on Saturday night. That was not nearly enough time, but I got a pretty good idea, Spain is NOT cheap!

As I blogged about in my Spain football blog, I was able to visit both Madrid and Spain.  

I whipped back and forth on the high-speed train, which was an unreal experience.  I had taken the Chunnel between London and Paris, but somehow, this felt faster.  We topped out at almost 300 KM/H.

There were two different companies to choose from, which was nice as it kept the prices down.  I paid $40 from Madrid to Barcelona and then $63 to get back on a Saturday night.

Barcelona was very nice with the cobblestoned narrow roads in the city center area.  

I stayed two days in Barcelona, which barely scratched the surface.  I guess the main advantage of Barcelona is that you are located on the sea, so you get the best of both worlds.  I toured 30 miles of the cost on the bus tour and couldn’t imagine how amazing it would be in the summertime. 

I just rode the metro around the city for most of the day.

I only spent a few hours in Madrid before bolting to Barcelona, so I made sure I had a full to wrap up Spain. I arrived back in Madrid at an amazing hostel on 04/04/25 and had one night booked.

When you stay in a hostel, you can store your bags including a towel and shower later in the day.  That was perfect as my flight did not leave Madrid until 9 PM on 04/05/25.

There were only a few things that I needed to see in Madrid:

Real Madrid Stadium

Royal Palace 

Arc de Triomphe  

Real Madrid Stadium

Royal Palace 

Arc de Triomphe 

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Italy – Naples, Rome and pizza everywhere!

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⬆️A few days in Italy reminded me of High School gym class.⬆️

My first stop was Naples or Napoli as the locals call it! The original home of the Pizza! 

I have written separate blogs for the Vatican and Colosseum experiences.

Vatican City blog

Coliseum blog 

The history of pizza began in antiquity, as various ancient cultures produced flatbreads with several toppings. Pizza today is an Italian dish with a flat dough-based base and toppings, with significant Italian roots in history.

A precursor of pizza was probably the focaccia, a flatbread known to the Romans as panis focacius, to which toppings were then added. Modern pizza evolved from similar flatbread dishes in Naples, Italy, between the 16th and mid-18th century.

The word pizza was first documented in 997 CE in Gaeta[4] and successively in different parts of central and southern Italy. Furthermore, the Etymological Dictionary of the Italian Language explains the word pizza as coming from dialectal pinza, ‘clamp’, as in modern Italian pinze, ‘pliers, pincers, tongs, forceps’. Their origin is from Latin pinsere, ‘to pound, stamp’.

I had pizza every day that I was in Italy and even had a couple two a days!!

The below was one of my favorites near Vatican City. The Chef will make pizzas on massive sheets and then place them in the window for display.  One you decide on a flavor or three in my case on this day in the top left.  They take a pair of scissors, cut your desired size and weight it for the amount. 

 

This was a fried pizza. It was similar to a calzone but fried instead of baked.  

The second picture is my first meal when I landed in Naples as stromboli is my favorite!

The others are just random pizza stops!!

Yummy!!

After eating my share of pizza throughout Italy, it was time to prepare for my long flight home to Phoeniz, AZ

After an incredibly long day, I made it home on 04/07/25!  That is 84 days since leaving on 01/12/25 and saw so many incredible things.  

I will almost always take the metro home after my trips.  If saves me $30-$40 and gives me a time to reflect on my trips.  Uber is normally $50ish while the train is $2 and Uber from the furthest station EAST is $10sih.  

** This Uber only saved me $13 but stuck to my routine!

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Euorpean train travel! Italy (slow), Spain (high) speed experiences.

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I am at the point in my travels where I was supposed to be using a Europass to travel Europe by train.  

I bailed on that plan a month ago after taking a 20-hour train trip up and down the Vietnam coast.  I realize that taking a train across Europe would be a lot nicer than Vietnam but sitting in coach would be the same back breaking experience.

Here was the plan, and I still feel good about my decision as it is time to go home:

I did get a chance to take a train from Naples to Rome, which was pretty awesome and had me second-guessing. The ten-day Europass was an amazing deal, but taking the train once scratched that itch for $13 USD.

It was not the highspeed train as that was $60 and would have been an hour a half instead of four hours.

Since I enjoyed my first train experience in Europe, I followed it up with another train trip later that week! 

This time, I took the smoking fast-speed train between Madrid and Barcelona, Spain.

The train almost hit 300KM/H (292KM hour was the highest I noticed as I fell in and out of sleep for the three-hour trip.)  Imagine a flight doing ~500KM/H is about an hour and a half, and the train doing ~300KM/H is about three hours.

Amazing!

I had taken the “Chunnel” from London to Paris in the past, but this was a great reminder of how fast train travel can be compared to flying. The line at the train station was a lot longer than most airports, as they do not have the same setup, which can delay travel.

Lucky for me, I am a dumbass and went to the wrong departure station.  Once I realized it, I took a 15-minute taxi to the correct station and cut to the front of the line with my sob or SOB story, so it took less than five minutes as opposed to over an hour. 

It was stressful, but it worked out perfectly as I did not sleep.  I landed in Madrid and took the subway to the City Center and there was a football game on, so I jumped into the fun without finding a hostel.

After the game, I grabbed some tapas and beer and quickly found out that the prices were $150 euros that night.  After a bit of panic, walking in the rain and soul searching my shitty situation, I headed to the wrong train station. It all worked out amazingly as always!  

Check out all those tapas and awesome local beer!

The closest I have ever experienced Tapas is when a Ukrainian whips up a meal with whatever is in the fridge, and it turns out to be a five-star meal.  Same idea, a little bit of everything and refilling your plate.

What an amazing sequence of events, which is why I love to travel so much!  

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Rome, Italy – The Colosseum experience!

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I am not a big history guy, but Athens, Greece, and now Rome, Italy had me caught up in the experience!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for all of us as it was so overwhelming:

The Colosseum ultimately from the Ancient Greek word “kolossos” meaning a large statue or giant) It is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. 

It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world, despite its age. Construction began under the Emperor Vespasian (r. 69–79 AD) and was completed in AD 80 under his successor and heir, Titus. 

Further modifications were made during the reign of Domitian (r. 81–96).[3] The three emperors who were patrons of the work are known as the Flavian dynasty, and the amphitheatre was named the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium; Italian: Anfiteatro Flavio by later classicists and archaeologists for its association with their family name (Flavius).

The Colosseum is built of travertine limestone, tuff (volcanic rock), and brick-faced concrete. It could hold an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 spectators at various points in its history,[4][5] having an average audience of some 65,000; it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles including animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, dramas based on Roman mythology, and briefly mock sea battles.

The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Although substantially ruined by earthquakes and stone robbers taking spolia, the Colosseum is still a renowned symbol of Imperial Rome and was listed as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. It is one of Rome’s most popular tourist attractions and has links to the Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit “Way of the Cross” procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum. The Colosseum is depicted on the Italian version of the 5 euro cent coin.

It was about a 30-minute walk from my hostel to the district where the Colosseum and the ancient ruins were located.  I rarely pay to enter tourist traps, but this was another one that I could not miss out on. Here are some of the pictures and videos of the Colosseum inside and out.  It was so amazing to see and unsure if these will help portray it properly

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Naples, Italy – stop one on the big boot tour!!

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When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza, you visit the home of the pizza!!  There are several variations and so far, the stromboli and fried pizza were amazing. 

As my travels wind down, staying at hostels and become more and more comfortable.  The average hotel in Naples is between $75-$100 euros which is equivalent to the USD.  The current hostel I am staying in is $28 euro and I have met some great like-minded people.

I do not remember EVER paying for a museum as it is really not of interest.  Since visiting Athens, Greece and now Naples, Italy it was just too much to resist the history.  Here are some pictures and videos of the Napoli Museum, where I spend my first day in amazement.

 

The weather and been cold and rainy so unsure how to spend the next day or two here before heading to Rome,

Below are some of the amazing options posted at the hostel:

(That is another beauty staying in hostels as they always have recommendations on the cheap).

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Istanbul, Turkey – Cheap travel option on the Mediterranean!!

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Since buying the Wizz, visiting Turkey has been on my radar since I purchased my All you can fly is pass. BINGO!

I was able to catch a flight from Athens, Greece, across Europe, so why not? The best part is that I was able to overnight in London again. Something about sitting in a pub in London is cool to me.  Fish and chips and local pints!!

Visiting Egypt had a certain edge to it, and I never really felt comfortable.  It was mostly in my head, but the fact that I was so close to Gaza and the locals tried to rip you off at every opportunity kept me on my toes.  

First off, I did meet some amazing people, but they were the minority.  I can tell you that if Egypt were not a great Country in general, I would be out my $500 camera and $120 headset. 

I left it in the security line in my jacket and returned an hour later to find been waiting for me.  I also met one good Uber driver who did not take advantage of me due to the color of my skin.

First impressions are at the airport when you clear customs, and the taxi drivers are waiting in force. Wifi was not available, so I was handicapped immediately as I did not understand the currency and could not get an Uber, which was my fault.

I walked out to dozens of aggressive drivers, and I was at their mercy, and they smelled blood.  I was able to understand the basics, like only riding in a marked taxi due to a story I remember back in my work travels.

A woman I worked with had a meeting in Egypt and took a personal car that could have ended her life. She was taken to a party where there was nothing but local men. Luckily, one of the men demanded she be taken home, which was a Godsend.

I miss you, Bea, as you are one of a kind! 

Here are some videos of my time in Istanbul, starting with a walk from my amazing USD 18 a night hostel. It was so comfortable after a long couple of travel days and a fun pub stop in London.

 

I did not have any plans other than to try to live like a local for a few days.  As part of my experience, I ended up at a ferry port by absolute luck and visited three islands.  I met a local who gave me a historical tour of the biggest and furthest South Princess Island, Adelar.  Here is the ferry ride and a tour of the island.

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Athens, Greece – My big fat Greek weekend!

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Feta cheese – they put that amazing shit of everything in Athens. This is an amazing Armenian Family that kept the Greek dishes coming over the weekend.

The Greek salad with a slab of feta and olives and lamb gyro were the best ever!!

Now the important part is over, the food, I can explain Athens a bit more.

I was able to travel to Athens, Greece, the third weekend of March 2025. I left Asia after 70 days touring Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Singapore. It was a 12-hour flight from Singapore to Athens, but I booked it several months ago, so it was only a couple hundred dollars.

It was a long flight, but I was able to make do with the onboard amenties. 😁

After those long flights, I am always discombobulated (more than normal).  I needed to navigate the metro system to get to my hostel which was extra challenging.

I always tailer my accommodations to the price of the city and Athens was not cheap.  

I ended biting the bullet and booking an amazing room in a hostel for $50 a night.  I know you’re thinking, $50 a night is cheap but multiply that by 84 nights which is the length of this trip.  That would have been $4,200 USD for accomodations alone!!

Anyway, I was able to catch up on my sleep, regroup and reenergize. 

I knew I would only have the weekend in Athens, so I booked a three-day pass on the double-decker bus that stops at all of the tourist traps. I tend to do that when there is a lot to see in a city in a short amount of time as it is worth it.

One of the biggest draws on the tour and in Athens is the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

Here is a clip for the wiki that explained to the both of us:

The Acropolis of Athens (Ancient Greek: ἡ Ἀκρόπολις τῶν Ἀθηνῶν, romanized: hē Akropolis tōn Athēnōn; Modern Greek: Ακρόπολη Αθηνών, romanized: Akrópoli Athinón) is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens, Greece, and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. 

The word Acropolis is from Greek ἄκρον (akron) ‘highest point, extremity’ and πόλις (polis) ‘city’.[1] The term acropolis is generic and there are many other acropoleis in Greece. During ancient times the Acropolis of Athens was also more properly known as Cecropia, after the legendary serpent-man Cecrops, the supposed first Athenian king.

While there is evidence that the hill was inhabited as early as the 4th millennium BC, it was Pericles (c. 495–429 BC) in the fifth century BC who coordinated the construction of the buildings whose present remains are the site’s most important ones, including the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike. 

The Parthenon and the other buildings were seriously damaged during the 1687 siege by the Venetians during the Morean War when gunpowder being stored by the then Turkish rulers in the Parthenon was hit by a Venetian bombardment and exploded.

Another big draw was the temple of olympian Zeus:

Here is more wiki history that I did not know either:

Dedicated to Zeus, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, also called the Olympieion, was the largest temple in ancient Greece. Though the Parthenon is better preserved, the Temple of Olympian Zeus was an even more monumental structure in its day. The temple dates to the sixth century BC but was not completed until the second century AD by the Emperor Hadrian. In front of the Olympieion, not far from the entrance, stands Hadrian’s Arch at the end of Dionysiou Areopagitou.

It’s easy to imagine the grand impression this temple made in its complete form. More than a hundred enormous marble columns once supported the grandiose sanctuary. Only 15 columns remain standing, and another surviving column lies on the ground, but the ruins’ monumental presence gives a sense of the massive size of the original building. The gigantic structure was a befitting shrine to Zeus, the ancient Greeks’ most all-powerful God, known as the King of Gods.

 

Greece is also known for its amazing islands which is dealed here if you are interested:

I did not leave the mainland but toured the amazing coast on the bus for hours.

It was pretty cool to hear the references between the enargual Olympic games in 1896 and the 2004 modern day Olympics during the tours.  

They would share the new venues, in the city and oceanside, and I was also able to see the very first venue, The Parathion.