Spain Honeymoon Day 1: Incheon to Madrid's Only YOU Hotel

Wow!

Our long-awaited honeymoon!!

The biggest event of our married life, lol!

I'm so incredibly excited! 🩷

After the wedding ceremony, we spent a night at a hotel near Incheon Airport.

We really wanted to depart on the same day, not wanting to waste a single precious moment,

but the flight to Madrid on Saturday unfortunately overlapped with our wedding ceremony.

So, we had no choice but to leave the following day.

I even thought, 'Could we just have our wedding ceremony on Zoom at the airport?' to save time...

Hahaha, every day is precious! 😭

Anyway, a same-day departure just wasn't possible,

and even though it was our first night as a married couple, we had to go home after the ceremony and then head back to Incheon Airport, so

since we were just going to sleep, we decided to stay at a business hotel.

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It was incredibly clean, and my husband had even booked an upgraded room for us, so we had a wonderfully comfortable stay.

They even gave us drink coupons, which we gladly used!

At the time, my head was spinning with all the wedding chaos, and my husband didn't even know I was blogging yet,

so I didn't take any photos! 😅

What I loved about the Ibis Styles Ambassador Hotel was that

we were flying out of Terminal 2, and

there's a shuttle running right outside the hotel entrance.

It drops you right at Terminal 2 in a flash!

Super convenient and highly recommended!

The airport parking lot view from our hotel room.

Hahahaha

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Incheon Airport Terminal 2

Wow, it's been such a long time since I last visited Incheon Airport!

With the pandemic finally behind us,

and it being the tail end of vacation season, the airport was absolutely buzzing with people.

Our flight to Madrid was at 10:30 AM!

We arrived two hours early, giving us plenty of time to hit up the duty-free shops!

Still, Incheon Airport Terminal 2 definitely felt less crowded.

We picked up our duty-free purchases faster than we thought we would,

and check-in was a breeze, so we found ourselves with some time to spare!

While we waited, a classic runway shot was absolutely essential!

My heart was pounding with excitement!

Finally, it was time to board!

A marathon journey of 14 hours and 30 minutes lay ahead.

My backside was aching just thinking about it!

For long-haul flights, bibimbap truly is the best choice!

Maybe I mixed it a little too enthusiastically before snapping this shot?

My apologies for the messy presentation! 😉

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Madrid Airport Terminal 1

Wow... that flight, which felt like an endless journey, is finally over!

Is this really Spain? Am I actually here?

Did I truly make it??

Honestly, if you told me this was still Incheon, I might believe you! 😂

Madrid Airport welcomed us with a dazzling, vibrant display!

The color palette is truly something else, so unique!

It certainly made me realize just how sleek and modern Incheon Airport is!

Okay, time to go get our luggage!

Be careful not to get lost.

From now on, all that's left is to just go with the flow...

Since our Madrid flight arrives at Terminal 1,

we need to pay close attention.

Let's stay sharp and head to the airport bus stop.

Since we need to get to Atocha Station,

we have to take bus number 203.

I think there might have been other options,

but for getting from Madrid Airport to Atocha Station,

it's always bus 203! Memorize it!!

The fare is 5 Euros.

You can pay with a Travel Wallet or Travel Card!

The bus arrived much quicker than we expected,

so we hopped on, wondering, 'Is this right?? Is it really?'

If you didn't read the sign, you might think it's just a blue city bus in Seoul, right?

Hahahahaha, this is Madrid, right??

On the airport bus, we were the only Asians, aside from one other Korean couple.

Oh, now it really feels like we're abroad!

This is my husband's first time traveling to Europe,

so he kept exclaiming 'Wow! Wow!' just looking at these European-style buildings, lol.

Oh, even a sign for the Prado Museum!

We're going there tomorrow, so excited! Hehe.

The sky is completely clear,

but is it really 37 degrees Celsius outside?

If we go out in this blazing sun, we'll probably burn to a crisp.

And guess what time it is?

It's past 7 PM! LOLOLOLOLOLOL

Not 7 AM, nope!

Wow, we finally arrived at Atocha Station!

It took us so long to get here ㅠㅠ

We really made it to Spain, right? Yes ㅠㅠㅠ

Time flew by as we excitedly looked around, and 45 minutes passed in no time.

Even better, our hotel is right across from Atocha Station.

Such a great decision!

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Only YOU Hotel Atocha

This is a highly recommended hotel.

Seriously, if you're going to Madrid, just book this place.

It's a 2-minute walk after getting off at Atocha Station.

LOLOLOLOLOLOL

Forget everything else; proximity is key!

When we mentioned it was our honeymoon during the hotel booking,

they gave us a congratulatory card, some jellies, and chocolates.

It's a 4-star hotel, so we shouldn't expect wine,

but it was still nice of them to provide these treats, haha.

When you turn on the TV, my name appears right there!

They really pay a lot of attention to the details.

These little things are so touching.

Yay, there's even a Nespresso machine!

Nice!

The windows are quite large, but they're covered with a mesh.

It's a shame about the view.

I wonder if it's because there's a lot of dust?

Definitely not morning.

It's almost 8 PM, but I was so ready for dinner, I just dropped off my bags and headed straight out!

Being near the station, it's definitely bustling with people.

The sun is still blazing bright, even at 8 PM!

But since it's dry and not humid, I'm not sweating too much.

This really makes me feel like I've arrived in Spain!

Let's just wander and soak it all in!

What an intriguing building!

I wonder if it's a government office?

We ventured into a side street for dinner, and I'm starting to feel a little wary.

I've heard so much about pickpockets here, so I'm clutching my bag extra tight!

Wait, where is everyone?

I took advantage of the empty streets and snapped a ton of photos, haha!

It's so true, in Europe, everyone loves dining on the terrace!

Isn't this street just absolutely gorgeous?! T_T

Totally profile pic material!

La Esperanza

This was originally the restaurant we planned to visit,

Guess what? There were already a few groups waiting!

My husband didn't want to wait, so he suggested we find somewhere else.

We ended up at a highly-rated spot that was pretty close by.

With a solid 4.4 Google rating, I thought, 'Oh, this looks promising!' and walked in.

The vibe was definitely... unexpected.

And everyone else, except us, was sitting at the bar.

Wait, can we even have a proper dinner here?

This place is truly as local as it gets...

First, they hand us a menu... completely in Spanish!

Oh, the glorious confusion! It was a total language party, and we weren't invited to speak it!

And the staff? Let's just say they seemed a little intimidating...

They weren't saying much, and honestly, they didn't really come our way either. Uh oh.

So, naturally, we dove headfirst into a frantic Google search!

Oh, the struggle was real! 😭

We were this close to having our first travel squabble right then and there!

My husband, if we'd just stuck with the waiting line, our food would probably be here already!

Thankfully, while waiting for the English menu we'd finally managed to ask for,

we decided to quench our thirst with some drinks first.

Here are some must-try drinks when you travel to Spain:

Clara, Sangria, and Tinto de Verano!

We ordered one of each to sample them all!

Aha! So this is a Tinto de Verano!

It's a little on the small side, but hey, it was a bargain!

My better half opted for a Clara.

They brought out some bread for us.

Now, the big question: Is this complimentary, or are we going to be charged for it?

There's quite a generous amount...

We cautiously wondered...

And this looks like a dipping sauce to go with it.

So, does this mean we're paying for it?

Ugh...

Trying to go local is tough sometimes!

When English isn't an option, you just want to cry!

Why did we even choose this place?!

But still, we gave the bread a cautious chew.

The dipping sauce, though? Not exactly a taste sensation.

This was a carpaccio 'something-or-other' dish.

It came with cherry tomatoes, shrimp, and beef all mixed together.

It had a texture somewhat reminiscent of Cheung Fun.

With a thin, chewy base, almost like a potato pancake,

the well-seasoned ingredients on top made it surprisingly delicious!

It was a tad salty, but still utterly tasty.

Perhaps hunger was the best seasoning, making it even better.

Definitely not a fail, which was a relief!

Okay, wow...

This one, though, was a revelation!

Everyone said we had to try Pan con Tomate in Spain, so we ordered it.

What's this? Just grated tomato on bread? I mean, seriously?

I initially thought, 'Are they just serving this because we're tourists?' But then I took a bite...

And then... what?!

It was unbelievably delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The bread was perfectly crispy, and that grated tomato on top?

It was genuinely fresh, tangy, and so incredibly refreshing.

It tasted like pure, unadulterated nature, but...

The harmony between them? Absolute magic!?!?!

Such a burst of fresh flavor, I swear! ㅠㅠㅠ

Wow, I think this is what they mean by 'bells ringing' in your head!

Seriously, order this twice, three times, heck, just keep it coming!

After this, at almost every restaurant we visited afterwards...

Pan con Tomate became our absolute must-order item!

LOL!

La Esperanza didn't just 'launch a small ball' – it launched our love affair with...

...Pan con Tomate!

Of course, being in Spain, we had to order paella, right?

I was really craving some rice, so I ordered it.

Surprise! It was noodles.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!

A paella with finely chopped noodles!

Hahahaha, oopsie daisy...

Well, you need to know what you're ordering, right?

The portion was absolutely massive, and it was quite salty.

Haha, we left a lot of it untouched.

At least the Pan con Tomate and carpaccio were so good, they kind of made up for it.

And just as we suspected...

There was an extra charge, either for the table or the bread.

They definitely added it in! Hahaha.

It felt a little bit like we got subtly ripped off, but...

Then again, maybe that's just how it works for table seating here.

That must be why everyone else was sitting at the bar, haha!

An alley in Madrid by night.

Why are my photos so blurry here?

I guess I might have had one too many Tinto de Veranos!

A quick stop at the supermarket on the way back to the hotel to have a look around.

The ham is incredibly cheap!

If I'd stayed here longer, I would've stocked up.

Too bad we only had two days in Madrid.

Yogurt for 1 Euro...

You can't even compare it to Korean 'Yoplait'.

It's almost double the size!

So, so cheap!

Since I couldn't resist, I grabbed some yogurt anyway, haha.

There are so many kinds of fruit, and they're cheap too!

Lucky Spanish people!

The streets at night are so peaceful.

Has everyone gone home?

In Korea, the night is just beginning, haha!

Atocha Station at night.

Hehe, everything feels so atmospheric!

Ah, the young people of Madrid aren't going home yet either.

The fountain is so beautiful too.

Only YOU Hotel Atocha at night.

I was in such a rush during check-in earlier

that I didn't get a proper look at the exterior.

Turns out it's a huge hotel, haha!

And finally, with Atocha Station right across the street,

the first night of our honeymoon deepens.

After flying for 14 hours,

phew, I'm so tired, hahaha!

Tomorrow is Prado Museum day! ❤️

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