 Madrid After 15 hours on the plane, I'm finally here! As a solo female traveler - and on budget - I decided to choose Hostal Oriente located right next to Opera Metro Station. I never stayed at a hostel before, but this one definitely surpassed my expectations! It's more like a boutique hotel, really. The room was so beautiful and cozy it reminded me of home. There was a private bathroom too. I paid 140 Euros for my 3-night stay, I have never been happier with my hotel choices! I definitely will keep a more open mind when choosing lodging for my next destination! Hostels are great!re to edit. I took a quick walk from the hostel to Plaza de Sol, very lively with lots of shops and restaurants. Spanish people are very friendly. I asked them for directions all the time, and even though they didn't speak English, somehow we managed to communicate through sign language and lots of smiles! One time, I asked a guy and he didn't know where the place was; he literally stopped a police car that was driving past, and asked them for me! When the policemen didn't know it either, they opened a map to figure it out. Like an actual folded paper map, not one on the smartphone. I was so grateful and overwhelmed by their kindness! I was falling in love with Spanish people and the city by the minute!  Toledo As I was exploring the city, I was handed out a brochure of a tour company close to Plaza Oriente. I decided to show up at their office at 8.30 am in the morning and see if any tours were available. I ended up buying a full-day trip to Toledo. Looking back, it was a bit impulsive, and booking in advance might be a better option as I'd have more time to check the reviews and see if the schedules suit me. Toledo represented so well the integration of many religious beliefs. There are Christian cathedrals, Muslim mosques, and Jewish synagogues - all in the same city! Some stones were 1000 years old. Can't believe I actually walked on them! There were about fifteen people on the tour, which was nice because we all got to talk to one another. There was a couple from New Mexico celebrating their 30th anniversary whose daughter is a dancer for Madonna. The wife was so happy, lively and fun you couldn't tell she was in her sixties. There were a few solo travelers just like myself from Germany and Puerto Rico. The German guy was in Spain to learn Spanish because he planned to travel to South America by himself next year. I thought that was very brave to be travelling alone to a place you don't speak the language! It was so interesting to hear stories and experiences of people whom you would never have met otherwise. When you're all by yourself, travelling the world, it actually makes you realize that - outside the fierce meeting rooms - there is so much love, joy and kindness in this world. Friendships formed within hours: laughter and storytelling just went around as though we were old friends reunited. Before the tour was over, we even exchanged hugs! Isn't it amazing? That concludes my "solo" trip for today!
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