From Uber chaos to Cabify rescue, a familiar hotel, and tapas in Barajas — my final stop in Madrid before heading home.
My flight from Vancouver arrived in Madrid today, marking the final stage of my long journey home. After landing, I passed through customs and immigration quickly and collected my suitcase without any trouble. Outside the airport, I headed to the Uber pickup area and ordered a car. According to the app, it arrived instantly … and then didn’t move for the next 40 minutes. After complaining through the app, they sent another Uber, which also failed to appear after 20 minutes. That was enough for me.
I cancelled the ride and switched to Cabify instead. Within minutes, a driver arrived, helped me into the car, loaded my suitcase, and drove me straight to my hotel. Thank you, Cabify. Shame on you, Uber.
At the hotel, the receptionist recognised me from previous stays and kindly gave me a downstairs room to make things easier. He also arranged a taxi for the following morning to take me to the train station for the final leg of my journey. As soon as I reached my room, I lay on the bed and slept for about four hours.
When I woke up, I showered and walked around the corner to the bars and restaurants in Barajas. I sat outside a bar called Lizarran, ordered a couple of tapas and a beer, and spent a couple of hours watching people go about their day. The food was excellent, and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. Before heading back to the hotel, I stopped at a small grocery shop in the square and bought a large bottle of water.
Back in my room, I barely had time to put the water down before falling asleep again. I may not be able to sleep on planes, but everywhere else is apparently no problem at all.
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