Hi Dave & Casper,
I think just to lay on the mound at the airport without even taking a shot would have been worth it, considering how the weather was developing here.
It's one of those grab your flight at the right price spotting trip's. Hammerhead (The Don) managed to pick up the flight's for €40 return with Ryanair,
it was my first time flying with them, and was amazed by the amount of nervous people with very-heavy looking carry-on luggage (including myself).
I noticed one or two being apprehended for carrying more than one item.
Other than that, it was a nice smooth flight, 2hr25min down and 2hr10min back, it was an early flight heading out at 05.55 and returning into Dublin close to midnight.
When you arrive at Terminal 1 in Madrid, you take the long walk (a la Heathrow) to the very end of the building, where you will find the Metro station,
it cover's Terminal 1/2/3, there are plenty of automated ticket machine's there, which can be used easily in English, they are very similar to the Luas ticket kiosk's if you were ever down this neck of the wood's ;-) €2 will bring you one stop to Barajas (heading towards Terminal 4 station)
When you arrive there, turn left as you leave the station, as you walk downhill you'll notice allotment's on your left (Sunflower's/Cabbage etc.) take the first turn left after these and proceed down this road a short distance until you get to a white-painted footbridge, this will safely get you across the motorway to a large field, continue across the field veering right towards some fencing, here you will go back downhill to a roundabout, the mound is basically on the opposite side of the road. In all it's a pleasant 10 min walk from the station.
Make sure you stock up on water etc. before getting to the mound, there is a Burger king hidden close to the station for when you can pull yourself away, and cheap it is too, best burger I've had in a long time.
On the way back you can take an alternate route if you feel energetic enough, it's basically the road that skirt's the airport back to Terminal 1,
passing a lot of closed hanger's on the way, it take's a good 15mins.
Madrid airport itself was non-stop busy, with different runway's in use all the time, vertigo will set-in.
The lighting for photography only became really good from just after midday, as planes taxi by you'll have to dodge the huge amount of lamppost's, hedges and van's passing the perimeter road, so it takes a few minutes to settle-in, 100-400 should do the job.
I was very pleased with what I got, a few managed to escape me taking off from the rear of the far terminal 3, i.e. Lan etc. so a return visit will be in the pipeline :-)
If you can coincide cheap-fare's, good weather and great light, you simply can't go wrong.
Cheers.
Squad 701
PS the novelty of the dreamliner is slipping away, it was there when we were heading out, and there again when we returned.
Madrid 06-10-09
http://www.flickr.com/photos/squad701/sets/72157622537278706/detail/
