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REVISITING AN OLD PREJUDICE

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I’ve never liked Madrid very much. As much as I love big cities and art museums, Madrid has just never done it for me. It felt like fake Spain. There are nods to Spanish life and culture, but overall, it seemed like the closest thing to an American city Spain has to offer and I wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, I tried my hardest to avoid going there, but in the end, it seemed necessary to go there to give Shawn a chance to experience it – my bias aside.

It was hard leaving Granada after a month of living a bit like a local. We got used to our routines and knowing where to go. We relaxed into a lifestyle that suited us. But it was time to move on. Our final two stops on our round the world trip awaited.

After a confusing Metro trip and a long, sweaty walk, we made it to our Airbnb apartment in the Asian district of Madrid. We somewhat lovingly referred to this place as the Hobbit Hole.

Madrid, Spain

Does this making our frequent snacking acceptable?

Once we were settled in to our apartment, we wandered up the road to get some supplies for dinner. It was a long travel day and a somewhat emotional time for us as we realized we were strapping our packs for one of the last times.

Maybe it’s that we were more experienced travelers now – more aware of our likes and dislikes and willing to let go of travel expectations. Maybe we were just tired of sightseeing after 10 months. I really started to like Madrid.

Like, really like it.

Madrid, Spain

Our first day, we walked past the royal palace – without one ounce of guilt for not going in (or, apparently, taking a picture). We walked through Plaza Mayor and the most pictures I have are of this weird little guy:

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I guess even sparkle streamer bulls get a siesta

We wandered through markets and drooled over the many, many delicious choices.

Madrid, Spain

And walked off what we stuffed our faces with in the beautiful Retiro park.

Madrid, Spain

Madrid, Spain

I had been to Retiro at least two times before, but never remember seeing all these flowers. There’s a rose garden in the far corner that was spotted with oranges, reds, yellows, and pinks, despite being early in the season.

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So many fountains and families out enjoying the sunshine

We stopped in a used bookstore to exchange some books and pick a few new ones for the flight home. And since this is Spain, stopped at the bar upstairs to have a little sangria and a chat with the owners and another patron.

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Yes, we still made it to the art museums. Thanks to a little research, we found that we could get into both the Prado and Reina Sofia museums for free by waiting to go in later in the day.

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It’s these scenes of normal city life that will stay with me from now on when I think of Madrid, though. As Shawn said many posts ago, sometimes, it’s good to be wrong.


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