Madrid (Spain)
05 SEP - 06 SEP 2015
05 SEP - 06 SEP 2015
Like that hot, uncomfortable, annoying breeze that sometimes catches you out, this was our stop in the wonderful city of Madrid. A day, to do and see what exactly, I wasn't quite sure, but the 'brain's trust' decided that was enough. So, aside from that boring element of discussion let me tell you of the story of my first arrival to Madrid in 2008.
Back then I thought 'English' was a good enough language to have in my arsenal if I wanted to move around. That's the typical Anglo centric view, speak louder, speak slower and a little more clearly, everyone should be able to understand you.
El toro negro en ruta a Madrid - Espana
Puerta del Sol - Madrid - Spain
Puerta del Sol - Madrid - Spain
The hotel I stayed at was on Calle Atocha, probably 10 mins walk from Plaza Mayor, about as central as you'd like to be in Madrid. After going through my usual 'settling in' period I went out for a walk in order to have a look what was a around, maybe check the nightlife a little and get a drink. Just a few blocks down there appeared to be an open plaza surrounded by some reasonable bars. I walked on in and took up residence. Spanish was being spoken all around me. At that time, just 'another' foreign language. I waited for the bartender to come over and ordered myself a beer. It was then probably two seconds after that point that I felt completely embarrassed. I was somewhere totally foreign, why should the people here accommodate me? To not even try or even think of doing so in someone elses language, well that was just plain ignorant. Right at that moment I promised myself that the next time I came to Madrid that I walk into this bar and order a drink in Spanish rather than arrogantly assuming that everyone around me should understand my English.
In 2010 when I returned to Madrid I did just that. Same place, same bar, same order, just ordered in the 'local currency'. Since 2010 however I've made a conscious effort to learn the language to a level where now I feel comfortable enough to have a conversation. Admittedly its not the most difficult language in the world to learn but still, an achievement in itself.
So, here I was again, 7 years after my first stop in Madrid. Now with my family.
How good does that place look!? - Madrid - Spain
Madrid - Spain
Parque Retiro - Madrid - Spain
Parque Retiro - Madrid - Spain
I quite often play a game with Inga where was ask each other 'if you could give your past self a snapshot of this moment do you think you'd be able to figure out how you got here?' - My favourite one of those questions was the time I was in the car with Inga, her brother Davis and their father Jurijs. We were driving back from Vilnius in Lithuania and they had allowed me to drive for part of the way, getting practice in for driving on the 'right' side of the road. Inga asked me 'If someone had shown you this photo the night after you first met me in Riga, what would you have thought' - I had to consider that for a while, the only thing that I came up with was that I got drunk with the girl that I met in the bar and now we were making a run for it as we'd probably done something very stupid.
Parque Retiro - Madrid - Spain
Plaza de Santa Ana - Madrid - Spain
Protest in Puerta del Sol - Madrid - Spain
Early morning escape - on the way to Lisbon
Anyway, back to Madrid and the 'Madrid snapshot'. If someone had provided me of a shot of my aunt, cousin and mum in Madrid at the ages we were, then yes, I probably could have figured something close to the mark. The simple fact that my father wasn't there would have been enough of a clue to have figured out what was going on.
Madrid as a city is almost regal, it's buildings are elegant and stylish. There's a vibrancy and type of electricity here that you don't get in too many other places. There's bars a plenty, tapas bars and little restaurants, but also that Mediterranean mentality that the night only really commences after midnight. The lifestyle here is tailored to good vibes, a great atmosphere and great fun. In all honesty, its one of my favourite European cities. It's hard to call it number one as Amsterdam & Paris certainly give it a hell of a run, but with that said, it rotates in and out of that number 1 spot with a fair amount of frequency,
