June 26th: Madrid, España

Hola y saludos de Madrid, España. It is my first official day in Spain and I am already so obsessed with Madrid. Yesterday I arrived around 11am and despite the research I did in preparation for my trip when my plane touched down and all I could see was sand, I was shocked. That is of course until I realized Spain’s proximity to Africa. The heat here is aggressive and unexpected and yesterday was only 35 degrees celsius. Today it will heat up to about 40 degrees celsius. It almost feels like the sun is stronger here; I can feel my skin getting toasty as I explore the city center.

By 2pm yesterday I was already up and exploring. I visited La Plaza Mayor (old city center/market), El Palacio (the palace) and Templo de Debod (Egyptian monument/park). Most of these spots are located in and around the neighborhood of Puerta del Sol. I have returned to the palace grounds again today as they are stunning. The palace overlooks a beautiful garden where I’ve decided I will be spending a good amount of time over the next few weeks. Music carries through the garden from the man playing the accordion at the entrance. The garden is built in a square with a with a large rectangular pond in its center. Locals are currently dipping their feet in the pond and lounging around its perimeter which is lined with several Spanish statues. The four corners of the garden each feature a labyrinth of hedges. Each labyrinth is lined with benches and large trees that provide shade and and escape from the Spanish sun. From my bench I have an unobstructed view of the palace and it is beautiful. The original palace burned down in 1734 however, King Phillip V ordered a new one to be built in the exact same location. Construction began in 1738 and was finished in 1764. This is the palace that stands today. However, it is no longer the residence of the Spanish royal family. It’s difficult to overstate the size of the palace with it’s over 1 million square feet of floor space and 3,400 rooms. The exterior is made up of grey and white stone and is an example of Spanish Baroque architecture with some neoclassical elements found in the portions of the palace that were part of the later expansion. I can’t get over the fact that this building was built without the use of modern day technology. To me, this is a large part of the beauty of the palace. There is A LOT of gold and religious artifacts that decorate the palace. Directly in front of the palace is a large cathedral (also just ridiculously beautiful). I haven’t entered the cathedral or the palace yet. I think I’ll wait until after the heat wave because I’d like to take my time.

Yesterday, after my first visit to the palace garden I walked up the steps to the cafe across the street. This cafe had my favorite thing about Madrid so far, Tinto de Verano. It’s a popular drink in Madrid and its one part red wine and one part gaseosa (half water half Sprite OR half water half Fanta) with fresh fruit pieces. It’s served cold and was super refreshing after a long day of walking. It tastes almost exactly like my favorite wine from home, Rosa Regale. The drinks came with tapas. THICK cut salami (not sure it was salami because I didn’t ask but its my best guess) on pieces of bread. DELICIOUS. A really fun thing about this meal was the wait staff in the cafe. They treat you like family. Our waiter was cracking jokes, asking about our day, literally just hanging out at our table. It was so much fun! I really enjoyed my time at Cafe Sabatini. After we paid the waiter brought us each a glass with a little coffee and baileys. It was at this point I realized I have some serious catching up to do in terms of European alcohol tolerance. 

The public transportation system here is something else. It genuinely puts Southern California to shame. The buses are inexpensive, go EVERYWHERE and are very easy to manage. It’s only my second day here and I was able to easily make my way from my cousin’s apartment to the city center (about 45 minutes). There’s a lot of walking happening which I really don’t even mind because everything is here is so stunning. Even the apartment buildings are pretty to look at. The only thing that is really hard about walking so much is not going in to every tapas bar and cafe that I pass. I walked past the “Museo del Jamón” (Museum of Ham) without going in and if that isn’t proof of restraint I don’t know what is. 

I have yet to explore the Puerta de Alcalá (picture the Spanish arc de triomphe), Banco de España (another absurdly pretty building with a beautiful fountain area) which is just outside of Puerta Del Sol. But, I think thats on the itinerary for later tonight. There’s also a really cool looking food market just outside of the Plaza Mayor that we passed by yesterday. Definitely going back to eat my way through that thing. 

TLDR (to long, didn’t read): Spain is REALLY HOT, im at least three shades darker than I was when I landed, Spanish wine is delicious and the buildings are beautiful. 

Thanks for reading! I’ll see y’all later this week when I have more to share. 

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