I did not think I was going to like Madrid as much as I did. Everyone I talked to prior to my trip said that two days in Madrid was too long and that I should spend more time in Barcelona. Looking back on my 16 days in Spain, their opinions couldn’t have been more opposite from my personal conclusion. I loved Madrid. My mom’s flight was due to arrive mid morning and I was set to meet her at our B and B at around 11:30. Very unfortunately, I received messages from her detailing every traveler’s fear when enduring connections on international journeys: her flight had to have an emergency landing in a different airport in the states due to technical difficulties. This of course caused her to not be able to get to her connecting flight to Madrid and ultimately put her at the mercy of US Airways for the next 36 hours. 

After discovering this unfortunate news for mom, I had to figure out what to do with myself for the next 24 hours solo in Madrid. I didn’t want to see all too much without mom, so I decided to take a long leisurely walk through Retiro Park. I also messaged these two guys who were from New York who Greg and I met at breakfast one morning in Granada, Ankeet and Peter. We exchanged numbers after discovering we’d be in Madrid on the same dates, so I figured I’d try to pal around with them at some point now with my time to kill sans mom. Ankeet kindly invited me to meet up with them later that day, he said they had a really nice air B and B with air conditioning and a decent terrace. He had me at air conditioning… my B and B room at Artistic B and B was on the third floor of a narrow building and did not have air conditioning. Though Artistic B and B was adorable, ideally located, and run by a lovely young married couple, it was a sauna to say the least, and I was sweating out of orifices I didn’t even think could sweat nor did I know existed. My shins were sweating! I’ll detail the highlights and moments below, but I’ll happily report that at long last mom arrived the following morning, slightly delirious and nearly shaking from having to lug her oversized suitcase all over Madrid. I stupidly forgot that the metro did not have an elevator or escalator, just stairs leading to the exit. I also forget that my mother is 4 foot 10 inches and, as physically fit and in shape as she is, is also nearing 60. The narrow three flights of stairs after the metro climb also didn’t help the situation. Regardless of my careless blunder, mom arrived and we had a teary, giddy reunion :). 

   
    
    
    
   
Highlights and moments:

-My solo stroll through Retiro Park. This park is seemingly endless, with paths winding through rows of trees interspersed with benches. Ponds and gardens pop up along the pathways. The center of the park is the monument to Alfonso XII where a large man made lake/pond thrives and offers park goers peddle boating, row boating, outdoor cafes, and sunbathing. Major monuments within the park include Velazquez Palace and The Fountain of the Fallen Angel. My personal favorite was the monument to Alfonso XII and the Crystal Palace which showcases different art exhibits throughout the year. The one I saw was called El Sahara Occidental, Su Jama, which was really different and highly photogenic. The park teems with life: elderly men enjoy parking themselves on a bench to read the paper, families bring their dogs and allow their kids and canines to run amuck through the sprinklers, dangerously in love young teens maul each other’s faces in inappropriate positions on the grassy knolls, and runners, bikers, and rollerbladers enjoy breaking a sweat unencumbered by the stop and go of bustling city sidewalks and crosswalk traffic patterns. And as for me, I put in my earbuds, turned up the Florence and the Machine, and followed the yellow dirt road for close to two hours, happily wandering without any purpose besides the enjoyment of wandering. I also thoroughly enjoyed a run through Retiro the following morning, and returned for a third time with mom the following evening. 

   
-Hanging out with Ankeet and Peter. Their Air B and B gave me ridiculously high and sadly false hopes for my future air B and B experiences. They paid as much as I was paying for my unairconditioned, non elevator equipped room, but in addition to those vital amenities they had a washing machine and personal terrace looking out onto the botanical gardens. We talked and laughed for hours, drinking white wine in their air B and B. Their company felt strangely familiar and I am so thankful to have met them. After finishing two bottles of wine, we went to an authentic, slightly pricey paella restaurant where we split a seafood paella and dared each other to eat the eyes off of the prawns. The photo below captures the aftermath of prawn eyeball swallowing. I loved hanging out with these funny, down to earth, intelligent, travel enthusiasts and I plan on reaching out to them when I visit Jackie in NYC. 

   
 -Taking an audio tour through The Royal Palace with mom. Mom and I almost got through the whole thing, but were a bit too tired and hungry to last for all 30 plus rooms with audio lectures. It’s a stunning palace with over the top decor, ceiling frescoes, and furniture. I especially liked the dining room and porcelain room. Sometimes it’s hard to picture life taking place as it did during the times in which ancient palaces and fortresses thrived, but this palace made it easy because all the furniture was still in place and the dining room was set with the real tables and place settings. 

   
   
-Admiring the works of Goya in The Prado. If you’re a major art lover then I feel like you’d need 2-3 days to do The Prado justice. Mom loves art and is extremely knowledgable about art history, but we both were overwhelmed by The Prado’s size and collection. Therefore we decided to pick one of our favorite artists within The Prado, to save us time and brain power. We chose Goya, whose work proved to be extremely versatile and richly layered with symbolism, social commentary, and emotion. I loved The Prado’s explanation of each painting. Rather than simply providing plaques with a title and time period and date, each painting’s meaning and painting technique was described in detail. I was moved by Goya’s haunting and impressionable artistic commentary on violence, war, and greed. My favorite Goya painting was “Saturn Devouring His Son” which depicts the Greek myth of the Titan Cronus (named by Romans as Saturn) eating his own children upon birth due to fear of being overthrown by them. 
-Devouring out-of-this-world seafood paella with mom at an incredible Michellan star rated restaurant of which I sadly forgot the name of but it was within the art district close to Artistic B and B, and meeting a very interesting couple from California. 
Overall, Madrid is a clean, beautiful, well laid out city. I felt safe on the streets, even at night and on back alleyways. The people are beautiful, kind, and active.