Madrid (June 2015)

My time in Madrid last summer was a mix of Spanish classes, visiting museums I hadn’t yet been to, and revisiting my favorite places.

From the moment I stepped off the plane I felt at home. I’ve been in Madrid’s airport so many times that even that felt familiar. I knew all the turns and paths to get me to the Metro. From there I was on auto-pilot to the hostel, knowing which transfers to make and which street my hostel was on. I felt so at home the entire time I was there. It was nice, and a little bittersweet.

I visited the Museo de Historia de Madrid – I highly recommend it! Every period of Madrid’s long evolution was covered in detail. The collection of fans (abanicos) was stunning. There were a few that I stared at for a solid five minutes.

It was fun staying in the Chueca neighborhood during Pride. It was an all-out celebration!

Even with a total of 17 days in Madrid during my 4 weeks in Spain, I never did go visit my old neighborhood (Tirso de Molina). I didn’t actually realize it until the night before my flight back to the states. At that point I figured it might be too emotionally difficult.