Playful Rooted

Hey guys! I can’t believe it’s Wednesday already. This week is flying by! I have a lot of really fun things coming up soon, so I’m excited – but I also have tons of work to get done, so I could use a couple extra days!

Speaking of REALLY FUN THINGS, Ben and I spent last weekend celebrating my birthday in Madrid, and it was an amazing few days. We relaxed, browsed some museums and monuments, and enjoyed some great Spanish food and drink. Spain is quickly becoming my favorite European country (sorry, France!). The architecture is incredible, the food rocks, and whole vibe of the country is laid-back, celebratory, and so personable. And although I hardly speak any Spanish, people are so friendly about it, which I LOVE.

Ben had a conference in Granada during the week, so we traveled to Madrid separately and met there on Thursday. I always feel like such a boss traveling from country to country by myself (always = the two times I’ve done it). It’s scary, unpredictable, and fun! I came loaded with podcasts, a great book, and plenty of healthy food for the trip. 🙂

It took Ben and me forever to find each other after our trains arrived, but it was so great to see my love after so many days apart! ❤

We used AirBnB for the first time on this trip, and we had a great experience. Our host, Óscar, was so kind, friendly, and helpful, and the apartment we stayed in was really cute and predictably Spanish. I loved this floor!

And here’s the view out the back window. 🙂

Since we arrived sort of late on Thursday, we spent the afternoon and evening wandering around the city and checking out the gorgeous Spanish buildings.

I did not intend for this picture to be blurry, but I kind of loved the effect. So Español.

Of course, when in Spain, you have to drink sangria. It’s a rule. We loaded up at the Mercado San Miguel, where I also ate an entire plate of Spanish olives by myself. Clearly, Spain rocks.

The next day, we went to the Palacio Real, aka Royal Palace. The outside was magnificent!

Inside, the palace was a little underwhelming. Maybe it’s just not my style, but the interior was just sort of dull. But look what we saw when we came back outside!

I… thought it would be funny to ignore the Royal Palace and point at a bird instead. 🙂 (I’m still cracking up over this.)

After touring the palace, we had a lot of fun hanging out at Parque del Retiro. It’s a big spot for tourists and locals alike to congregate, relax, and enjoy some “nature” in the form of lots of trees and a cute man-made pond.

They had super cheap boat rentals, so naturally we had to take to the water.

And by that, I mean that Ben paddled while I laid back and took photos.

OMG – a duck! (Still hilarious.)

The streets of Madrid were a total madhouse last weekend! There was a big holiday celebration going on (I like to think it was for my birthday, but I hear it was some San Isidro thing), so there were tons and tons of people.

At all hours of the day and night.

OMG A PIGEON IN FRONT OF THE OPERA HOUSE!

There are about a million amazing art museums in Madrid, but over the years, I’ve figured out my taste in art, so we chose the one most tailored to us: the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. It was really a great collection! If you like impressionist/post-impressionist art, I would highly recommend this one. They also have some good modern and abstract pieces. And an amazing gift shop. 🙂

Breaking for a snack. Would you look at this little cutie!

One really fun adventure was the flamenco show we saw! Honestly, I wasn’t quite prepared for the aggression of flamenco, but it was a really awesome experience. Oh, plus there was sangria, so…

As always, it was tough to come “home” after an amazing vacation! Although I couldn’t leave without one last pigeon pic.

🙂 🙂 🙂

Adiós!

French expression of the day
Chanter comme une casserole – To be a bad singer (literally: To sing like a saucepan)