adventures in Madrid
00h37, Madrid.
It’s my last night before departing to another corner of Europe and not bringing a laptop in my luggage makes me want to unalive myself by having to write from the small screen of a phone. I did not even designed the website for mobile responsiveness so now I am drinking from my own poison. I promise to improve that once I get home.
I wanted to write about the trip while it’s still fresh and very alive within myself, while the city is buzzing and I am already looking forward to comeback.
Madrid is my first step into Europe and I had a very pleasant surprise. The city is very clean, lovely and full of statues and monuments carved in marble, bronze and gold displaying multiple historical figures that I have no idea who they are. It’s a very cultural shock to understand that you are in a place that “exists” since the very beginning of humankind. Statues and places praising people who lived in the 700's is crazy to say the least.
What really got to me though is how this city feels alive. People are out in the streets at midnight having a smoke with some beer and tapas… and it’s Wednesday! The nightlife doesn’t even flinch on a weekday. It’s hard to describe how it feels like there is always something happening.
The Madrileños are polite and full of spirit. While in Parque del Retiro, I found an incredible place where people were playing chess. I was fortunate enough to be invited by Juan to play against him and get absolutely crushed in less than 8 minutes. Even though I couldn’t understand much of what he was saying, I understood quite well the laughs while I traded queens and lost a bishop.
The language barrier is something that deeply bothers me. If there is one thing that bridges cultures is talking with someone else in their native language. Unfortunately switching to Inglés was overused during my time in the city to be able to communicate. I had experienced this before in Chile but here in Spain was a whole other level. So I am taking a public commitment to start learning Spanish as soon as possible so given the chance to come back I can try to find Juan again in Retiro and challenge him back in another chess match.
I am going to miss Madrid. The beautiful monuments, the youthful spirit of the people, the overpriced sangrĂa at Mercado de San Miguel, the clean streets, the amazing public transportation system, my Quest for a Gabardina and the stunning visuals of the tapestries and Roman painting in the Palácio Real.
It was all worth it.