Picasso, Nun Cookies, and PDA – My two days in the capital city

Americans pack so-much-stuff. Usually I consider myself a light packer, but compared to my European counterparts, I look like a pack mule about to cross the desert. Carrying the two heavy bags and a backpack through the airport while navigating to another terminal with other Americans who don’t know any Spanish is just what I like to call a mind/body workout.

But good news - we made it. We waited for a little while at the airport but got to our hotel in downtown Madrid. The nH Hotel was a delightful hotel, and had the most delicious breakfast finger food. Everything from a tea bar, to a yogurt bar, to a mini bakery, juice bar, cereal bar, you get the point, there are a lot of bars ;)

As for touring, we museum-ed it up on the first night and second morning, hitting the Museo Reina Sofía, and the Prado, both very famous art museums that held extremely famous pieces of art including but not limited to El Greco, Goya and Picasso. All of those famous paintings you see in your textbooks are REAL and very old but also extremely beautiful.

I also was invited to the Royal palace for tea with the royal family. Marriage proposal coming soon. Don’t you worry I took a picture with the castle to commemorate my time there.

We were on one of those cute tourist-y tours with a tour guide with a microphone and saw all of the top majestic and historical Madrid landmarks, but the most fascinating was that with the nuns. So there is a convent in the middle of the city where the nuns never leave and spend their days praying and…wait for it…baking cookies. If you ring the bell you can come in and order their cookies. You walk into this dark room and there is a spinning jenny in the wall, and you tell the sister what you want to buy, put the money in the spinning jenny, and then the cookies will be sent around with the next turn. One of the kids in our group bought a box, and they were delicious orange cookies with a candied thing on top. I would rate the experience 10/10 as far as nun cookies go.

In the afternoon, a small group of us went to park in the center of the city called Parque de Retiro, a peaceful area in the center of the city. We explored through the greenhouses and stumbled across a lake with a monument to “Ares del Sol” and our little group of five watched the sunset in a very romantic environment surrounded by couples exchanging saliva and accordion music from the little man across the lake. A lovely evening.

I’ve noticed a good many things about Spain (or Europe in general) that are a bit different than our typical American culture. Here are the highlights.

1. The PDA taboo ain’t no thing here. Whether you are caressing your loved one’s back in the market or making out on the train, these are all considered perfectly normal.

2. Everyone has an olive green coat. Super convenient because my Mother dearest got me one before I left.

3. Fashion is real, and everyone here dresses to the nines all the time. I finally don’t look over dressed

4. Buildings are old and strong. Our tour guide told us a building built in the 1700’s was “young.” Putting America back in its youngest kid place.

5. The capital city isn’t afraid to make a political statement. On the front of a castle looking building (which is where the mayor of Madrid works), hung a large, simple sign that read simply “REFUGEES WELCOME.”

Overall, Madrid was a big city. Some of you have heard me say that that all cities are very similar – they all have their different quirks and flavors and history, but at the end of the day, there are a lot of people, a lot of cars, a lot of restaurants, and tall buildings towering over you. Madrid most certainly had it’s own style which I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of, but I anticipate a place where I’ll be able to see the skyline and everything won’t have an English translation written below.

We have a day in Toledo, the first capital of Spain, and then we are off to Sevilla. Thank you all for your prayers in this time of self-discovery and exploration.

Peace and Blessings.