Back in Madrid!

With the last days of university officially behind us Annie, Cat and I set off on our Madrid reunion trip to stir up old memories and enjoy the sunshine. (Unfortunately at the last minute Annabel had to stay behind but was with us in spirit!)

I flew out a couple of days before the others to spend the weekend with my old housemate Katrina in her new flat in Embajadores. Setting foot in Madrid again was such a strange experience; so many emotions and memories came flooding back. The smell of sunshine and cigarette smoke hits you in waves as you step off the plane and it wasn't long before I was rattling along on the metro towards Sol. A few couples passionately making out on the platform, a beggar forlornly holding out a cup in my direction and a call of "ehhhh mami!"from a darkened doorway, along with the requisite kissy kissy noises, meant there was no mistaking where I was...

Saturday and Sunday were spent in a happy blur enjoying afternoon drinks in kerbside bars, exploring the centre again and finding my feet in the city I used to call home. On a stroll through Retiro Park we came across the rose garden or rosaleda; something I'd missed last year:

 

 

 

This is a gorgeous space, overflowing with flowers, surrounded by a low hedge towards the edge of the park. Perfect for a romantic walk or just to get away from the hustle of the city for a while.

Cat and Annie arrived on the Monday and we found our Airbnb apartment near Malasaña. Three days of sheer relaxation followed; I didn't think about work or grades or job hunting once. We took advantage of the brands that can't be found in the UK and shopped til we quite literally dropped. Lying on our picnic blanket under the shade of the trees in Retiro we shared a feast of tortilla, empanadas, apricots and tomatoes. The birds chirruped above us, a pair of squirrels fought tooth and claw over some tidbit and the hot sun left everyone lazy and lolling about.

 

As I sunk through the clouds to hit the runway back in Luton it felt like coming back to earth in more ways than one. I've had such an incredible last few days; our Madrid trip, finding out I'll be graduating with a First Class degree from Southampton in July and tonight we're heading off to a summer ball at the top of Portsmouth's Spinnaker tower. What's more in just under 48 hours I'll be in Cuba for our summer holiday!

It will probably take me a little while to sort through all the squillions of photos I'll be taking while away but I'll get a post up as soon as I can when we get back.