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.

La Feria del Libro - A Book Lover's Dream

If you like books and are in Madrid in early June then missing out on the Feria del Libro is something you'll kick yourself for over and over again. During this time the long leafy avenues of the Parque del Retiro are lined with little canopied stalls piled high with every sort of book you could imagine.

People stroll along, passing from stall to stall and picking up anything that takes their fancy to flip it over and read the blurb. This book fair isn't just for secondhand or antique books (though there are definitely stalls dedicated to these) and the focus is on showcasing the incredible Spanish publishing industry. Each numbered stall has the name of the publishing house or casa editorial printed on its canopy and you can find anything from self help, gothic horror, beautiful graphic novels and atlases to kids picture books, current bestsellers and teen fiction.

I came along late one afternoon as the sun was setting through the trees to have a browse and a wander. Elisa who normally spent her days working alongside me in the Casa del Libro shop on Gran Vía had been sent to the park to man our stall so it was lovely to chat with her.

 

The prices of books on offer are at times a little cheaper than on the highstreet but don't expect anything to be super reduced.

If you're interested in working in the publishing industry or with books in general then I cannot recommend this place enough as somewhere to network. You'll need to speak Spanish (which goes without saying really as these are Spanish publishing houses) but representatives from all over Spain are here in their hundreds! If you can't make it to the fair itself the list of publishers involved can be found online after a quick google which makes speculative applications by email much easier.

I haven't been posting on my blog half as much as I normally would as I've been so busy lately! Now dissertation, coursework and exams are all over I'm so looking forward to this summer. First I'll be heading back to Madrid for a few days next week (yay!) then I'll be travelling to Cuba for two weeks at the end of June and then have an interesting looking month of work experience planned for August.

I can't wait to get back to Madrid but I can't even explain how excited I am for our trip to Cuba! I've never been to the Caribbean but it's always been a dream of mine; I'm imagining pirate treasure, tropical beaches, gorgeous crumbling architecture and cocktails in the setting sun.

Brace yourselves for a barage of photos and posts documenting our travels on my return in July!

El Palacio de Cristal

If any of you are planning on heading to Madrid over the Easter break and have a spare couple of hours I thoroughly recommend a visit to the Palacio de Cristal. This gorgeous glass building is nestled at the heart of Retiro Park alongside one of the park's prettiest lakes.

 

 

The building itself is essentially a huge glass conservatory (though much more beautiful than your average greenhouse!) and houses different art exhibitions throughout the year. I always used to love coming here on warm afternoons, watching the ducks paddle around and the sunlight casting rainbows on the floor of the palace.

 



 

 

 

The best thing is it's free to enter and with it being a popular tourist spot there's often a busker or two strumming away in the shade. If any of you do pay this place a visit I'd love to know what you thought - comment down below! :)

Why I Love Autumn in Madrid

1. The leaves go gold but the sky stays blue!

Unlike the English autumn where we might have a few sunny days but the majority is muggy, wet and grey, autumn in Madrid is just perfect. This is the best season to visit El Retiro park and soak up some hazy sunshine. Jazz bands play, kids scoot by on go-karts and everything is right with the world...

 

 

 

2. Hot chocolate is a thing the Spanish do VERY well

If you ask for "una taza de chocolate" or a cup of chocolate in Madrid that's just what you get; a cup of thick melted chocolate. This is perfect for dipping (any biscuits/churros/doughnuts will do) or, if you're feeling really naughty, gulping straight from the cup. If you're after more traditional hot chocolate (ie. chocolate powder mixed with hot milk) then ask for a "cola cao".

3. In the streets people roast chestnuts and corncobs on braziers

It always makes me smile when I see people doing this; it feels like I've hopped back in time. The men wear flat caps and stand over huge metal braziers with the smoky smell of roasting chestnuts filling the air. I've also seen bright yellow corncobs dripping in butter. In the spring and summer they also sell pastries and chocolate.

4. The fashion and shopping

Autumn is my favourite time of year whatever country I'm in. All the new autumn collections come out in the shops and we can all start wearing cosy scarves and jumpers in lovely autumnal colours. In Madrid the arrival of the season is greeted by a horde of little old ladies digging out their favourite winter coats. It may still be fairly warm but look out of an upper floor window and it seems like the streets are over-run with tiny, fuzzy bears hurrying along. The brands on offer here are often not sold in the UK so take advantage while you can - oh stradivarius I miss you so!

5. The football season starts...

I have to say that I'm not all that bothered about the football as such but the excitement in the build-up towards a game permeates the whole city. I used to live right next to Santiago de Bernabeu stadium and the noise of people in the streets after a match was incredible - it definitely creates a great atmosphere. What's more it's a great conversation starter - ask a madrileño/a whether they support Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid and see what happens...

6. The food

If you're in need of some culinary inspiration this autumn head to one of Madrid's many food markets. Here you'll find the stalls piled high with nuts, mushrooms, pumpkins and many other beautifully coloured autumnal delights.

* The photo of the old ladies in their fur coats in the plaza mayor was found on misadventuresofjason.blogspot.com

My Year Abroad in Photos

I've been back in England for nearly 2 months now and it's finally hit me what with coursework results, reading lists being released and thoughts of future dissertations that my year abroad is well and truly over...

Skimming through all my hundreds of photos trying to pick my entries for Southampton uni's photo competition it struck me what a truly amazing, life-changing year I've had. I couldn't have been happier with how my year turned out. There were tough times of course, times when I couldn't be bothered with the whole bloody thing, but there were also countless moments when I felt truly happy and proud of myself.

Who knew a year ago that I'd manage to move to another country, find myself a place to live, talk myself into two jobs, take up an instrument, make some truly fantastic friends and travel the length and breadth of Spain all using my second language??! Some of you have been with me through it all, whether via this blog or otherwise, and I want to thank you for helping to make my year abroad in Madrid what it was - absolutely incredible!

The rest of this post is made up of photos of some of the most memorable moments from my time away. Spain is a fantastically varied country with some of the most beautiful buildings, crazy people and gorgeous views I've ever encountered; I hope this comes through in my photos.

My first night - Alone in the dark, peering out of the window at the torrential rain and wondering what on earth was going to happen next...

Getting to know my homestay host Isabel and starting to feel a bit "Spanish"

My first visit to the beautiful Retiro park - One of my favourite places throughout the rest of my time in Madrid

Discovering the Claudio Moyano Bookstalls - Just another little thing that added to the magic of my year away

Running down the escalator to the station platform to meet my boyfriend Chris for the first time since I'd gone away after 7 weeks apart. This photo is actually from a later visit as for those first few days together I forgot all about my camera while we explored the city

Watching the famous Jorge Pardo in Madrid's Cafe Central - From this moment on Jazz really caught my imagination

Moving to my new flat in Embajadores (finally escaping my demon of a flatmate!) and meeting my new year abroad pals.

 Annabel's 21st birthday at Teatro Kapital - A hilarious night of crazy dancing at Madrid's most infamous nightclub

A Trip to Toledo - My first trip out of Madrid, a fairytale castle, and the start of my insatiable need to see more of Spain...

The arrival of spring! - After a cold, dark winter the start of the warm spring days along with the almendro and cerezo flowers made me look forward to the heat of summer for the first time

Being dwarfed by El Acueducto de Segovia - One of the most impressive structures I've seen in Spain

Leaving the museum where I'd worked for the last 6 months and not having a clue what to do next - One of the most stressful times of my year abroad...

Arriving in Granada and seeing that the Spain I'd always dreamed of was real - Women in frills and men on horseback

The Alhambra and the arabic quarter being as spell-binding as I'd hoped

Staring in awe at the incredible floral displays of the fiesta de los patios in Córdoba - My favourite Spanish festival  

 Witnessing the legendary beauty of a royal Andalucían garden in May

Standing in Sevilla's Plaza de España at sunset watching the stone turn gold and the fountains flash silver

Starting work at Casa del Libro in Gran Vía - After about a month I had a moment where I felt exactly "right" and happy. Here I was walking out into the sunshine after my shift, heading home to my flatmates, shouting goodbye to my colleagues after spending the morning working on the customer service desk in a shop on the Spanish equivalent of Oxford Street. I would never have believed how far I've come when I arrived in October.

Looking out over the bay in San Sebastián - Great scenery, great food and great company

Lying in the shade in Retiro park for the last meetup of the chicas before we all started to go our separate ways at the end of our time in Spain

Sitting on the rooftop of the Circulo de Bellas Artes, drink in hand, watching the sun set over the Madrid skyline in the last week before I flew home - what a year it has been!

It sounds cheesy but my time away has made me the person I am today; much more confident in myself and ready for another challenge. Madrid has left me with a craving for jamón, a love of Jazz, a horde of new pals and a strong desire to see more of the world. Not to mention a significant improvement in my Spanish. If you're looking forward a little warily to your year abroad or even umming and aahing over whether to set off on one; just go! It'll certainly be the most interesting, challenging, unpredictable and life-changing year you'll have had so far.

To see more of the photos I took of all the wonderful things I saw and did during my year abroad follow me on instagram @madridadrift (find the link at the top right of the page)