Into Ireland: Trip to Madrid

Hello readers! I hope you are all doing well. Since I last wrote, I had the pleasure of traveling to Madrid, Spain. This trip was extra special because I got to re-connect with my Illinois bestie, Audrey. Audrey and I have been friends since third grade and getting to see her so far from home was incredible.

My first thoughts on Spain? Colder than I thought, such beautiful buildings, and wow what a great metro. Immediately upon arrival to the airport Audrey and I hopped onto the metro to get to her place. The metro was fast, and the wait time was less than a couple minutes. Compared to Dublin where I sometimes must wait upwards of 20 minutes for a bus, it was incredible. Then, we got off the metro and took a three-minute walk to Audrey’s place.

For the first night we stopped at a taco restaurant, and I realized that I know zero Spanish (I took French in high school!). Some quick Spanish tips and tricks combined with yummy food was the perfect way to end the night.

Friday morning, I went on a two-hour walking tour of Madrid, and learned a lot about the architecture, the city, and how Madrid became the capital in 1561. After that, a well-deserved nap was taken before Audrey, and I went out to explore Retiro Park. Exploring Madrid was cool, especially when comparing to Dublin – they’re just so different!

A lot like Central Park in New York, Retiro Park was huge! The park really seemed to be for the people as people would sit all throughout the park – on steps, in the grass, by the water, and simply enjoy their time. After this, Audrey and I went out to dinner at an Asian Market that was DELICIOUS. The wait was long but it was so worth it.

Saturday morning, Audrey, her roommates, and I, headed out to Toledo! Just about an hour south of Madrid, we expected the trip to be easy. While the trip there took some twists and turns, we finally made it, and it was well worth the wait. We saw the Alcázar de Toledo, walked the Mirador Del Valle, and ate a delicious lunch in the city. I even picked up a new ring and a cool watercolor painting!

Audrey and I stayed long enough to see the sunset on the city and met some outdoor cats. I couldn’t understand them however, because they meow’d in Spanish (haha).

Sunday morning Audrey and I woke up late and had the best day in Madrid ever! First, I went out to pick up my first coffee of the day, while reading some of “The Long Petal of The Sea” by Isabel Allende. The book is about people displaced by the Spanish Civil War, and Allende is an amazing writer, so it felt like the perfect book to bring along this journey.

Then, Audrey and I went to the El Rastro Flea market where we picked up some fun new hats! After, we went to the Templo de Debod for a picnic to enjoy with the sunset. It felt like everyone was at the sunset, and it was such a lovely evening basking in the warm sun. We even ran into some street performers on our way home. While I know almost no Spanish it was so cool to figure out what they were saying with context clues, having seen similar performances in English before.

Monday morning, I slept in, packed up, and enjoyed the sun during my last day. Finally, it was time to head back to Dublin.

Being back in Dublin has felt nice. Travel can be exhausting and getting to see my new friends back at home, with new stories to share, has been great. I am looking forward to connecting with Audrey on another adventure soon! But before that I will be heading to Copenhagen, Denmark… look out for that post coming soon.

Thanks for reading!

Adiós,
Lexi Larson