Goodbye, Madrid

I’ve been putting this post off, just a little bit. Because goodbyes are hard and they’re a little sad, no matter how much you say, “It’s not goodbye, it’s ‘see you later’.” Which I’m hoping this is. But I still spent 10 months in Madrid. I fell madly, madly in love with this city and my chest constricts every time I see a list like this one and I didn’t really expect that to happen, you guys. I should have, but I didn’t. So, after Seville I went back for a week and visited places I’d loved before and went to a few new places (which have been added to my Madrid Guide) and got to say good-bye to the city that I’d walked through at 06:30 to go catch the Metro, that I’d walked through with friends on my way to dinner, to football, to a movie, to Retiro, to everywhere. Madrid swept me off my feet and it was beautiful.

Seville: A Food Post

I don’t remember eating a lot in Seville. Maybe because it was so hot or I just wasn’t hungry, but I only went to three restaurants while I was there. But the food I did eat. The food. I’ve already talked about how much I love salmorejo, right? (I have to have done so.) And Andalucia is the home of this dish, meaning it’s in every restaurant and it’s homemade. Heaven. Actual heaven.

Hello, Seville

Seville was a last minute decision. It was a, “Do I have enough money? Do I have enough energy?” trip that I took what felt like ages to decide on until the Wednesday before I was supposed to leave, I found myself walking up to the bus kiosk and asking for a one way ticket to Seville, which was then carefully tucked into my wallet. It was the last city on my ‘to visit in Spain’ list and I’m glad I went, even with my aching back and tired feet and heart already set on a course for home, there was still just enough left in me for one more trip and Seville, you did not disappoint.

Hello, Málaga

As this month winds down to a close (how are we at the 26th of August already?!), I continue to realize how quickly time goes by. It feels like the summer just started and BAM! I leave for Canada on Saturday (whaaat?!). Before all my time disappeared on me, I wanted to spend some time in Málaga, especially since it was only a half hour drive from where I was staying. So, spur of the moment, on my last weekend in the area, I packed my backpack and spent 24 hours in Málaga.

An Ocean Serenade

Ironically, I spend more time at the pool than the beach, even if it’s a five minute walk away . I’m one of those people I said I would never be and yet, here I am. When I do get there, though, it makes me want to stay and never leave.  I see people on paddle boards and white sails out where the sky meets the ocean and there’s a whisper that goes, “That, that’s what I want to do.” I could (and do) spend hours just staring at it, the waves rolling forward and pulling back and the water changing colour from one blink to the next: brown, blue, green, white and when the sun hits it, yellow and orange. It reminds me of home, in a weird way. Change the ocean for fields and it’s kind of the same thing: this endless expanse that makes you wonder what you’d find if you go far enough.