Em & Lincoln Visit

In the spirit of how things actually happened during the week which I’m talking about, we’re going to move straight from one visit – that of the Cake Club girls – to the next: Em & Lincoln!

As I mysteriously mentioned at the end of my previous blog post, I waved Megan off as she headed to France one morning before heading off to work, and returned back home to find a pair of intruders had somehow gotten into my flat! Of course this was all planned, as they had arrived around lunchtime, picked my keys up off a friend, and let themselves into my place to wait for me to return from work.

Em was actually the first person I met when I moved to Leeds for university, as she was moving into my flat at exactly the same time as me. She met Lincoln that same year, and they’ve been together, with me third-wheeling on the odd occasion, ever since!

We reminisced about this as we headed out for our first evening of exploring the city, where I took the two of them for a meander around the centre to give them their first taste of Spain. In doing this, we passed by quite a few spots that I visited during my very first trip to Madrid, and so begun three days of reminisce!

The next two days I had taken off work in order to spend more time with the two of them, and so for lunch on the first of these days I simply had to take them to Casa Dani, a restaurant within a market which I think showcases some of the best local dishes imaginable.

In the afternoon we proceeded to explore more places, with one of the highlights being time spent by the lake in front of the Crystal Palace in Retiro.

The next day we’d decided to head up into the mountains of the city, as I had an inkling that the two of them would appreciate seeing the more natural landscapes which surround the rather isolated city – much like I knew Ellie and Johann would like it when they visited last year.

After a long walk in the increasingly hot sun, we arrived at the river which runs through the area and which gives the town its name – Manzanares El Real. We sat by the river – the same one which eventually runs through the city and near my flat – for a good while, chatting and reminiscing about various university scandals.

Once we’d made it back down into the city from the mountains, there wasn’t much time left for anything else, and so we headed back home and decided to head out for a late meal. I took the two of them to one of my go-to options for a delicious meal of a rather unexpected (for us Brits, anyway) cuisine, Venezuelan.

This meal provided the perfect conclusion to a lovely, relaxing few days spent with Em and Linc. Sitting there ready to burst with delicious food and somewhat tipsy after a few beers, it was upsetting to think that in the morning – as with many other visits as of recent – we’d have to say goodbye until I’m next back in England.

As I saw them off the next day, I was upset to see them head off again, but happy to have finally been able to invite them over to my place after years of regular crashing in their spare bedroom. I had a lovely, relaxing time with the two of them, and look forward to a reunion back in Leeds very soon!

And now, a little warning that my next blog post also deals with a visit from another two people, but this time I shall leave you hanging (well, any of you who know me) and refuse to divulge who they are…