After a lovely but hectic weekend down in Alicante for the Bentana-Cho wedding, another week of work ensued. Once again, however, I had a busy weekend to look forward to, as my parents were coming over to visit!

The three of us united on Friday in my neighbourhood, after a colleague kindly gave me a lift to the centre so I wouldn’t have to meet my parents at some midpoint between the centre and my new office. As they were staying with me, we first headed up to my flat so that they could unpack somewhat and prepare for the coming days, and then headed out for the evening.

What we got up to next set the prescient for pretty much the entire weekend. Instead of rushing around the city checking out everything, which they’ve already done on trips both individually and together, I instead decided to take them out to live the Madrid lifestyle: eating, drinking, and watching the world go by from a table on outdoor terraces. 

For tea (or dinner, if you call it that), we headed to my favourite local bar just two streets away from my house, indulging in a selection of sharing dishes and a few beers to wash it all down. Once we were slightly tipsy and very full, we wandered down to the river, which I thought would be a nice spot to sit on the grass and grab another drink and watch the world go by.

I love living so close to the river and its park.

What I had forgotten was that that particular weekend marked the start of the San Isidro celebrations, one of Madrid’s key annual holidays. This meant that most of the grass was barricaded off, and a big outdoor stage had been erected ready to host performances later in the evening. We did, however, find a bench to perch ourselves on, and proceeded to enjoy our beers there until the music started up, whereupon we took in the atmosphere for a while before then heading home.

To start the weekend, we made what was to be our only appointment of the weekend, and headed to the Secret Garden of Salvador Bachiller for some lunch after a spot of shopping. A drama then ensued when, during the leisurely walk back through the city and back to my flat, we realised that we’d left out shopping bag in the restaurant! Thankfully, though, they’d found the bag and put it aside, and so we continued with our holiday relaxation, resolving to pick it up the following day. 

I’d planned the Sunday as a day to wander around some of Madrid’s green spaces, and so we headed off in the morning to have a picnic in Retiro, the city’s main park. After a spot of sunbathing and watching the ducks in the pond, we sat by the lake and tucked into a lunch of bread with alioli and tomato.

To head to our next destination we caught the bus, stopping along the way to pick up my lost bag, and made our way to the lake in the Casa de Campo. We chilled out down there for a good few hours, sharing a big jar of sangria as evening came around.

For our last evening together, I whipped up some quesadillas at home, and then we headed out for one last round of drinks at my local bar. My mum here looks somewhat confused at the basket of bread being delivered to the table before the extra bits of food we’d ordered came – someone needs to tell her that bread here is just another obligatory eating utensil!

That Monday morning we were all up early, as my parents had to get an early taxi to the airport and I had to be awake to bundle them in and explain where they were going to the driver! This concluded a lovely weekend spent with my parents, who I must thank for making the effort of coming over and paying for pretty much everything along the way. I’m now looking forward to visiting them in Murcia later this summer!

Anyway, my past few weeks haven’t just been all fun and games, as I’ve also been working in between all the chaos. As mentioned a couple of posts back, we’re now settled in our new office at work, and we’ve been using the new garden as much as we can ever since…

Breakfast on the porch is always a pretty good start to the day.

As part of the move, I’m also happy to report that the ping-pong table – which was present in the past two offices and sadly removed a few months into our stay in the second – has been reinstated! Rebuilt after sitting in storage for over a year, it’s now a great excuse for some relaxation and competitive letting off of steam when we grab a spare moment.

In between my busy schedule at work, with many projects on the go at the moment, a photo surfaced from a networking event last year, which I noticed had been labelled internally as “Ollie with a crisp”. I don’t know why it made me giggle so much, but below I include said photo of me and Elena enjoying the free crisps!

My next adventure came the day after my parents left, as me and Bogar decided to head out on Tuesday evening to the San Isidro festivities seeing as Wednesday was a bank holiday. This involved heading to the aptly-named San Isidro Park, where artists and DJs would be playing and a fair would be in full swing.

We arrived at the park just in time to catch one of the evening’s main acts, La Bien Querida, who I’ve been listening to since a colleague intruded me to her music. Cracking open a can and finding a space to watch from the grass, I sang along to a few of her famous hits, including Muero de amor and, my personal favourite, De momento abril.

Once we’d had a boogie and a few more drinks, the two of us headed to the food stalls to grab a few bites to eat. In the end we ended up sharing fried potatoes, a hot dog, and a kebab, all followed by a cheeky mojito as the DJ sets begun.

After another few hours enjoying the music, we eventually decided to head back home. Having seen the crazy state of the metro on our way down, we decided the best way home would be to walk, and so we put the world to rights as we meandered down the river and back to our neighbourhood.

It was a lovely way to blow off some stream after some busy weekends and a busy period at work, but I had even more to come with a holiday to Tenerife the following weekend! All that, however, must wait until the next post.

I’d just like to finish this post off by sharing a photo of my sister, Ellie, who has recently finished her final year dissertation. She’s in the final throes of her third year at university, but she’s making me wait another twelve months until I get to watch her graduation as she’s just been accepted to complete an integrated master’s degree.

Well done, Bel!

And so concludes another post written on my phone and in sporadic bursts whilst on buses, waiting for trains, sitting in the laundrette, and ultimately lying in bed. I am going to become an expert at typing on this little screen!

Once again I write this post whilst on the move, the difference this time being that I’m not just catching a train to work, rather I’m flying down the coast of Northern Africa and on my way to Tenerife! I’m off to spend a long weekend relaxing on the island’s coast with my friend Cami (who I last saw when she visited Madrid last year), but for now I’ve other delayed updates to share, so let’s get straight to it…

As mentioned in my previous post, when my colleague Soyoung left Erretres, a few of us found ourselves bestowed with an invite to her wedding ceremony. I immediately RSVP’d to let her and Pablo (the groom) know that I would be there, and then as the date grew nearer, organised the final details such as a shirt to wear, a lift down with my two colleagues Blanca and Helena, and an apartment in which to stay just behind the hotel in Alicante where the ceremony was to take place.

At about 10am on Friday 3rd May, I headed along to the car park to help my auntie and uncle pick up their car and wave them off as they began their trip from Madrid northwards, and then I had just a couple of hours to run a wash, pack my bag, and head out to be picked up by Blanca who was to drive us to the south. I did manage to made it on time somehow, and from Madrid we began the car journey down to Villajoyosa, a beautiful little coastal town near Alicante. 

Upon arrival, we first picked up the keys to our lodgings, a gorgeous apartment with a balcony and a huge rooftop terrace with views of the sea and the hotel where the wedding would be held the next day. Once we’d decided who’d take which bedroom, we hoped back in the car and headed to Mercadona to pick up some supplies to keep us going for the time that we wouldn’t be at the wedding.

Whilst in the town centre, we also took the opportunity to explore its old centre, a pretty little collection of colourful buildings all squished together along the promenade. Not so pretty, however, was the weather forecast, with a blanket of menacing clouds threatening to linger for quite some time…

Google was reporting that the stormy outlook would clear up by the following day and make way for a lovely sunny wedding afternoon, but with the dense cloud cover and chilly wind, we were convinced that the storm was going to outstay it’s welcome and cast a quite liberal shadow over the beach ceremony.

Not wanting to dwell on such preoccupations, we continued our wander up and down the beach, engaging in a spot of beach-combing whilst Helena took a few candid shots on her camera. Photo credit and thanks, then, go to her for the next couple of shots.

Growing weary and tired, we then hopped back in the car and made our way back to the apartment, whereupon we braved the cold and enjoyed a shared tea (standard English: dinner) on the balcony. The main attraction of the tea, though, has to have been the jamón (cured ham). Provided by Helena’s dad, a jamón producer, we had been munching on the delicious packet since we’d left Madrid!

We then made like very sensible adults and headed off to bed for an early night, with a plan to get up early in order to give us enough time to prepare for the wedding and arrive in good time (which is the least subtle bit of literary foreshadowing I’ve ever written).

The morning started rather tranquilly, as Blanca and Helena had already left to pick up a few more bits for breakfast by the time I finally moved myself out of bed and made an appearance. I grabbed the pastry I’d picked up the night before and headed to the roof to take in the views and get some fresh air, and was overjoyed when I saw that Google had in fact been bang on the money with its forecast, and that the skies had cleared to form a beautifully sunny day.

Quite the way to start the day!

It was only after them two had returned, had breakfast, and had begun to get ready that the clock began to seemingly work against us. Helena came out with that she didn’t know how to iron, Blanca spent ages painting all her nails, and I managed to break the leg of one of the tables by sitting on it. What a group we made!

In the end, however, we made it to the hotel in good time, and descended the gorgeous pathway down to the hotel’s private beach where the ceremony was to take place.

Photos really cannot do the place any justice! The beach was gorgeous, the temperature was just right, and the music playing in the background set the tone perfectly as we milled around and awaited to be asked take up our positions to watch the ceremony.

Before too long, the proceedings began, but I shan’t delve too much into the entire ceremony – just know that it was very personal and absolutely gorgeous. The arrival of both Soyoung and Pablo caused many a tear to be shed, and the gorgeous setting was the perfect backdrop to several fun speeches and cheers of “¡viva la nueva pareja!” (long live the new couple!).

After taking the above photo (which I now highly treasure) with the newly-weds, it was time for us all to head to the beachside terrace for some pre-lunch drinks and canapés.

Once we’d enjoyed some gazpacho (the infamous cold soup) and a few sips of wine, we slowly made our way into the dining room and were seated for a feast which, in true Spanish style, was to carry on throughout pretty much the entire afternoon. We were treated to numerous courses of fresh seafood, rice dishes, and a slice of the lovely wedding cake.

With lunch wrapped up, the music begun, the bar opened, and the party got underway! We danced a selection of universal hits (think YMCA and ABBA) and Spanish classics (like this), and I even tried the waltz – which did not end well after a few gin and tonics…

Before heading back to the apartment for the night, we were sure to take advantage of the location as evening came around, and headed out to a rock formation to sit around and watch the sun set behind the sea.

Once all was over it was time to head home, which we just about managed after having to jump a fence due to having lost our way and a stop at Burger King to soak up the gin!

Now that the weekend’s all over, I’d like to send my thanks once again to Soyoung and Pablo for inviting me along to celebrate their day. It was an honour to be amongst the invitees, we generally had an absolute blast, and their generosity in providing such a lovely meal and drinks thereafter knew no bounds. One of the loveliest touches was a gift for each guest, a pair of ducks as per Korean wedding tradition, which have now taken up residence on top of my fridge.

I am still writing to you on my way to Tenerife, and of course there’ll be a blog on its way soon detailing the shenanigans I’ll inevitably get up to once there, but until then I’m going to disconnect and relax for the next few days!

Update: the inflight WiFi is not working so I guess this will be posted upon my return…

Anyway, and until then: long live the Bentana-Cho’s!

To begin, I’m well aware that I’ve left my blog somewhat abandoned for the past month. The standard excuse would be to say that I’ve been way too busy, but in this case I promise – and I’m sure you’ll see just how busy – that this excuse does indeed hold water.

I have, however, found an opportunity to get this blog post on the go, and so today I write to you from the train which forms part of my new and extended commute to our new office – but more on Erretres’ big move in just a bit!

We begin proceedings with a weekend spent in the city, and a trip for some of the city’s best tacos with Bogar. The sun has begun its attack over the last month, and with daytime temperatures now hitting over 30°, I can confidently declare that summer is beginning – this time for real. This meant that we were also able to spend our spare hours wandering the streets of the city, marking the beginning of the era of Madrid’s favourite summer pastime: terraceo, or drinking and eating on tables in the street. 

Another consideration for the weekend of a few weeks ago was the need to buy myself a semi-formal shirt for my friend’s wedding. I may or may not  have mentioned it on here before, but if I have, I’ll recap anyway: Soyoung (an ex Erretres colleague) bestowed us with the amazing farewell gift of an invite to her wedding ceremony! This was to actually be the second wedding ceremony to be held, with the first being celebrated in Seoul.

Anyway, there’ll be much more on the wedding (as by time I write this it has actually already happened) coming soon, but at the time to which I’m now referring there was only one priority: finding a nice shirt for a reasonable price.

This search took me to Las Rozas, a fashion outlet in the north of the city, and a place which was definitely only designed to be accessed by car!

After arriving at the nearest train station, I soon found myself walking up pavements which seemed to line slip roads, squelching through boggy ground as I tried to find shortcuts, jumping over fences, and generally feeling like I was going to end up walking to the edge of the city and winding up in another region of Spain.

Where does this terrifying abandoned escalator lead to?

Thankfully I didn’t end up in other territories, but rather I stumbled upon the shopping complex which was rather strangely themed such that it reminded me of the Citywalk at Universal in Florida. There, and after much searching, I settled on a plain linen shirt and headed back home ready for the next day: the first day in our new office!

The morning began with my first run of the new commute, which now consists of an actual train rather than a metro, and then a bus followed by a ten minute walk. It takes a lot longer than before, but I’m hoping that with time I’ll get used to it and figure out how to speed things up.

Anyway, the first day began without any major problems, with the best moment being lunch, during which we were all treated to a delicious paella feast!

Once we’d spent a good hour eating, chatting, and drinking a few beers, it was time to crack out some wine. We made good and proper use of the extensive new outdoor space, lying on the grass for a spot of sunbathing and sitting around on the terrace to catch up on all the latest dramas.

An afternoon drinking wine by the pool was very welcome.

The second day at the new office marked a little excuse for a celebration: it was my birthday! My parents had sent over a lovely gift package that I opened in the morning, and which contained a few cards and some excellent Ru Paul memorabilia.

Once at work, it was time for further celebrations, and my colleagues treated me to a trip to my favourite haunt in Spain: Mercadona, a low-cost supermarket! There, I bought some supplies to keep me going whilst in the new office, and a huge chocolate cake to share between everyone after lunch.

That same afternoon also marked another bit of excitement, for my auntie and uncle were coming up to visit! We’d planned that they’d stay with me for a few nights on their way north to catch the ferry during their annual return trip to England from their part-time home in Murcia (southern Spain). As they have a car, they made their way straight to the new office, and once reunited with them, they were free to chill outside and soak up the sun whilst I had to get on with all the work that had to be done!

That evening, we headed out for a meal and a few drinks in my neighbourhood to celebrate my 24th, and then headed back to my flat for a relatively early night.

The next day marked the start of Easter holidays in Madrid, and so the three of us were free to engage in a bit of light exploration of the city centre. I’d booked us in to have lunch at a secret garden on the roof of a shop – you may even recall that the last time I visited the spot was during my dad’s visit during my internship over three years ago!

Once we’d enjoyed a lovely meal on the terrace, we proceeded on our way to have a few more drinks and generally take it easy for the next 48 hours, even stumbling upon some street parties which were in full swing in the Malasaña district.

The two-and-a-bit days I spent with my auntie and uncle were absolutely lovely – there’s nothing quite like relaxing with my family in the city I love, and it was especially nice to be able to put them up and act as hostess for a while after years of them selflessly offering up their apartment for use by me and my parents.

All too soon, however, it was time for them to hop back in their car and continue their trip up to Santander and the ferry port, but my Easter holidays weren’t to be over just yet – I had a wedding to go to!

The quantity of photos and anecdotes to be shared from said wedding mean that it is best left for a second post and another day – but I hope not to be too delayed in bringing you all the updates. I guess tomorrow morning’s commute will be spent writing my next instalment!

Until I get round to that one, I shall be back soon…