So I was back in the UK just three weeks ago to celebrate my birthday with my family and to catch up with some friends, so I never imagined that I’d be back over again so soon after returning to Madrid to celebrate San Isidro. I wound up booking a flight back to the motherland for a rather somber reason, as my neighbour Audrey sadly passed away a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to be at her funeral as she’d been present throughout my life, from my childhood spent playing in her garden to gossipy chats as an adult.

Despite this, the weather was very optimistic as I landed in Manchester, with more sun and better temperatures than I’d left behind in Madrid. My parents graciously came to pick me up and we headed back home, but not before stopping for an ice cream along the way to make the most of the British summer weather!

Once at their house, we spent the afternoon in the garden, playing game after game of Uno and chatting away as the sun shone down on us. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

For tea (what we call an evening meal), we were struggling for ideas until I had a brainwave. I said we should grab some bits from the local village shop and head up to the Singing Ringing Tree to eat them. This oddly-named local landmark is a sculpture in the shape of a tree and formed by a series of metal pipes which ‘sing’ and ‘ring’ in the wind on the top of one of the hills overlooking Burnley. I’d say they sound more like a demonic groan!

We reached the summit just as the sun was beginning its lengthy sunset. We’d brought a picnic blanket in order to throw ourselves down on the ground, but there was just one little table waiting for us which had three working seats – perfect! We set up shop, laid out the delicious food we’d brought, and watched the sunset from the mercifully silent Singing Ringing Tree.

The next day I was back to working from home, but I was motivated by the evening’s plans with Danni which involved her coming up to my parents’ house for a Chinese takeaway and a spot of organising our plans to travel together later this year… exciting!

We absolutely devoured the salt-n-pepper chips and chicken box that Danni had picked up, whereupon I rediscovered the joys of a good curry sauce. We then excitedly organised our trip, had a proper catch up, and ran over some stuff we’re working on together in Figma.

On my last evening in England – it was just a quick three-day visit – it was still sunny and so I dragged my parents out for one last evening walk. This took us through the fields behind our house and back into the village, where we met some adorable cats and bought some of the best crisps going. They’re made in Lancashire, of course!

This needy but gorgeous cat loved posing for the camera.

The next morning I was up at the ungodly hour of 3am in order to get off to catch my 6am flight which would have be back in Spain and at my desk for 10am ready for a day of work. It was a horrifically tiring day, but I have to send many thanks to my parents who both woke up at the crack of dawn with me in order to drop me off at Manchester Airport!

I’m now back at home in Madrid and will hopefully not have to catch any more terribly timed flights again anytime soon…

After a couple of weekends spent in England in order to celebrate my birthday week, the proceeding weekend was then about as local as you can get: it was time to celebrate San Isidro, Madrid’s huge annual party dedicated to the patron saint of the city.

I’d not properly celebrated the event since back in 2019, when me and Bogar took to the pradera (the park where the main celebrations are held) to drink beer, eat kebabs, and enjoy the live music. This year, and with Bogar now living up in Gijón, it was time for something a little different!

Me, Sara, and Rocío met up in Malasaña for some brunch in order to kick off the weekend, where we spent a good few hours eating some delicious food and having a hoot of a time as we laughed about all sorts of stuff. From there, we headed down to Las Vistillas, a park where they were showcasing the chotis, Madrid’s famous dance. I learned that “chotis” (roughly pronounced cho-tees) actually comes from the word “Scottish”, as it’s origins lie in some kind of Celtic dance originating there: I didn’t catch the full story, but it was interesting!

As you can see, we were all donning our traditional clavel (carnation) thanks to a trip I made to the shop to grab some drinks and during which I found these clip-on flowers to celebrate San Isidro in style. One year I’ll don the whole attire, complete with suit and beret, and be a true chulapo!

After admiring the dancing and signing along to ¡Viva Madrid! (“Long live Madrid!”) for a good while, we went for a wander down to the south of the city. This took us past a lovely spot with views over the south of the city, where we stopped to take in the sun and the flowers, before landing on a terrace at one of our favourite spots for a drink and a bite to eat.

Once we’d had some food, Rocío had to head off, but me and Sara carried on our evening as we crossed the Puente de Toledo, one of the city’s oldest bridges. We watched the sun set, danced to some music by one of the street artists, and watched the world go by.

From there we headed down to the Matadero, a cultural centre near my house which was hosting a series of free concerts to celebrate San Isidro. We had a good dance around for a while whilst a band from London were playing their set, but then grew tired and so headed up to my trusty local bar for one last drink and a chat before the night ended.

It was an absolutely wonderful day and the perfect way to celebrate San Isidro. Madrid can be big and overwhelming and way too warm, but the spring weather, people having fun in the street, and endless love songs dedicated to this great city made me fall in love with the capital all over again.

¡Viva Madrid!

A couple of weeks ago was Saturday the 29th of April, the day before my birthday. That warm afternoon here in Madrid, Sara and I had arranged to have some lunch on a terrace near my house before I left to celebrate my birthday a sizeable distance away. It was a lovely little catch up and one last blast of sun before I headed off to the UK for a week.

As we finished up our lunch, the waiter then showed up with a couple of pieces of cake decorated with candles and a little “Happy Birthday” plaque, something that Sara had planned and sorted out in advance. She’d also bought me a present, two lovely surprises which ended the fun meal as I had to head off to grab the train up to Madrid Airport.

I wound up arriving rather early, but that just meant I had time to enjoy an ice cream amongst the bright colours and pretty architecture. The flight was then as smooth as ever and I was at my parents’ house before midnight so we had a bit of time to chat before bed.

The next day was then my actual birthday! This meant a trip to Manchester, where we were met by Ellie and her partner Johann. We indulged in a bit of shopping and some impromptu piano playing before heading to San Carlo’s for a lovely meal together as a family.

This may be the first ever photo where me and my sister actually look alike.

The meal ended with yet another surprise birthday dessert, this time a tiramisu which the San Carlos staff brought over after seeing my ugly birthday badge that Ellie bought me and obliged me to wear. I guess in the end it wasn’t such a bad idea!

From the restaurant we headed up to the Northern Quarter and sat down in a cute little café for some coffees and dessert (for those who hadn’t been presented with surprise tiramisu). It was a chill way to end a busy day wandering around the wet streets of Manchester. It’s not a pretty city, but I do enjoy how chaotic it is!

Manchester is pretty ugly, but that’s what makes it so pretty.

This is a stolen shot taken whilst some gossip was being shared.

Upon leaving Manchester, I hopped not into my parents’ car but rather into Johann’s with him and Ellie. This was because we’d arranged for me to spend the night and following day in Sheffield with the two of them, my first visit since I nipped over while Ellie was studying as an undergraduate.

We visited her flat so I could drop my stuff off, headed to Tesco to pick up some food for later, and then wandered down to a local pub to have a drink outside as the weather was being surprisingly un-British: dry and not too cold (warm would be an exaggeration on my part).

After a quick drink at the pub, where I’d brought along a huge blanket to wrap myself in, the coolness eventually descended and we headed back to Ellie’s. We prepared a big platter of bites and settled in for a night chatting, snacking, and drinking some Appletiser out of champagne glasses.

The next day and it was time for us two siblings to do something together. Ellie had made a reservation for us to have brunch at Tamper Coffee, which was funny as it’s where I went with her last time but we’d no idea until after the fact (and when I searched for the blog post) because they’ve rebranded and changed locations since then!

I can confirm that they were still as good as ever, even if this time I grabbed something different instead of their famous banana bread. I enjoyed some poached eggs with pulled salted beef, with Ellie opting for a sweet brunch in the form of some very impressive (and equally delicious) French toast.

Another sibling selfie seeing as we don’t often have the chance to take one.

Once back at the flat, we rested for a short while before grabbing the car up to the Peak District. This area of outstanding natural beauty is just twenty minutes drive from Ellie’s place, which is a real luxury for someone living in the centre of a city! Sheffield is great.

After struggling for parking for a while – it would seem that the whole of Sheffield had the same idea as us – we finally parked the car and went for a wander around. This took us over the top of a dam and offered some lovely views over the water.

These water inlets have always unsettled me, as cool as they are.

From the peaks, we hopped back into Sheffield for a late lunch at my favourite pizza place in the UK and another place me and Ellie visited the last time I was in her city: Proove. The pizza was as excellent as ever but did make me fall fast asleep in the car ride over to Leeds afterwards!

In Leeds I bade goodbye to Ellie and Johann before hopping on a train back over to Burnley to rejoin my parents. The next day was also a bank holiday here in Spain, so me and my mum had arranged to spend the afternoon shopping and munching around the Trafford Centre, a huge shopping centre we used to visit when I was young.

This we did in lots of style, stopping for toasties, cocktails, and eventually a pizza in between our wandering around all of the different shops. It was a lovely day out and a great chance to catch up with my mum.

The next day I was back at work, but I disconnected in time for me and my dad to also have a catch up, this time in the form of a walk around the countryside. We came across all sorts of interesting tidbits, from some young lambs to an abandoned house and even a random little hut in the middle of a stone wall circle.

For tea after our walk I went out to the Usha with Abi and Danni, where we had an absolute blast of a time catching up, opening my presents, and brainstorming future plans and trips as well as a little personal project we’re working on together. The three of us together are always a nuisance, we wound up laughing all night and then causing chaos in the car park!

To end my time in England properly, Amber then came to pick me up and take me over to her place in Rawtenstall after I finished work on Friday. We didn’t have time to faff around for long though, as we were then met by Jess so that the three of us could head over to Manchester together for an evening at the theatre!

The three of us had a lovely tea and a great catch up before the show began, with laughs and non-alcoholic cocktails aplenty to keep our energy levels up. The show was then fabulously devastating, touching on topics such as end-of-life care and dementia. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the audience!

To cheer ourselves up we wound up blasting S-Club 7 and the Vengaboys in the car all the way back to Rawtenstall, where we stopped off for some ice cream before Jess headed back home. I then spent the night in Amber’s wonderfully cosy house.

The next morning the two of us had a long chat in our pyjamas, I packed my bag, and then we headed just downstairs from her house to have some delicious brunch at a local Turkish restaurant. I then had a shower, picked up all my bits and bats, and Amber saw me off as I grabbed the bus back over to Manchester.

I then spent a rather relaxing evening in a (once again) drizzly Manchester. I had a snoop around some more shops (even though my bag was full to burst), grabbed some lunch at a little Italian café, and eventually wound up in Piccadilly Station to grab a train onwards to the airport and my flight back home to Spain.

I hope that it’s evident from all that I got up to and the fun photos that resulted that I had an absolute blast back in the UK. It was lovely to spend my birthday with family and friends in a way which made the most of the four-day weekend courtesy of Madrid’s public holidays!

I did Gijón last year and Manchester this year, so now it remains to be seen where I spend my birthday next year…

After an overcast weekend up in the north of Spain to celebrate Cami’s birthday, I was back down to a sunny Madrid which had been warming up since Amber came over to visit during Easter. With some new summer attire purchased and longer evenings with the sun beating down, the season of me walking back home every day after work is finally back upon us.

These wanders are not just a lovely way to relax and unwind after a busy day in the office, they also offer the opportunity to explore new streets of the city and come across new things that have popped up recently or that I’ve simply never noticed before. They take me through the tourist-filled city centre, the quirky neighbourhood of Lavapiés, and finally down to the relaxed ambience that is Arganzuela.

Between all these walks, I spent a lovely weekend around the city with some friends. I kicked this off with a visit to the gorgeous Círculo de Bellas Artes, a cultural centre in Madrid where I’d been invited to watch a performance by the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company. Dance isn’t something I’d usually chose to see, but I’m always up for something new, so I pottered along and joined Luis and a bunch of his friends for an evening there.

The architecture in the Círculo de Bellas Artes was an undiscovered gem for me.

The evening was organised by the Korean Cultural Centre and was an absolutely amazing experience, one which started with the grandiose surroundings of the Círculo de Bellas Artes. I’d only been previously in order to visit its rooftop terrace and its panoramic views over Madrid, but this time we were inside and under the huge decorate domes of its theatre.

Then came the two performances themselves, both of which were spectacular for different reasons. The first, Mechanism by Lee Jaeyoung, featured some awesomely timed synchronisation and a frantically high-energy finale. The second, Everything Falls Dramatic by Her Sungim, was beautifully pensive and melancholic. We were all left touched by the talent and the emotion conveyed throughout.

The finale of ‘Everything Falls Dramatic’ was delicate and touching.

After such a fabulous show, we were keen to make the most of the warm evening, so wound up having some beers on a terrace before heading to a restaurant. There, we shared a tonne of food, had some more drinks, and had a great laugh as I got to know everyone else.

Me and Luis then wandered back home, partly because we couldn’t be bothered dealing with the night buses (called ‘búhos’ meaning ‘owls’, which I think is cute) and partly because we wanted to get our step count up before the clock struck midnight. It was a great chance to catch up and a wonderful end to a wonderful evening.

The next day I’d arranged to meet up with Sara and her friend Andrea, who was visiting Madrid for the weekend. I met them up at the Templo de Debod, a great spot to watch the sun set over the mountains, and we headed out for a quick drink and then a lovely Italian meal at a spot that and Sara and I have been visiting for a few years now.

The three of us had a whale of a time over pizza and thus arranged to meet up again the next day to hold a picnic in Retiro, Madrid’s main Central Park. I thus spent the morning whipping up some hummus, salad, and putting the finish touches to a carrot cake that I’d baked the day before in order to celebrate Sara’s birthday.

The Madrid Marathon then put a spanner in the works as I tried to catch the bus up to the park: the bus simply never showed up. A round of loudly verbalised complaints about the lack of notice advising us of the cancelled service then ensued – the Spanish equivalent of the simple British tut – and I wound up having to get a taxi up to the park.

Once there, though, we had a lovely afternoon. Irene joined us and between the four of us we’d brought way too much food (a classic) and so spent a good hour getting through it all. We then played a round of Uno, engaged in a spot of sunbathing, and listened to some music as the afternoon became the evening. It was the perfect way to end a relaxing weekend.

As I usually do in spring, I showed everyone how to make daisy chains.

Thus concludes my weekend of enjoying the lovely springtime weather around Madrid. This would be the last weekend I spent in the city for a couple of weeks, but more on that in my next post!