Båstad

29.08.21 — Båstad

With my website back up after an error caused by my questionable WordPress coding, today’s blog post deviates somewhat from the usual updates from Madrid thanks to an impromptu work-related trip to Sweden!

The week before this trip, one of our current clients got in contact to ask that I head over to an event they were hosting in Sweden to present a preview of their new brand to their stakeholders. This event was to take place in the coastal city of Båstad, which is much closer to the Danish capital of Copenhagen (which I’ve visited a couple of times in the past) than the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

All this meant for a somewhat convoluted journey, with a flight from Madrid to Copenhagen followed by a two hour train journey from Copenhagen, through Malmö, and up the Swedish coast to Båstad, where a taxi would pick me up and take me to the hotel. With COVID still ravaging Europe, the main nuisance caused by this complicated journey was the different paperwork needed with the three countries involved: Denmark, Sweden, and Spain.

Once through the health checks in Copenhagen, I grabbed some lunch before hopping on the train headed to Sweden. The first part of the journey involved hopping under then over the sea, passing through a tunnel from Copenhagen to Peberholm (a little artificial island) and then over the Øresund Bridge. I was too awestruck to grab any decent photos, but it’s definitely worth a Google!

On the train I was struck by the lack of mask use, and some quick online research (courtesy of the free WiFi – the Scandinavians know how to do public infrastructure right) revealed that there’s no mask mandate in Sweden. I left mine on, working on some last-minute adjustments to the presentation that I was to give that very evening, before rocking up in Båstad a mere hour before I was set to appear at the gala dinner and give my presentation.

I’d been told that a taxi would be waiting for me at Båstad station, so I hopped off at this train station in the middle of nowhere and wondered how I was to identify the taxi driver. I wandered over to the only guy I could see waiting next to a car, and was greeted in Swedish – a language I really don’t understand. I thought I recognised the name of the hotel in there, and so hopped into the taxi without a second thought – I’d no time to spare!

Following our journey on Google Maps – I still wasn’t sure I’d gotten in the right taxi – I saw that we were on the right track and relaxed a bit, taking in the views of the quaint little village and the coast before arriving at my destination, Hotel Skansen. I’d then to check in and find my room as quickly as possible, as I’d a mere half an hour to unpack, run through the presentation one last time, get changed, and be back down at reception in order to attend the dinner.

I should here mention that the hotel and the town were absolutely gorgeous – the town hosts the Swedish Open, Sweden’s main annual tennis tournament, and my hotel room was located in a building joined to the main court. This meant that I could look out into the tennis court and the sea beyond by just walking out of my (rather lovely) hotel room. Bliss!

There wasn’t much time to take all of this in or enjoy the views, however, as I’d now 25 minutes to be ready and back at reception in the main building. My unpacking consisted of turning my bag upside down and distributing my things on the bed, and I’d to rehearse my presentation out loud to the bare room whilst I struggled to change into some very fitted boots and the one and only formal shirt that I own. It was all a big rush which passed in a flash!

Arriving back at reception in the nick of time, I found myself surrounded by lots of people speaking Swedish and a series of coaches that had arrived to take us to dinner. I had assumed that the event would be taking place within the hotel itself, but the presence of the coaches suggested otherwise. I eventually found someone I recognised, and we were all instructed (in English, gracefully) to board the coaches.

The journey to the mysterious dinner location took us further up the gorgeous coastline.

We soon arrived in a rather grandiose car park, flanked by the sea on one side and a lovely collection of buildings which formed the entrance gate to an expansive garden beyond on the other side. It began to dawn on me that this was to be quite the evening, a sensation consolidated as we were marched through the gardens and towards what looked like a stately home set behind a pond and a series of perfectly trimmed hedges.

It turns out that we were to be eating at the Orangeriet Restaurant at Norrviken Båstad, a villa and gardens which were once owned by a private family but which are now open to the public. The restaurant had been rented out for the evening to us, and so we headed in for a drink and to find our assigned seat ready for the evening’s presentations to begin.

Once we were all seated at our tables, the evening began with a starter and its accompanying wine pairing. Over a bowl of creamy seafood soup, I got chatting to the rest of the people on my table, who included one of the best tennis players in Sweden, one of the organisers of the event, and the owners of various tennis and padel clubs in both Sweden and Norway. I’ve played padel once in my entire life, so I was a bit out of my comfort zone!

The presentations then began, and I’d still no idea exactly when it would be my turn to take the stage. When the event’s technician came by and told me to set up my Mac, I thought it was time to go, but it turned out that the main course was to be served before then, so I returned to chatting with my new mates at the table for a while.

The main – roast lamb – then arrived, accompanied by yet another glass of wine and a side of Swedish potatoes, which promptly ignited an argument between the Swedes and the Norwegians of my table over which country had the best gastronomy. They were very good potatoes, I must admit, and the wine (a Spanish wine) was even better – but I was going easy on the alcohol until after my presentation.

With the main course over, it was then my turn to present, and I hopped up onto stage and cracked a couple of jokes before presenting the sneak peek of the clients’ new brand to an audience of 200+ of their partners. I’ve always enjoyed presenting, and this time was no different – especially as I had a great audience thanks to the few rounds of wine pairings that everyone had already worked their way through!

Once I’d finished, I made my way back to the table and promptly polished off the wine I’d been saving before dessert arrived. Even through I do have quite the sweet tooth, I must say that the dessert was the highlight of the meal, with a delicious chocolate tart with meringue and a homemade ice cream flavoured with hjortron, a local berry.

With that polished off, helped down by a glass of port, it was time to head back to the hotel. We hopped back on the coach and headed back, with everyone resolving to carry on the evening at the hotel’s bar. I wasn’t having any of that though, as I’d booked an early breakfast slot in order to try and visit the outdoor “cold spa”, an experience involving jumping into the freezing waters of the North Sea.

I woke up the next day with a somewhat heavy head – the variety of wines obviously didn’t sit well with my post-quarantine body – and headed down for breakfast. I loaded up on bacon, sausages, eggs, and even some salmon – when in Rome and all that. I finished off my breakfast feast with some pancakes with cream and maple syrup, and headed back to my room to pack and then check out.

There’s nothing like a hearty breakfast and some fresh air to cure a hangover.

In the end I didn’t have the time nor the correct attire to visit the spa, as I’d stupidly forgotten to pack some swimming shorts, and the options they had at the spa shop were all way too expensive for a quick dip in the sea. I also had to work my way around another crisis, as the two taxi companies in the small town were all booked up, and so I had to decide whether to grab a bus to the train station or head there on foot.

I eventually decided to head back to the train station on foot, as the bus would have me waiting for almost an hour before the train was scheduled to arrive, and I reasoned that a walk through the town would give me chance to see a bit more of Båstad and take a few photos. With my backpack weighing me down somewhat, I first headed down to the beach next to the hotel to check out the cold spa that I hadn’t had time to visit.

After a quick call to my parents to let them know how the trip was going, I noticed that I’d only an hour and a bit left to complete the rest of the journey which Google informed me would take 50 minutes. Not wanting to end up having to run the last leg of the trip to the train station, I began to head through the centre of Båstad, taking a few photos along the way.

The pastel colours and the grey skies made for some lovely moody shots.

I eventually passed by a supermarket, and resolved that since I was going at a good pace, I had time to nip in and pick up some treats for my colleagues and for myself in order to get me through the rest of the trip back to Madrid. I didn’t take into account the fact that I always get wildly distracted in foreign supermarkets, however, and so had to pick up the pace once I was back out and on my way to the train station.

With my KEX chocolate bar in hand (thanks to Danni for the recommendation), I sped onwards to the train station, passing by some beautiful houses and architecture along the way. I arrived at the station with just a few minutes to spare, hopping on the very punctual train back through the Swedish countryside and on to Copenhagen Airport.

It’d be lovely to stay in one of these places overlooking the sea.

At the airport I’d to take another COVID test, but it the process was quick and efficient, and I was soon boarding my plane back to Madrid a mere 24 hours after I’d first landed in Copenhagen the day before. In the airport, the KEX bar proved to be a great dessert after I’d half-enjoyed one of the most expensive sandwiches I think I’ve ever bought.

Once back in Madrid, I grabbed a taxi back to my place and had an early night, as I was straight back to work the next day. I’d been offered a longer stay up in Båstad, but I’d turned it down as I needed to get on with some work before a key deadline in September – there’s no rest for the wicked!

Well, as I’m sure you can tell by the amount of blog post which covers a mere 24 hours, the whole trip to Båstad went by in the blink of an eye. I had a great time, met some great people, and lived plenty of interesting experiences, but everything happened so fast that I had no time to process what was going on around me – it was all a blur!

Nevertheless, I’m really grateful to have been invited to join the event, which was like a quick two-day holiday even though I was connected and working for the majority of it. Båstad is a lovely place – despite its dodgy-sounding name – and I’ll definitely have it at the back of my mind if I ever fancy an escape from the heat of Madrid in the future.

Before I finish this blog post, I’ll give a very subtle hint about the subject of the next one, and to do so I’ll just leave you with this cryptic comment: there’s a line within this blog post which somewhat ominously foreshadows what’s to come…

Cami & Kevin in Madrid

15.08.21 — Madrid

I pick things up here where we left off in my last post, when Kevin, Cami, and I were headed for a couple of days in Madrid after our big Asturian reunion in Oviedo! After having such good fun canoeing down the River Sella and eating the delicious food that Asturias has to offer, I was somewhat apprehensive to ensure that Cami and Kevin had a good time in Madrid, but we sure packed plenty in…

After another ridiculously short flight from Oviedo to the capital, the three of us hopped on what was supposed to be a direct train line to my neighbourhood to head out early for some drinks and food at my favourite local bar. As my blatant foreshadowing revealed, however, this was not to be the case, and we wound up changing trains twice in order to get to my house.

Once at base the three of us left our bags, had a quick freshen up, and then headed down to Bar El Ferrocarril to have a few cheeky drinks and enjoy some of the best (according to me) huevos rotos (chips topped with fried eggs and cured ham) in Madrid. Once we were merrily full, I suggested we grab some churros for dessert, and so we headed off towards the river to pick up a fresh bag.

Disaster struck, though, when the churrería that I was hoping to go to turned out to be closed. As an alternative, I remembered that just fifteen minutes down the road there was an Italian ice cream parlour that I’d been meaning to visit, and so we headed down to try out some of the gelato that I’d previously seen people queuing out the door to get their hands on.

We spent a good while down by the river enjoying our ice cream, and then had to traipse back uphill and to my flat to rest before our first day of adventures: I had, of course, created a plan of what we could get up to, and we’d to be at Ojalá early in order to snag a table for brunch!

At this iconic breakfast spot in Malasaña, the three of us devoured our delicious brunch, complete with all kinds of food, teas, coffees, and juices to keep us hydrated in the Madrid heat. It’s a place I’ve been taking people to since the first time moved to the city all those years ago, and it never disappoints!

We held a little photo shoot in the basement beach bar.

In order to digest a little, we then headed for a wander around the lovely streets of Malasaña, but we soon found ourselves inside a bar and snacking and drinking once again. This time we landed in La Bodega de la Ardosa, an iconic spot for a pincho de tortilla (slice of Spanish omelette) and a vermouth.

The tortilla and a cheeky drink went down splendidly in the vintage interior.

From there, we headed on towards Chueca, Madrid’s gay district, where we managed to grab a table in the central square to enjoy a cocktail – although mine was a mocktail thanks to those pesky antibiotics. We couldn’t stick around for too long, however, as I’d more things planned before lunch!

After paying the bill, the three of us then waltzed down through the city centre, passing through the typical tourist spots such as La Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, and past the Royal Palace and Cathedral. This long walk in the midday heat had us ready and rearing for some drinks and a spot of lunch, and I’d booked a table at just the place…

The beach bar at Café del Rey, where I spent many a Thursday afternoon when Erretres was based in Calle Cadarso, was the chosen spot for our meal. We made good and proper use of the menú del día (daily set menu) and had a couple of drinks before heading off to our next spot, the lake, where I’d decided we could take a nap in the shade.

I did manage to get half an hour of shuteye whilst down there, but I then awoke with a heavy head and dry throat thanks to the oppressive heat of the Madrid summer. There was only one way to solve this, we decided, and sauntered down to a lakeside terrace to have yet another drink before heading home for a proper nap.

Once we’d recovered some energy we hopped back on the metro and made our way up to one of the best spots – in my humble opinion – to see the sunset: the Templo de Debod. We arrived just in time to catch the last few moments of daylight, and the sky put on a spectacular show of rays of light marking the sun’s swan song for the night.

Once the light had faded and we were in need of yet another thirst-quenching beverage, we found ourselves a spot of grass and rolled our the picnic blanket, grabbing some beers and opening the snacks we’d brought with us. I then let Sara know that we were around, and she joined us in our picnic for her reunion with Kevin after the same three years!

Our original plan had been to then head down to the Lavapiés district for a final few drinks before tottering home on foot, but we’d completely lost track of time and space, and so decided instead to have a few drinks and a bite to eat at a bar near the temple. We were welcomed in by a lovely bar owner, who allowed us to have some drinks at his bar whilst ordering food from the restaurant across the way.

Once closing time came around, the four of us hopped back on the metro and off home, where I had the idea to hold a little spa evening of pampering to unwind and relax after quite a hectic day out in the city. I dragged out the face masks, body scrubs, and other lotions and potions, and Kevin, Cami, and I settled down with some relaxing music to wind down before bed.

The next day had us back on the move, as Cami and Kevin had mentioned that they fancied a snoop around Uniqlo (where I buy all my clothes, I have simple tastes). After a quick gander, we then headed to Retiro on foot, stopping for a photo opportunity by the Puerta de Alcalá.

The flowers were almost as resplendent as Cami was in the summer sun.

We then grabbed ourselves some of the city bikes for the next adventure of the day. The first leg of our journey took us around Retiro, Madrid’s main park, and past all the many sights it has to offer. The park has just recently been named as Unesco World Heritage Site, and its gorgeous promenades and numerous beauty spots such as the Palacio de Cristal (Crystal Palace) make it evident as to why.

This still has to be one of my favourite sights in all of Madrid.

With everyone to be seen having been seen, we then headed onto the city streets on our bikes, whizzing downhill to the river for another stop at the Matadero for a few drinks and another quick snack before lunch. This didn’t go without it’s fair share of hiccups, however, as I had to change my bike as it was wobbling all over the shop and then we managed to get a little lost after crossing one of the iconic bridges over the river.

Never mind, though, as we were soon in a local Italian restaurant and tucking into delicious salads, pastas, and a delicious profiterole dessert. This left us very full and very sleepy, and so Cami and I headed up back to my flat to relax whilst Kevin nipped across the way to get his PCR done to travel back to the US a few days later.

After a nap at home to recover, we were once again back on a bike and headed up to Madrid’s second new Unesco World Heritage site: El Paseo del Prado. This one’s a little more difficult to define, as really it’s the name of a street, but the recognition takes into account the fabulous sites which can be found along the way, from amazing architecture to a selection of grand fountains to the world-renowned Prado Museum.

We headed along the route of the Paseo del Prado, turning around at Cibeles, another one of Madrid’s most beautiful sights. We then left our bikes and headed through the lovely Writer’s Quarter (El Barrio de las Letras) on foot. There we found a terrace and settled down for our last drinks to celebrate Kevin and Cami’s last evening in Madrid.

The streets of the Writer’s Quarter were bathed in the evening sun as we explored.

With our drinks finished, the three of us then headed back home, where we ordered some Chinese food and watched a couple of episodes of Derry Girls before an early night – Kevin and Cami were up in the early hours in order to catch their flights: Kevin back up to Asturias for his last couple of days in Spain, and Cami back home to Tenerife.

The emotional farewell the following morning was made somewhat easier by the state of the three of us – we were way too tired to know exactly what was going on! I saw Kevin and Cami off with a big hug, promising that I’d soon be over to Tenerife and that I’d try to get into the US to see Kevin just as soon as they accept travel from the EU. Here’s hoping it’s sooner rather than later!

As mentioned in my last post, it was an absolute blast to be reunited with Kevin and Cami once more, and I just hope that the world starts pulling itself together soon so that we don’t have to wait three more years before we’re all back together for some more raucous mischief!

Return to Asturias: El Descenso del Sella

31.07.21 — Oviedo

As I was excited to mention at the end of my last blog post, I was soon to travel up to the gorgeous region of Asturias in the north of Spain to be reunited with Kevin and Cami, two friends who once lived in the area. I’ve seen Cami when she made a quick visit to Madrid and then again during a couple of trips I made over to her new home of Tenerife, but it’s been nearly three whole years since I last saw Kevin in person – in no small thanks to him being all the way over in the USA and then the ensuing pandemic!

Anyway, preamble over, let’s get to the juicy details. After recovering from a horrific stomach infection, I was thankfully well enough to drag myself up to the airport and onto the shortest (40 minute) flight I have ever been on. It really was a case of taking off, perusing out of the window for a few minutes, and then starting the descent!

I’d set off on this flight without a real solid plan of how I was then to get from Asturias Airport in the north of the region down to the city of Oviedo where I was to be reunited with Kevin and Cami. Relying completely on the accuracy of Google Maps, I practically sprinted from the plane out to the parking lot and then to the small bus shelter, as the bus was scheduled to leave at 21:15 and I was still on the bridge from the plane to the airport at 21:10.

The weather was typical of Asturias; grey, cool, and threatening to rain.

I had seemingly forgotten, then, that I was in Spain, and that things will go at their own pace whether it suited me or not. In this case it actually suited me perfectly well, as I had the opportunity to rest from my cross-airport sprint for a few minutes before boarding the bus and heading on my merry way as it began to rain.

As I approached the familiar Oviedo Bus Station, where I arrived for my first ever trip to the city back in 2017, I began to pass by many familiar streets along the way. The sight of the familiar buildings and even the unique overly-gothic style of Oviedo’s streetlights made me quite emotional, but I was soon snapped out of that one by the reality of the cold evening air as I stepped off the bus.

I then had a ten minute walk ahead of me to Calle Gascona, a street running through Oviedo’s centre which is famous for it’s many sidrerías (local cider restaurants). Kevin and many of his friends, Cami included, awaited me there, where I was met with many hugs and a plate full of pastel de cabracho, a light fish paté which went down a treat after such a journey!

Once we’d eaten, we headed back out onto Gascona, whose generalised stench of cider always makes me feel right at home. There we found a place to sit down for the evening and have a few more drinks, where I had a wonderful few hours catching up with old friends who I hadn’t seen since Kevin’s departure for the US.

As the bars began to close as per curfew rules, the group of us headed back to a friend’s car, who graciously gave us a lift back to Kevin’s flat out in the outskirts of the city. There, we were sure not to stay up too late, as we’d a rather unique and somewhat demanding plan for the day ahead…

That Saturday, it was time to bajar el Sella, or “go down the river Sella”.

The plan, as outlined above and hinted at in the title of this blog post, was to undertake an iconic Asturian tradition. The Descenso del Sella (literally, “the descent of the River Sella”) is exactly what it sounds like, consisting of a 15km kayak ride down the waters of the beautiful river.

It isn’t as demanding as it seems, however, as any given day in summer there are hundreds – if not thousands – of people joining you along the river. They’re all there for the excitement of the kayak journey, of course, but also because the entire route is peppered with chiringuitos, bars in fields which will sell you beer and cider and all manner of greasy sandwiches. Kevin sold me said plan by describing it as “kayaking, but drunk”. I was in.

The day begun with a somewhat rocky start, however, as I’d not bothered to kill a mosquito that was circling around the room I was staying in at Kevin’s flat. I’d thought that, because I’d covered up all of my body, the little bugger wouldn’t bother attacking my face so much. I was much mistaken, and woke up with bites on both eyelids which had left them massively inflamed.

I wasn’t about to miss the drunken kayaking, though, and so popped an antihistamine and headed downstairs, where we had a bite to eat before being picked up by Kevin’s friend Raquel. We managed to miss our exit on the car ride to Arriondas, the town representing the start of the route, but we were soon suited and booted (in some strange escarpines, a kind of pump designed for water sports) and ready to go.

Our first shock came with the way in which we were expected to enter the water in our canoes: down a rickety wooden slide! We thought it was a joke at first, but lo and behold, Kevin was soon sent flying down the ramp and into the waters of the River Sella. Me and Cami were up next in our double canoe, landing with an almighty splash which nearly capsized us!

After emptying the water from our canoe and having to hop out to drag the thing over a particularly shallow spot, we found ourselves being dragged downstream by the current, and soon managed to lose sight of everyone else in our party. We pulled over at a particularly busy mooring spot, opened a bag of sweets that we’d brought along for the energy, and waited for everyone else to show up.

This wasn’t an official stop along the way, but there was cider up for grabs, so it might as well have been.

When the others arrived, they headed off to grab a couple of bottles of cider, and Kevin opened a beer. I was still on antibiotics after a rough time with my stomach infection the week before, so I had to stick to a bottle of water, but we had a great time chatting and laughing and watching the world go by. A particular highlight was when a train passed by pipping its horn, to which everyone in the river and along the shore went absolutely wild – there was such a great buzz!

After a good while chatting on the shore, we headed back to our canoes as the clock ticked on. There wasn’t any huge rush, but everyone had to be out of the river by 6pm, so we’d to hit the 10km mark at least before 5pm in order to be allowed to carry on.

As we rowed our way along to the first official stop along the route, the sun made a rare appearance, and I dared to take my phone out of the watertight barrel that we’d been provided with to keep our phones, snacks, and beers in during the trip. This meant we could take some photos and videos as we went along – here’s a snippet of me rowing my way down the river!

A while later, and thanks to him going it alone whilst the rest of us headed along in pairs, we managed to lose Kevin. Me and Cami pulled up on the shore once again, waiting for the others to catch up, and we managed to contact Kevin via WhatsApp and let him know where we were waiting.

The views of the landscape along the way were as breathtaking as the journey was fun.

Once he arrived, drink in hand, we decided to have a quick rest, and got talking to the groom-to-be from a stag do that had him dressed up as Ariel from the Little Mermaid. After Kevin traded a couple of cigarettes for another can of beer, we headed back on our way and to the first official stop – yes, we still hadn’t got to that first checkpoint!

We eventually arrived at that first stop at 8km, where we dismounted as it was about 3pm and so time to grab something to eat. Cami and I headed to the chiringuito, grabbing some sugar-filled fizzy drinks and a sandwich each (bacon and cheese for me – I needed the energy!) before heading back down to the riverside.

Even the views from this little makeshift bar in a field were pretty captivating.

With everyone wined (well, cider-ed) and dined, we headed back off again for it was now getting late and we’d still another 2km to make in just under an hour. The weather had also started to turn again, so me and Cami decided to try to paddle full-steam ahead in order to make the penultimate stop in time to be allowed to continue and finish the full 15km.

After navigating some rather perilous rapids, we waited for Kevin to catch up as he’d fallen behind once again. He eventually floated by with his freshly acquired beer in hand – he was truly living the life!

Another patch of rapids soon followed, but then the river began to ease out into a much calmer section. As most people had sped ahead or given up at the first checkpoint, the journey then became much more tranquil, and we found ourselves surrounded by fewer and fewer boats as we powered ahead.

Just under an hour after leaving the first checkpoint, we arrived at the second and penultimate, where we made the executive decision to end our trip down the River Sella. The weather was looking a bit unpredictable, our arms were aching nicely after so much rowing in the latter section, and we’d seen on the group chat that the girls in front of us had also made the same decision.

Swerving over to the shore, we hauled our canoes up onto the shore, took off our life vests, and waited for the last person in our party to show up. Three guesses who it was who was lagging behind…

Our trip down the River Sella ended here, amongst the green mountains of Asturias.

Kevin finally showed up just before the 5pm cutoff point, and we noticed that he was drenched to the skin – it turns out that he’d managed to capsize in a section of rapids! After having a good laugh at his expense, we then hauled our tired bodies into a minivan and were driven back to the start point of the whole trip.

After changing back into our clothes and buying some souvenir photos – which I’ll scan and post on here just as soon as I can – we headed back to Raquel’s car and left for Oviedo once again, where we were keen to take a nap after such a long day. We arrived completely knackered but in great spirits, having decided to reconvene later and have a traditional Asturian meal at a new restaurant just down the road from Kevin’s flat.

The Descenso del Sella, as I’m sure I don’t need to reiterate after such stories as told above, was an absolutely great experience that I would urge anyone to have a go at if they ever get the chance! There’s tonnes of operators who will provide the complete package – canoe, life jacket, hermetically-sealed barrel, transport, and a mini introduction on how to row – for just 30€ for a double canoe or 20€ for a single.

The Descenso del Sella is a local tradition and an absolute blast no matter how good (or bad) you think you are at rowing!

Anyway, back to Oviedo, where we woke up revived but still half asleep and champing at the bit for a proper heavy meal which would send us back to sleep again for the night. We tottered down to the restaurant that we’d arranged to meat at, and tucked into an absolutely divine series of dishes after having to ask for the bread to be delivered as quickly as possible as we were practically gnawing the edges of the table with hunger after such a busy day!

The meal included a series of my favourite Asturian plates, from cachopo (a classic from the region consisting of a fried mass of beef, cured ham, and cheese) to tortos con picadillo y huevo (a fried maize bread topped with spiced minced pork and fried egg), and with little bites including chipirones a la plancha (little squids in a garlic sauce) and croquetas de jamón (cured ham croquettes). This was all finished off with a selection of desserts which we nearly didn’t manage to finish!

Needless to say that we all had the best night’s sleep of our lives that night, with the physical exertion of the descenso and the heavy local food sending us off to dreamland mere minutes after arriving back home.

The next day, Cami and I were awake before Kevin, who’s alarm had been going off for ten minutes with no signs of life. We decided to head out for a spot of breakfast whilst he had a well-deserved lie-in (10km rowed by himself!), and Cami knew just the spot. She took me to a local bakery which had a selection of pastries and fancy fruit juices, and we enjoyed a lovely relaxed breakfast outside on a terrace.

Whilst there, Cami mentioned that a friend of hers lived nearby, and so we headed off to meet her and her lovely dog Newton, who was very excited to see Cami after not having seen her for quite some time! The three of us got chatting, eventually perching ourselves on a terrace for a quick drink.

Once we’d heard from Kevin, we headed back to his flat, and packed our bags ready to leave Asturias whilst he headed off to grab some lunch to accompany a Chilean wine that Cami had brought as a gift from her dad who’d recently visited Chile. As I learned in Tenerife, you can’t beat an authentic Chilean wine!

The three of us enjoyed a relaxed lunch at home before grabbing our bags, closing the flat up, and heading off to the centre of Oviedo to have one last cheeky drink in the city before boarding a bus back up to the airport. “And just why were the three of us headed to the airport?” I hear you ask – and I can now reveal that my return to Asturias was only part one of this little reunion trip, as Cami and Kevin were then to spend a couple of days with me in Madrid before Kevin headed back off to the US and Cami back to Tenerife!

Once we’d finished our last beer up north, the three of us were then whisked off to the airport and, no sooner had we arrived, we were at our gate and being called to board – Asturias’ airport is only a small affair!

And with that, I’ve to cut the story short, as I’m going to have to leave the second part of the trip – our two days exploring in Madrid – for the next blog post. I’m sure there’s no need to mention again that I had an absolute blast in Asturias after so many years without seeing Kevin and without returning to these lush lands where I feel so at home. I couldn’t have had any more fun or had better company – it really was a much needed high after a year and a half of pandemic-related doom and gloom!

Stay tuned for the next post!

This post represents the first time I’ve experimented with embedding videos as well as photos. If you have any feedback or you’re having trouble viewing the videos, let me know!

Outside to Inside

18.07.21 — Madrid

Today’s blog post, although covering the last there weeks of mischief here in Madrid, is a rather short one. This is because I write to you after nearly two weeks of illness form which I’m just beginning to recover, but I’ll get into that at the end of the post.

For now, we begin up in the city centre, where Sara and I had arranged to meet up for a Mexican meal at Gracias Padre, a spot which I’ve visited a good few times in the past and which I always enjoy. We over-faced ourselves somewhat with our order, including a melted cheese and chorizo starter and then quesadillas and pulled chicken flutes – but it was all delicious!

A Saturday of lovely food with great company in fabulous surroundings.

The next day saw me out in the city for a spot of rare clothes shopping. After nipping by Uniqlo to pick up a few new goodies, I wandered up to Chueca, where I had a spot of lunch and nipped into Lush before cycling through the city and back home to spend an evening sunbathing and relaxing by the river.

Well, that was the plan, until I got a message off Laura, a friend who moved to Miami a couple of years back, saying that she was back in Madrid for a month! Seizing the opportunity to spend a few hours with her that evening, I cycled up to the Templo de Debod, one of the best spots to watch the sun set over the mountains in the west, and we spent the evening catching up with another friend of hers.

After work the next day, I headed back down to the river, as I’d enjoyed the summer ambience down there the day before. I spent a few hours catching some rays, chatting to my family over the phone, and having a cheeky drink whilst I watched a group of dogs playing. All but one of them left with their owner after a while, so I snuck in to take a photo of its blond hair in the golden rays of the evening sun.

With the heat rising in the city, the rest of the week was spent mainly indoors, where I enjoyed the sunset one evening before adjusting the colours of my lighting to create a series of coloured indoor gradients. These were, however, interrupted for an evening after England got through to the final of the Euros – I had a little celebration at home after Ellie called me to share the atmosphere of the pub she was in!

Shortly thereafter, however, I fell ill with a mystery stomach bug. After a while trying to sort it out at home, I eventually ended up in urgent care with severe stomach pain whilst I should have been watching the final of the Euros. This marked just the start of a rough week, which has included a scare with the possibility of it being coronavirus.

After various phone calls with my GP and another trip to urgent care which nearly turned into an overnight stay, I’ve finally had a concrete diagnosis and have started a round of antibiotics, so I’m now on the mend and hoping to be back at work and out and about as soon as possible. It can’t come soon enough, as next weekend I’m hoping to escape Madrid for a few days and be reunited with Kevin and Cami back up in Asturias after nearly three years!

I’d like to end this post thanking my friends, family, and colleagues who have been very supportive and have helped me out through a rather rough week with this illness. My endless admiration and respect also goes to the healthcare professionals here in Spain who attended me – they were as compassionate as they were speedy in getting me diagnosed and on the mend. Public healthcare is a marvellous thing, and we should fight to protect it whilst we’ve politicians doing their best to undermine it.

I’ve a few days of rest and recovery ahead of me, but I’ll be back soon with whatever I manage to get up to – I hope not to disappoint!

Between Times

04.07.21 — Madrid

With the rush to get out my posts on both my trip up to the north of Spain with Jhosef and my visit to Murcia to visit my auntie and uncle, I wound up leaving out a few bits and bats that I got up to between times whilst in Madrid. No fear, however, for I’m here today to put right this oversight and also share some more recent updates.

We kick things off in Madrid’s best neighbourhood, Delicias (where I live, naturally). Me and Luis had decided to brave the threatening weather forecast for a trip up to Lavapiés, another of the city’s barrios, and enjoy some pizza before heading to an exhibition and bookshop that Luis had heard about.

The walk up to the pizzeria was quite the experience, with a torrential downpour threatening to soak us to the skin should my umbrella give way. At one point, we’d to take a respite stop along with a throng of others in the entrance to a supermarket whilst the worst of the storm passed over. From there, we skirted around huge puddles in our already damp trousers and managed to make it to NAP Pizza without – thankfully – any further meteorological incidents.

After some delicious pizza, we strolled down to the bookshop in question, where I picked up a couple of gifts and we ventured into their basement exhibition space, where there was a fun series of paintings on display. We didn’t stay too long, but I did enjoy the neon colours and smiley faces.

From there we then headed across the road to the Tabacalera, another exhibition space run by the city council. Here – I’m not going to lie – I didn’t really understand the art on offer, but I was fascinated by the space itself. I took lots of photos of lots of things, but I’ll leave you with a little teaser of what I saw – piece of art included because I found a lightbulb hidden away in it.

I also engaged in a spot of redecoration before grabbing my train down to Murcia, which involved rearranging my flat in order to better reflect my new routine which involves much more time spent in the office than working from home. I pulled my lovely marble dining table out of storage and reinstated it in the living room, and bought myself a lovely, slightly less overbearing new desk which I have installed in my rearranged bedroom.

My return to Madrid after Murcia did not, however, mark the end of my traveling during the month of June. I had one last place to visit, and that was Cuenca. This was actually a super quick one-day work trip to visit a client in the lovely old city famous for its casas colgadas, houses which hang perilously over the edge of a series of cliffs.

The trip was made extra special by the opportunity to, albeit briefly, enter some of the most famous examples of these “hanging houses”, from which absolutely spectacular views over the surrounding hillsides could be seen.

Once back in Madrid, another weekend signaled another round of drinks to be had with Sara in the centre. Heading back up to El barrio de las letras, Madrid’s literary quarter, the two of us stopped for some delicious cocktails in a pretty little square along one of the side streets.

With a clear head the day after, I spent the Sunday rewiring and reprogramming the lighting in my flat – something which is no small feat – before starting another week at work. With our move to jornada intensiva (literally “intensive working hours”) for summer, I now leave work at 3pm every day, and so one evening I arranged to meet up with Bogar, Hugo, Sergei, and Jhosef to enjoy some tasty dishes at a local Italian restaurant.

An evening of great company and lovely food served by the hilarious owner.

The following weekend was spent, as ever, out and about in the city. On Saturday I met up with Soyoung – who I hadn’t seen since we last had brunch together just before lockdown last year – and we headed to a spot to once again enjoy a breakfast-cum-lunch on a terrace in the north of the city. It was lovely to see her again and finally get around to catching up on all the events of the last fourteen months or so – how time flies!

The Puerta de Alcalá looks resplendent as I cycled past on my way home.

On the Sunday I met up with Jhosef for a wander around the neighbourhood, and before long his sister, Ximena, had joined us. The three of us then decided to have a drink in the Matadero, a cultural centre a stone’s throw from our houses, and this then turned into ordering some food for lunch too. We had great weather, great company, and a great terrace to sit at – the perfect combination for the best impromptu plans to develop on the fly!

With this chaotic series of updates I bring you all more or less up to date on all the shenanigans from the past few weeks in between my trips north and then south. I say more or less because, as the summer months of July and August arrive, I’ve a little more time to explore and head out more, and so you can be sure that there’ll be plenty of nonsense to come…