Epilepsy Warning:This post contains videos which include flashing lights.
The weekend after another busy week brought plenty of fun stuff to be getting up to, even if the weather was continuing it’s downward spiral as we head into winter. I say winter because the weather in Madrid seems to skip spring and autumn: it’s either unbearably hot or freezing cold!
Despite the chill, I’d made plans to head out for tea at a lovely restaurant in the centre before handing out for some drinks and then to a karaoke with some colleagues. It had been a good while since I last went out, and even longer since I last went to my favourite karaoke bar!
The next day, and having somehow miraculously avoided a hangover, I’d arranged to meet up with some other friends to watch a theatre piece written, directed, and starred in by one of their girlfriends. The comedy, called Reset, was a great laugh and took place in a cute little theatre down in the La Latina district. Once the show was over, we all took shelter from the rain in a nearby bar, where we had a round of gin and tonics whilst awaiting the arrival of the cast.
As 11pm approached, however, I decided that I simply could not miss the last night of Luz Madrid. This was an event taking place all over the city consisting of light installations across some of Madrid’s most emblematic buildings and spaces. I’d been meaning to go during the first two days of the three-day event, but karaoke plans and the third season of Sex Education had wound up distracting me.
The walk down to the centre from La Latina made me begin to think that perhaps my idea hadn’t been the best, as it began to pour it down with rain the moment I stepped out of the bar. With my brolly in tow I wasn’t fazed, however, and I marched determinedly down towards Cibeles, where the bulk of the installations were taking place.
The reflections of the city lights looked lovely along the wet streets.
The first light show I stumbled upon turned out to be the most enthralling, as the whole of the gardens of the Cuartel General del Ejército de Tierra (Headquarters of the Spanish Army) had been turned into an interactive light show with music and lasers.
I got closer and stood with my head against the railings for a good while, taking in the surreal atmosphere generated by the “Planum et Lumen” installation by Maxi Gilbert. I’d have wandered in, but there was another spectacle I wanted to witness just down the road.
It doesn’t really show up well on camera, but there was a column of light reaching upwards.
The next installation was “Camino a la Vida” by Juanjo Llorens, which took over the facade of the Cibeles Palace, a beautiful building my dad likes to call the “wedding cake”. This piece illuminated the facade as much as it did the sky, with lasers pointed towards the heavens and spotlights scanning the area from atop the palace.
As I stood in the middle of a closed-off roundabout with my shoes absolutely drenched and the rain coming down heavier and heavier, the clock struck midnight and signalled the end of Luz Madrid. I waded back through the empty streets (everyone with any sense had retreated back home when the torrential rain began) and eventually braved the packed metro back home.
The next day saw a break from the rain, but the cloudy skies prompted me to spend the day having lunch and watching a film at a colleague’s house. After a plato combinado (basically a dish with many different types of food on it), we settled down under some blankets on the settee and watched the Almódovar classic “Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios” (titled “Women on the Verge of a Mental Breakdown” in English). I absolutely loved the film, and particularly the song “Soy infeliz”, which I will use to end this blog post…
If you keep up with my blog, you’ll know that recently I’ve had plenty of visits: from friends to my parents and then my sister. This wasn’t the end of things, though, as I’d still one visit more to squeeze in as summer turned to autumn: my auntie and uncle!
After Ellie left on the Thursday, the two of them rocked up into Madrid on the Friday, stopping off as they often do for a couple of nights on their way back down to Murcia from the UK. I reunited with them after work, and found them waiting in a bar just by my house.
We went out for tea down at the slaughterhouse that evening, after which it was soon Saturday and time to enjoy their only full day in Madrid. This took us into the centre, where we passed by many of the sights, stopping for a snoop around the Almudena Cathedral on that had enchanted me so during my first visit to Madrid. Breakfast was also quite eventful: it was accompanied by flyovers from the Spanish military to mark their national holiday: Hispanic Day.
The cathedral’s patterned and colourful roof is always a pleasure to photograph.
After this, we headed up to the northern neighbourhood of Malasaña, where I was keen for them to try some potato omelette from one of my favourite bars. There was a big queue out the door, however, and so we headed to another bar and had some tasty lunch there, all before heading home to rest for a while.
That evening, the three of us headed back out for tea at my local restaurant, arriving home ready for their last night staying at mine. The next morning we didn’t have all that much time to do much, having breakfast before heading back down to the car park for them to carry on their journey back down to Murcia.
It was lovely to see the two of them again in Madrid, even if it was a whistle-stop trip! As they left on the Sunday, I had another busy week at work in store afterwards, with some relaxed evenings in order to recover from so much activity recently.
The golden hour as seen from the park next to my office made for a lovely walk back home.
The weekend after my auntie and uncle’s visit was one of semi-forced relaxation, as on Friday – and after two bouts of coronavirus – I was finally able to get my vaccine! Props to the Madrid health service, as the whole procedure was about as easy as going to the fish counter in the supermarket, even if it did leave me a bit feverish for the next couple of days.
I’m finally vaccinated and ready to try to return to some sense of normality!
One evening I did, however, decide to push back against my general state of malaise as I headed out for some wine and food with Sara. We popped down to a local Galician restaurant, where we just about managed to munch our way through three huge plates of seafood and meats. It was absolutely delicious, but left me even more feverish than before. I’ll never learn!
I was fully recovered for Monday and my return back to the office, where another busy but rewarding week awaited me. I was once again kept going by my lovely evening drinks with friends and wanders through the park – even if the cold is now beginning to bite at my toes a bit.
There’s been no better spot to ring my friends back in the UK and across the globe.
And with that, I bring my blog up to date and to this long weekend. I’ve some plans with friends to head out for a drink and even to the theatre tomorrow, so it should prove to be a nice relaxed few days – despite the rain that has descended over Madrid and which won’t giving up until next week.
Fingers crossed that it does lift before Friday – I’ve another important visit coming up, but that’ll have to remain a little secret until closer to the time. Until then!
A mere week after my parents visited me, and over two years after she was last able to come over, I was joined once again by my sister here in Madrid! After work one day, I left the office and hurried my way up to the airport on the metro, as I’d agreed to meet her so that we could head back to my flat together and kick off of her week with me here in Spain.
Our first evening together was spent having some drinks: I was in no rush because I’d taken the next day off! We discussed what we might get up to over the coming days, throwing together some quick plans for the next day before heading off to bed.
The next day we headed to a lovely restaurant on Gran Vía that I’d visited with my parents, as my mum had spoke so much about the dessert that I decided it was worth going back. We rocked up and ordered plenty of little plates to share at, and Ellie decided we should share a litre of sangría. Once we’d polished off our crema catalana (basically a crème brûlée) and torrija quemada, we began to realise that the sangría had more of a kick to it than we thought!
There’s nothing more dangerous than a sangría that lures you into a false sense of security…
We then paid up and headed out into the city, having another decidedly non-alcoholic drink on another terrace before heading down to the lake. There, Ellie grabbed herself an ice cream and we relaxed for a while, resting between the racket of the squawking parrots in the trees above. We then walked back towards the city centre, grabbing the train back home.
That evening, we headed out for an evening meal, grabbing some delicious dishes in my favourite local Italian restaurant. As we ordered a huge slice of chocolate cake for dessert, it was getting quite late, and so we finished out last glass of wine and headed back home.
As we awoke the next day we were already in day three of Ellie’s weeklong visit, and so headed out bright and early to make the most of the sunny Saturday. After some breakfast near home, we headed down to the Matadero, having a drink whilst we waited for an exhibition at the design centre there to open.
I was particularly keen to visit the Exposición Madridgrafía, as some of my work at Erretres was included in this exhibition looking at graphic design made in Madrid. It was lovely to see the brands I worked on for Buendía Estudios and Seedtag up there, and I felt honoured to have work included in a place that I’ve been visiting for a good few years!
After taking the obligatory photos alongside my work (which I have omitted here), we headed just down the road and to the city’s public greenhouse, which Ellie always enjoys a wander round being the biologist that she is. It was actually a much more pleasant experience than last time – despite the obligatory face masks – as it wasn’t half as humid and much cooler than last time.
With all the plants seen and all the obligatory aesthetic photos taken, we then headed back home to prepare some food, as we’d a picnic planned in the Retiro park. We last did this when Ellie visited with her boyfriend Johann back in 2018, and it went down a treat, so we’d another lakeside lunch planned.
After we’d tucked into our original creation of bread with alioli, tomato, and basil, we then headed back out of the park to grab some bikes, which we then used to tour all four corners of the huge park. Once we’d tired of the park, we then headed onwards to the Temple of Debod, where we caught a gorgeous sunset to end another long day of exploration.
One of the few selfies of the two of us that we actually got round to taking…
The next day, we made the most of the bikes that we’d taken out, heading down to the river for a cycle around before heading out for lunch. Ellie was keen to head back to NAP Pizza, my favourite pizzeria in Madrid, and it was there that we made the discovery of the trip – a delicious starter made with strips of aubergine with cheese and tomato. It was absolutely delicious!
With lunch done, we ended up back on our bikes again, cycling all the way down to the Anillo Verde (literally the “green ring”) leading out into the north of the city. The trip back took us past the lake again, but we didn’t stick around for long as we’d elsewhere to be…
Once we’d finished our little exploration of Madrid’s cycling routes, it was time to get the metro down to the south of the city to do something that even I haven’t done since the last time Ellie came – watch the sunset from a park down in Vallecas. This great vantage point was the perfect spot for a Sunday evening, and we enjoyed some drinks and snacks as the sun put on a lovely show.
As night fell, we headed back to the centre of the city and began an evening of tapeo – having drinks and eating tapas around the literary quarter. Ellie was back on her favourite, patatas bravas (fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce), and we even made a visit at the pintxos (small bites of food) bar that had been such a success with my mum and dad. The night ended in La Esperanza, one of my favourite bars for a drink and a quick bite to eat before heading home.
Nothing says Madrid more than a gin and tonic, a vermouth, and a bite to eat.
We began the next day at Ojalá, a spot which never fails for a slap-up breakfast. From there, we headed down to the Parque de Atracciones, Madrid’s theme park that I visited for the first time just a few weeks ago. There we spent the rest of the day, knackering ourselves out on the various attractions before having our evening meal at my local bar.
The day after signalled our last full day in the city together, and we’d arranged to meet Luis for some drinks after we’d stopped by to meet him and some other friends one evening before. This took us down to the Matadero and then back up to the pizza bar that had been such a hit, all before ending up in Citynizer Plaza to have a few drinks after I’d spontaneously bought myself a new iPad.
The Aperol Spritzes may have flowed a bit too easily, as the ice creams we bought after nearly ended up on the floor.
Ending our last full day with some drinks by down the river, it was then time for me to head back to the office – but I wasn’t alone! Ellie joined me for a few hours in the morning to lend me a hand preparing a workshop, before heading out to do a bit of shopping after we’d had lunch together at a little bar near work.
That evening was a chill one at home. We ordered in some arepas and had one last drink as Ellie packed up ready to head back to old Blighty the next morning, which she did as I bundled her into a taxi destined for the airport as I headed off to the office and back to the daily grind…
As with the lasttwo times Ellie has come over to see me here in the big city, the two of us had an absolute blast, and I hope that she can nip over more often now that we’re all vaccinated and things are a bit more under control! It’s been a busy period for family visits, with my parents’ visit just the week before and my auntie and uncle coming the day after – but I’ll save that one for the next blog post!
After being graciously hosted by Loredana and David in Vienna, it was time for me to be the host for an important visit: my parents were coming to Madrid! Seeing as I hadn’t seen them since January, which wasn’t the most pleasant of trips, I was excited by the prospect of seeing them again and sharing my favourite spots with them from across the city.
Their visit began with some drama at the airport when I want to pick them up. I arrived on the metro but then couldn’t enter the terminal building as I had no boarding pass, so I’d to leave via a car park which spat me out onto an abandoned exit ramp which took me to a rather large and busy road. There, I’d to jump over the metal barriers and risk life and limb to get to the other side, where more risky crossing and parkour-style acrobatics were needed to finally get me to the arrivals area outside T1. What’s more, I couldn’t even contact them to see where they were and to tell them that I was outside, as their roaming data hadn’t kicked in!
Through some sheer luck I was eventually reunited with my mum and dad as they wandered outside and found me waiting where everyone else was congregated. We then hopped in a taxi back to my place, where they unpacked as I threw together a platter of nibbles before we turned in for the night – it was already quite late.
The next day began with breakfast down at a bar a stone’s throw away from my building, before some drinks down at the Matadero (an ex-abattoir-turned-cultural-center by the river). We then headed up to the Lavapiés neighbourhood, stopping for a pizza lunch at one of my favourite pizzerias.
Our afternoon then continued at full steam ahead – no rest for the wicked! After lunch, we had coffee and dessert at Citynizer, and then took the metro down to the lake in order to catch some last rays and have a round of sangría. We then headed back to the La Latina district, where we had a selection of tapas and another drink in a lovely little square away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.
Mum always enjoys a glass of sangría down by the lakeside.
We begun the next day with breakfast at the same local bar – it had quickly become a favourite spot of my parents, who couldn’t believe how cheap it was! From there, we grabbed a bus up to Retiro Park, where my mum fancied a go on the city bikes. There we avoided a near catastrophe when one of the rental machines refused to release my parents’ credit card, and I’d to go asking in a nearby bar for a pair of pliers which I eventually used to yank the poor thing out.
Disaster averted, we eventually grabbed some bikes and began our bike ride around the lush gardens of this huge park, stopping at all the must-see spots along the way. Once tired out and ready to eat, we headed for lunch at a local tapas spot, where the different plates and desserts went down an absolute treat.
I swear everyone who comes to visit has this exact same picture taken.
After a much needed post-lunch rest, we headed out for our last meal of the day, which took us to a local Italian restaurant that I enjoy visiting. As I write this I am beginning to realise that it seems like all we did is wander, eat, drink, and chat – and that’s pretty much the truth. If you’re not doing that, you’re not living the Madrid lifestyle properly!
The next day saw us back un the city centre for a spot of shopping, after which we had something to eat before hopping back on the bikes. After passing by the Royal Palace, we came across some dancing in the street, and eventually had a drink in the Mercado de San Miguel, a street market that I’d never before managed to get a seat at. Great success!
That evening we wound up at the Templo de Debod, one of my favourite spots to catch the sunset. The sky put on a beautiful show as always, but we were soon hungry and ready to celebrate my parents’ last night in Madrid – the whole trip had come and gone so fast!
I took the three of us down to the Writer’s Quarter for the evening, as I’d a bar in mind that I hadn’t been to for quite some time. Whilst on our way to this spot, however, I caught sight of another bar that I’d heard great things about, and there they had a table free and perfect for the three of us!
There we had a selection of the most delicious pintxos – the small dishes of food famously found in the Basque Country – and I fell in head-over-heals in love with a salmon and cream cheese pastry. Whilst tucking in to our meal, my sister Ellie gave us a call, and I spent a while chatting to her in preparation for her visit to Madrid just one week later!
With this last bill paid and my parents’ bags packed, we had one last drink at home before they turned in for the night. The next morning saw the three of us then bundle ourselves into a taxi which would drop me off at work before taking them onwards and up to the airport for their flight back to old Blighty.
As you can see, the three days that I had my parents’ company in Madrid positively flew by! I had a lovely time, as we managed to cram a lot in without rushing around too much, and it was great to catch up with the two of them in person after nearly a year without being able to visit.
Well, I already gave away the topic of my next blog post towards the end there, as it’ll be delving into the many aventures that me and my sister got up to during her week here in the Spanish capital – I’m running a bit behind on these blog posts thanks to so many visits, but hopefully it’ll be worth the wait! Until then…
I left my last blog post revealing that I eventually – after two bouts of COVID – managed to escape Spain for a quick holiday. I can now reveal that this little four-day trip took me to the Austrian capital, where I was reunited with my friend Loredana! I’d not seen her since she joined Megan and Heidi in coming to visit me in Madrid back in 2019, so I was looking forward to a few days relaxing at her place and exploring Vienna.
The trip kicked off with a rather early 05:30am start, which had me in a taxi and through airport security in time to catch the beautiful sunrise from Terminal 4 of Madrid’s airport. I didn’t have long to appreciate it through, as between breakfast and an early boarding, I was soon flying east over Europe and prepping my immunisation documentation to enter Austria.
I arrived in Vienna around midday, was waved through the health checks by the grumpiest man I have ever encountered, and headed straight outside to eat the soggy sandwich that I’d bought in Madrid before setting off. This killed a bit of time whilst I waited the 45 minutes for the next bus, with some other time took up by a moment of intrigue as the fire brigade turned up to put out a fire that had started in a bin thanks to a stray cigarette butt.
When my bus finally arrived in the centre of Vienna, I was met at the station by Loredana. Reunited, we then headed down to the metro headed to her apartment so that I could leave my bags and freshen up a bit before an afternoon exploring the city!
A surprise awaited me, as Loredana and her boyfriend, David, had prepared an old bike so that the three of us could explore the centre of Vienna on two wheels. I’m always banging on about how I love cycling around Madrid – they know me so well!
Our bike ride then commenced, and after some teething problemas as I accustomed myself to the lack of electric motor and the unfamiliar back-pedalling method of braking, we were soon zipping down towards the city centre. We passed through a couple of the city’s numbered zones before arriving at the museum area, a lovely pedestrianised zone full of gorgeous buildings, museums, and terraces. We sat down on the terrace of a café where David’s brother worked and I immediately ordered a plate of Kaiserschmarrn, an Austrian dish consisting of shredded pancake with sugar and a fruit marmalade for dipping. Delicious!
Pretty much every single building in the centre of Vienna looked like it was out of a fairytale.
After a coffee and this sweet indulgence, we continued our bike ride, passing by a lot of iconic buildings which I didn’t have time to photograph or which were currently undergoing repair work. Loredana did snap a photo of me wandering around with a helmet on, but it’s not a look – I’ll leave that one out for now…
We then circled around the “ring”, a road which – as the name suggests – circles around the centre of the city. This took us past the river, and we seized the opportunity to have a cycle along the banks of the water and stop for a drink at a pretty riverside bar. To go alongside my lemon gin and tonic, and to quell some of the first rumblings of hunger, I also grabbed some mini dumplings – and in the process used up the 10 words of German that I know.
This drink stop left us tired and weary, so we headed back home for a rest before heading back out for our evening meal. As I’d just arrived in Austria, I was keen to try out the local fare, and so Loredana and David took me to one of their favourite Austrian restaurants to try some typical dishes from the region. These included fittatensuppe (a soup with strips of crepe), meat with spätzle (a kind of doughy noodle), and – of course – schitnzel. This was all topped off with some apple strudel and a shot of schnapps – which it turns out is nothing like the sweet stuff I used to shot at university!
The taste and strength of real schnapps has to be one of the biggest shocks I’ve had recently.
Before heading home, we then wandered down to have some drinks on a street lined with bars set into the arches of the metro viaduct near Loredana’s place. I polished off a few tequila-based cocktails there whilst we all had a good laugh whilst chatting about all kinds of nonsense, eventually winding our way back home once we were all to tired for more.
The next day was the only day that the three of us would be together, so we made the most of the good weather and planned our day over a delicious breakfast spread that Loredana and David laid out on the table in their pretty little garden. Leaving the bikes behind, we decided to move around on foot or public transport, and so headed back into the centre of Vienna via a tram and then a metro.
I even made a couple of new furry friends along the way.
The metro left us bang in the centre of the city, at Stephansdom, the city’s iconic central cathedral. In a happy coincidence, there was a street market set up and in full swing, and so we headed in to have a snoop around whilst I admired the colourful roof and striking height and architecture of the cathedral in the centre.
The patterned roof of the Stephansdom has turned it into an icon of Vienna.
In the market I had my first taste of sturm, a young wine which is still very sweet and relatively low in alcohol. It was absolutely delicious, and could definitely become an easy vice if I were to have easy access to it. Now I find myself wondering if there’s any kind of equivalent in Spain – but perhaps its best not to go there…
We then headed further into the centre, checking out some more iconic buildings, squares, and sights before making another stop to relax in the shade with a drink. As we polished off or radlers, we spoke about where to go for lunch, as so much exploration had stirred up quite the appetite. Loredana suggested a Lebanese restaurant, where we enjoyed a delicious and very, very filling meal.
I was really lucky with the weather during the whole trip, the sun just kept on shining.
Fit to burst after such a large lunch, we continued meandering the streets of Vienna, finding ourselves crossing one of the city’s many beautiful parks after David had to dash off to meet some other friends. Now in a different and rather fancy area of the city, me and Loredana wound up engaging in a spot of what an American would call “dumpster diving” – I found a nice tie that had just been thrown out and sported that for the rest of the afternoon!
Now tired from so much walking, we headed back home, where Loredana had a surprise in store. Although the space is technically off limits, her building has an access hatch which leads to the roof, and so we snuck upstairs and quietly lowered the ladder to the forbidden terrace.
Loredana marched up that ladder without a hint of respect for the rules.
The views from the rooftop were unexpectedly spectacular, with a near 360° view over Vienna and its suburbs. We’d also happily timed our little adventure just right, and caught a gorgeous sunset over the rooftops. I don’t really have to say much more here, the photos speak for themselves…
Still full from lunch and exhausted from so much wandering, we opted to spend the rest of the night in at home, and so Loredana dragged out Sing Star for her Playstation 2. I’d never played the karaoke game and I am possibly one of the most tone-deaf people out there, but we had a great laugh singing out hearts out until we were too tired to carry on.
The next day I awoke to an empty flat, as both Loredana and David had headed off to work. I’d been left with a key and some instructions on where to go and visit to entertain myself until Loredana got back home around lunchtime, and – after mooching around in bed until l late – I dutifully headed off in the direction of the Schönbrunn Palace.
With the sun beating down on the city quite relentlessly, I hopped off the metro with a cinnamon roll in hand (that I had managed to order in German, miraculously) and looked for the entrance to the gardens which Loredana had promised me were rather beautiful. I eventually found the main gate of the ex-royal residence and pottered in, amazed by the sheer size of the place.
As you can see from the photos, the promised beauty of the place did not disappoint one bit, with the giant yellow structure almost paling in comparison with the vast expanses of gorgeous gardens which surrounded it. I walked around the area quite slowly at first, in awe of everything and taking photos of every small detail, but I soon realised that I wasn’t getting anywhere at that pace. I thus grabbed myself a delicious kaiserschmarrn and strawberry flavoured ice cream and headed off to see the first spot that Loredana had marked on my map, the Palm House.
As soon as I saw kaiserschmarrn (the shredded pancakes) as a flavour option I knew I had to have it.
After this leisurely walk around the lovely, flat gardens, it was time to brace the huge hill that stood behind the palace in order to visit the next spot that Loredana had marked on my map, the Gloriette. This is a vantage point atop a hill with views over the palace and the city beyond. As I got close, I deduced that I’d need more calories in me to make the climb, and so grabbed a snack in the form of a wurst covered in ketchup and mustard.
I then began the tedious climb upwards, stopping every now and then to catch my breath and finish off my fizzy apple drink of apfelschorle that I’d grabbed form a kiosk. Once atop the hill, however, the views were definitely worth it, and I spent a good while just taking it all in and snapping a few photos before I headed back down.
I arrived back down at ground level as lunchtime approached, and so I took a few last potos of the palace and gardens before heading back to the metro to be reunited with Loredana at her place. She was tired after a long day at work and I was exhausted after my morning exploring Schönbrunn Palace, so a nap was in order before we commenced with the outings marking last evening in Vienna.
Before we headed out for my last meal in Vienna I had one last errand to run – a trip to a local supermarket to pick up some Austrian snacks for the team at Erretres. Loredana helped me pick out some sweet and savoury goodies to take back to Madrid, and we grabbed a local snack favourite – a kind of formed spiced meat patty in a fresh bread roll. It felt quite unnatural to be eating meat with that shape and texture, but it was delicious and we were hungry, so it really hit the spot!
As the afternoon gave way to the evening the three of us then headed out to an Asian fusion restaurant, where we devoured dumplings, ramen, and more delicious goodies. To work off some of the food, I insisted we should climb up the many, many steps leading to the roof of a local building – maybe not the best idea after a recent COVID infection, but I made it!
We snooped around up there for a bit before heading back home, where we had some shots of Berliner Luft, a mint liqueur which I noted tasted exactly the same as mouthwash. I then had to begrudgingly pack my bag ready for the trip back the next day – it felt like I’d only been in Vienna for five minutes!
The next morning I’d to wake early to shower, pack the last bits and bats, and say farewell and thank you to Loredana and David for having me stay at theirs and for being incredible hosts and tour guides for my first time in this very pretty city. Even though I’ll definitely be back to visit again, I also insisted that the two of them should come to visit me in Madrid whenever they got a chance – I enjoy hosting just as much as I enjoy being hosted!
There’s not much left to add with all of that said, apart from thanking Loredana and David again, and promising that I’ll be back in Austria again just as soon as possible!
