It’s been a while since I posted about my day-to-day life, with exactly a month now gone since I last brought updates from Madrid. Of course I’ve been meeting up with friends, cycling around in the dark, and cooking up a few bits and bobs at home (today’s bake has been a huge batch of cookies), but there’s not been much that’s worth sharing on my blog – especially seeing as I’ve been a bit off my game recently in terms of taking photos along the way!
No fear, though, as I’m here today to right this wrong. We kick things off at a lovely brunch prepared by my colleague Blanca, who whipped up a delicious meal as I swung by her new flat to check out the new place. After some beers and a good serving of food (including an excellent poached egg, I have nothing on her skills), we chatted the afternoon away and I wound up giving her daughter an impromptu calligraphy lesson!
The next day I decided to spend a day out in my own company, and so headed up to Madrid’s version of Poundland, which is run by the same company, and so which offers a decent range of British goodies! Making good use of a 3€ discount voucher and scoring myself the deal of the century in the form of an official Apple iPad case for just 6€, I hauled my bag full of Vimeo and Cadbury’s chocolate into the basket of one of the city bikes, and took in the gorgeous evening views of the city as I cycled home.
The emblematic Puerta de Alcalá is pretty but a nightmare to cycle around.
During the working week I’ve been rather busy, but there’s always time for a wander with Jhosef down by the river or a quick run around the city on a bike – I’ve to make the most of the freedom whilst I still can. With certain areas of Madrid already in partial lockdown, I’ve a suspicion that a city-wide series of restrictions might be announced any day soon, and so any excuse to get out and about is very welcome!
This weekend I’ve been back out and about once again, wandering round the city centre at just the right time such as to catch the gorgeous streets of Lavapiés and the city centre in the golden hour just before the setting of the sun. I also walked past a newly refurbished hotel, which is a gorgeous building that’s been under wraps and in renovation since the very first time I visited Madrid five years ago, and was happy to see that they’d covered the facade in a gorgeous series of ornamental lamps.
My evening wander ended with a lovely evening meal at Ramen Shifu, where my friend Hugo was working the evening. Whilst catching up in bursts as he attended other tables, I tucked in to a gorgeous beef ramen, all followed by some mochi and a lovely Japanese beer.
The atmosphere and the food at Ramen Shifu were rather splendid.
Just last night I met up with Jhosef again and the two of us headed down to the Matadero, and to a lovely outdoor terrace and bar that’s been set up to make the most of the post-lockdown summer nights. Stopping for a tinto de verano (a mix of red wine and lemon Fanta), the two of us talked the evening away whilst being serenaded by a live band who had created their own Spanish version of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”. Once we’d tired of these new lyrics, which spoke mostly of “energía solar” (solar energy), the two of us headed back to my flat and spent the evening watching Salt, a film which I’d never seen before and which had me hooked with it’s wild plot twists!
This quick update pretty much sums up my past few weeks of little escapes and explorations of the city, but I’m sure there’ll be more to come as we head into a rather sudden autumn – I say sudden because the onset was shockingly quick, with a few days of storms and a temperature drop of almost 10°C taking us all by surprise and with no time to adjust!
And so here I leave you, as I prepare to change out my summer wardrobe for my winter one – prepare to see the return of the yellow coat in the coming posts!
In a rather late follow-up to a post published almost a year ago in which I shared some 35mm film photos, today I bring a few more photos from my summer 2019 visit to Caudete de las Fuentes, the hometown of friend Roberto’s family in rural Valencia. I had forgotten that these extra few shots even existed, and so it was a lovely surprise to find them bundled in with my photos of Tenerife after dropping off a roll of film to be developed.
These photos document some of the scenes from their old family home, and were taken on an old Samsung in between explorations of the small town and time spent mounting a lightbulb spectacular in their back patio. The warmth and imperfection of the film shots combined with the frozen-in-time nature of the location make for quite a special set of photos, one which looks like it could come from another century.
As ever, I haven’t edited any of these photos, as I’m a fan of leaving such intimate and mysterious 35mm film shots as they come. This second half concludes the series of photos from this tiny rural Valencian town, and represents a contradiction that I took away with me from my trip: there was an eerie melancholy air to a town in decline and suffering from severe depopulation, but my time there with Roberto was a whole lot of fun and relaxation with someone who’s also a fan of lights like me.
For the last installation of my trio of weeklong escapes out of Madrid I managed to bag myself an absolute bargain in the shape of a 48€ return flight to Manchester, which can only mean one thing: it was time to visit the motherland. For the first time since Christmas last year I was visiting England, and it all began rather too early for my liking with a taxi at 5:30am up to Madrid airport.
The novelty of flying during the pandemic was now gone after my flight to Tenerife a few weeks back, and I found myself once again infuriated by the lack of open restaurants in the airport. After flying through the security check, there wasn’t even a duty free open to bag myself a bottle of water for the journey, and so I spent the next hour or so sitting on the floor by my gate.
The flight over was half-full and rather uneventful, and after a few episodes of Modern Family I found myself disembarking the plane and waiting to see what these new, super stringent coronavirus checks would look like. As I’d had to fill out a rather extensive form and save a QR code to be scanned upon arrival, I was expecting to have to go through the steps of a rather thorough protocol upon arrival, however said protocol involved the following: a man asked if I’d completed the form, I responded that I had and flashed the document on my phone, and the man said I was alright to carry on through passport control.
Seriously, England? Is that it? That’s your primary line of defence? He didn’t even inspect the form that I showed him, much less scan the QR code – I could have flashed him a McDonalds receipt and he’d have been none the wiser. With such strict self-quarantine rules in place, one would think that they’d at least try to make people feel obliged to do it, but I found myself outside of the airport and wandering down the road in a matter of minutes.
Bewildered by the apparent lack of care, I was soon picked up by my dad, who then whisked me off to Burnley. Back in the family home, I soon found myself alone, as my mum was sleeping after her night shift, my sister was out in Leeds with her friends, and my dad had to nip out to do a spot of shopping.
After a relaxing afternoon spent unpacking, talking to my mum once she’d woken up, and generally kicking back, I was finally reunited with my sister when me and my dad went to pick her up from the train station upon her return. The two of us then stayed up late, eating pizza and chatting away into the early hours.
The next morning Ellie insisted that we get up and do something, and so I found myself being ushered up one of the dirt tracks in the village that leads to the top of a hill, and which then descends down past a reservoir and through a forest. Our little walk served to allow us to catch up even more, and we even wandered past a new open-air wedding venue that had been installed in one of the fields – a great idea for these strange times.
The rest of the day was then spent at home, much like the next day, which I spent cleaning out more of the few things that I’d left behind in my parents’ house and preparing a few things to bring back to Madrid with me. Not wanting to feel too cooped up, however, I borrowed my dad’s bike for the evening (like many an evening in Madrid) and went for a little cycle along some of the other little lanes of the village.
I even made a few friends along the way.
Along the way, as you can see, I stopped to take a good few photos, a few of which I sent to some friends and colleagues back in Madrid. Upon seeing the sheep, they wondered aloud why I had ever left, and it is true that I often miss the fresh air and greenery of Worsthorne.
The next day primarily involved, yet again, time spent cleaning out my childhood bedroom and other organisation and admin that I’d to get done whilst back in the UK. I did, however, nip over to visit my neighbour, and we talked for a good while about the global situation and life in Spain, as she was flying out to Gibraltar on the day I was set to leave England.
After this, and once my dad had returned home from work, the four of us headed out for the only proper outing as a family, which took the form of a simple walk around another reservoir. With my dad sporting a dodgy ankle after a fall from a tree a month or two ago, I wound up hanging back with him, and we talked about the past and the future and a bit of everything in between.
Upon arrival back home it was time for a Guinness in the garden. I then headed out for a quick trip to the huge Tesco shop in Burnley, where I sent my colleagues a video of the whole aisle which is dedicated to different flavours and brands of baked beans. Sometimes I swear that England is a parody of itself!
That night had to be an early one, however, as the day after was the day I had most been waiting for: my chance to see Abi and Danni! We’d planned and booked a trip to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, where the three of us have spent many a day enjoying the rides and the fresh doughnuts over the many years that we’ve known each other.
An early start saw Abi swoop by to pick me up in her car, and before I’d properly woken up, the three of us were arriving in the dodgy back streets of Blackpool. We stopped at a Spoons pub for some breakfast before the park opened, where I was left in awe by the speed of the 10-minute food promise, and then headed to the gates just before 11am in order to make the most of the six hours that we had in the park.
Once inside, we headed straight to the Ice Blast, which was a great rush to start the day and which offered some lovely views over the coast. We then headed to what might of been the most terrifying ride of the day, a huge old carousel, who’s violent rocking, wild speed, and creepy organ music had me screaming the whole way around. We then headed over to the Grand National, which had just opened, where we were lucky enough to find ourselves at the front of the line and under the care of a friendly ride operator who let us split over two cars so that we could race each other!
We then made the most of a short queue for Icon, their latest rollercoaster that I rode when I last visited with Ellie and Johann, and quickly managed to jump on the Big One, the Ice Blast, and a wealth of other coasters in quick succession. On the Big One, Danni told me to raise my hands as we sped into the photo spot as she had a plan, one once I saw the result I simply had to buy the photo!
Once we’d worked up an appetite we stopped for some lunch, which took the form of some delicious fried chicken near where the old Wild Mouse used to stand – may it rest in peace! Such a heavy lunch may have been a slightly bad decision, however, as we then headed straight on to a few more rides, two of which throw you upside down multiple times. I was soon feeling rather sick and somewhat dizzy, but I refused to let a bit of old age and chicken get the better of me, and so we soldiered on!
We then took a ride on a few more gentle attractions as the day slowly drew to a close, including the Wallace and Gromit Ride, the Ghost Train, the River Cruise, and the Flying Machine. This final ride signalled the end of our day in the Pleasure Beach, but it wouldn’t be a day there without some fresh doughnuts, and so we grabbed some on our way out before heading back to the Wetherspoons for some tea.
After a cheeky drink and a huge burger at the pub, we headed back towards the car, taking one last look at the Pleasure Beach for what I assume will be a decent amount of time to come. I was dropped back off at home half asleep once again after such a busy day, but we’d arranged for another trip out the day after, so it wasn’t all over just yet.
The low evening sun over the Pleasure Beach is actually rather beautiful.
The next morning, the three of us were reunited in Abi’s car once more and on our way to the Trafford Centre in Manchester for a spot of shopping. There, I treated myself to some fancy chocolates, some salted caramel vodka, and some pretzel bites smothered in chocolate sauce. We then stopped for some lunch before heading back to Burnley, where I had a mere hour to relax and refresh ready for another trip out.
This trip was to gorgeous town of Hebden Bridge with my parents, where my mum needed to pick up a necklace that she’d bought for my sister. With that little errand done, the three of us had a wander round, and I bought a few bits to bring back to Spain with me.
No trip back to England is complete without a wander around Hebden Bridge.
A spot I wanted to visit was the canal, which looked radiant in the evening sunlight. As we approached the canal, we ran into a family who had hired a canal boat and who were navigating it through one of the locks, and I suddenly found myself being drafted in to help with the operation of the lock. Another little thing ticked off my bucket list – operate a lock!
After a spot of drama in which we noticed that a boat had sprung free of its docking and had been blown by the wind in such a way that it was perpendicular to the edge of the canal and thus blocking the entire thing, we headed back into the centre of Hebden Bridge.
The other main aim of this little trip was for me to bag myself a fish and chips – a British classic for my last tea in the UK – but I’d yet to work up an appetite, and so the three of us sat ourself down in a beer garden and enjoyed a wine whilst we watched the world go by. The ensuing chippy tea was, of course, divine, but it was alas marred by the knowledge that I’d yet to pack and that the next morning would see me wave goodbye to my family and head back to the realities of working life.
After packing took me less time than expected, however, I did have just enough time to whip up a Victoria sponge cake, complete with some artisan raspberry jam and fresh cream to boot! With some cake and a cup of tea for supper, I then headed to bed ready for my morning’s flight, and was back in the Spanish capital before lunchtime on that Saturday morning.
Upon arrival, I was shocked to find that the Spanish were much better organised that the British, as I’d to navigate temperature checks, have my coronavirus form thoroughly reviewed, and pass through a much more stringent passport control than ever before. Kudos to them for having everything in place, but I guess some hard lessons were learned during Madrid’s unprecedented outbreak and lockdown.
Suffice to say that I had a lovely, relaxing time in England, and was thrilled to be able to see my family and friends again, even if it was only for a short while. I’ve been really lucky to be able to visit Tenerife, Murcia, and England this summer, something I really didn’t think I’d ever be able to do, but I do stand by the words of Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand and one of my favourite people at the moment, when she said:
It’s been nearly two weeks now since my holidays in Tenerife and Murcia came to an end, and so I thought that it was about time that I drop back in and update everyone on what I’ve been up to since then. Apart from work, which is still being done remotely from my flat, I’ve been making the most of the cooler late-summer nights to visit some interesting spots around the city and take a few pictures.
Now, the title of this blog post, “De Madrid al Cielo”, is a famous phrase used around here which roughly translates as “from Madrid to the heavens”. It’s common poetic use implies that Madrid is about as close to heaven as you can get, but I like the double entendre which brings me perfectly into my first little story, which certainly involved us getting as close to the heavens as possible.
One evening, Jhosef and friends invited me up to the mountains which surround Madrid in order to escape from the bright lights of the city and watch the meteor showers and take some long-exposure shots of the night sky. I figured that this wasn’t an everyday opportunity, and so I hopped in the car and off we went into the night, secretly hoping that I’d see my first ever shooting star.
After a lengthy ride up a very bumpy dirt track, we arrived in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, and scouted out a rock to throw some blankets down and set up camp. We first spent some time munching on snacks we’d brought along and chatting away, with some of us later opting to huddle together and rest rather than run around taking photos.
I didn’t bring my camera with me, which was perhaps a silly decision looking back, but after a few walks with Cake Club in the same area in the past, I wasn’t about to end up having to haul my heavy camera up a mountainside! Jhosef and his friends took some lovely photos of the sky, however, and I even managed to make out the shape of the Milky Way and see a grand total of six shooting stars. It was magical!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a background so dark.
After arriving home from our outing at 4am, I then spent the rest of the weekend resting and trying to knock my sleep schedule back into line! During the week, however, I kicked back after work by heading down to the Matadero cultural centre near my house in order to find a seat in the shade and write my previous two blog posts out in the fresh air.
One evening even saw me take a bike all the way up to the city centre, where I sat myself down on a lovely terrace in Madrid de los Austrias, the oldest part of the city. After some more blog post writing and a cheeky beer, I decided to walk back home as the journey is downhill, and at that time of night the sun was hitting everything just beautifully as I walked down the ancient streets of the centre.
Once I’d seen such lovely evening skies over the city, I was determined to catch some more photos of Madrid’s gorgeous sunsets, which have had me hooked since I first saw a stunning example of the purple skies way back in 2016. Even Ellie, after a couple oftrips to the city, always asks to check out the sunsets!
To chase a nice sunset, I headed back down to Parque de las Delicias, a lovely park which I discovered is a mere ten minutes walk from my house as I began exploring the neighbourhood more once lockdown was lifted but a 1km limit still applied to any excursions.
I wandered first past the fenced-off abandoned train station at the northern peak of the park, which is covered in black netting to keep prying eyes out, but which was no match for my determination to bag a photo of the abandoned trains and lazy cat which I could see within. After drawing some odd looks for shoving my phone through any hole I could find in said black net, I headed further south and into the park, snapping more photos as I crossed the large railway bridge.
This bridge led me out to a path which leads further into the park, but curiosity got the better of me as I noticed that some people had scaled the straits of the brutalist planetarium building which sits just to the left of the bridge. I snuck off to investigate whether the metal stairwells and various open-air platforms of the tall concrete structure were public, which they turned out to be.
Once on top of the planetarium, I took these few photos of the gorgeous sunset, and then managed to get lost as I searched for a rental bike spot in order to cycle back home. In the end I’d to give up and find a bus back home, but as it was getting late and I was working the next day, I think it turned out to be a good idea!
This past weekend was a particularly warm one, and I had some errands that I wanted to run and some things I wanted to pick up, so I decided to head to an indoor shopping centre to make the most of the free air conditioning! Instead of visiting one of my usual haunts like Parquesur or La Gavia, I decided to head to a centre in the north of the city that I’d been meaning to check out for a while.
The trip there ended up taking me much longer than I ever expected, as I managed to just miss the next bus or train at every stop along the way. I then got completely lost in a housing estate after hopping off my last bus, but I did eventually make it to the shopping centre!
Another activity which never disappoints is a leisurely bike ride down the banks of the Río Manzanares by my house, and so I have spent a couple of evenings this past week doing just that. The many bridges along the way provide great spots for one or two lovely photos of the heavens of Madrid, and the sunsets this week haven’t disappointed!
I’ve also been catching up with friends since I arrived back from my holidays, including a movie night in at home, a meal out of delicious vegan burgers with a friend I haven’t seen for a while, and then an evening in the park with Bogar and Hugo. The three of us, alongside Hugo’s boyfriend, met up in Retiro, Madrid’s biggest and most famous park, where we set up a little picnic and had some beers as the sun set around us.
And thus I conclude this little look back over the past week, with all the photos of the evening sky of this lovely little city I call home that one could possibly wish for. Coronavirus may still be quashing all dreams of travelling in this rather terrible year that is 2020, but once we are all free to move around once more, I do implore that you visit Madrid and see why the locals say “de Madrid al cielo”…
My last post left off with me catching a plane after a lovely few days down in Tenerife, but this plane didn’t bring me back home to Madrid, but rather eastwards and to Alicante. I wouldn’t be spending my time in Valencia like last summer, however, as I was picked up by my auntie and uncle and whisked off to Murcia to spend the second half of my holiday at their place.
Upon arrival, the weather was thankfully much warmer and brighter than the last time I visited, but the sun was already beginning to set by the time we arrived at their apartment. We weren’t about to waste the evening though, as my auntie had organised for us to meet some of her friends at a local restaurant to take advantage of their happy hour!
After snacking on some lovely croquetas de bacalao (cod croquettes) and sneaking in as many drinks as we could before happy hour finished at ten, we returned home to carry on our conversation and get rested for the next day.
As I’d agreed to make my auntie a carrot cake as a late birthday present, and I wanted to pick up some home comforts from the supermarket, we kicked off the next day with a trip to Mercadona (my local supermarket chain). We also stopped by at the British supermarket to buy some cordial (seeing as I could bring it up to Madrid with me on the train later), and then spent the rest of the day lounging around the pool.
In the evening, we headed down to a town on the coast and a restaurant that my auntie and uncle had recommended, where we had a lovely meal as we watched the sun set over the sea. After some table-layout-related chaos, and a starter containing gulas (baby eels) which had my auntie and uncle intrigued, I enjoyed a lovely cut of pork and a homemade dessert which left me fit to burst!
We were up bright and early(ish) the following day, as we’d a trip planned up to a covenant in the mountains. My auntie and uncle had spoken quite a bit of this place in the past, but I’d never managed to make it up there, so I was keen to see what the fuss was all about.
It turns out that the cluster of buildings perched on the mountainside is absolutely gorgeous, with panoramic views over the city of Murcia to match. These views revealed themselves as we walked between two buildings and through a lovely archway, but I’d been told that there was a little chapel that was worth a visit before exploring further. The interior of this place was decorated to the rafters with gold and frescos, but we were soon ushered out by the lights going out as mass was soon to begin.
We then stopped in the covenant’s café for drinks and some of their delicious homemade empanadas (imagine a Cornish pasty), which gave us the energy to begin climbing some of the pathways and taking in the amazing views over the covenant, the mountains, and the urban sprawl below.
The views from the covenant were as varied as they were spectacular.
Once we’d knackered ourselves out in the heat, we hopped back in the car and began searching for a restaurant that my auntie and uncle’s friends had recommended. We were told that it was an unassuming spot, attached to a service station, but upon entering it became obvious that it was a hit with the locals. I spotted that a lamb dish on the menu had won an award, and so I opted for that despite not being a fan of lamb, but I sure was glad that I did – it was delicious and an absolute steal at just 8€!
The next day we decided to spend relaxing around the apartment and pool, and I decided I’d whip together aforementioned carrot cake as my auntie had invited a group of friends over for a drink. In the end I made a two-tier monstrosity, something I don’t usually do, but it went down an absolute treat. I also must mention that we were joined in our gathering by my auntie’s friend’s dog, Paolo, who was a very good boy and a joy to have around.
Paolo was very well behaved and a treat to play with.
We spent the evening in a quiet local bar, where we shared a range of dishes on the terrace, chatting about all sorts of nonsense as the sun set around us. It had soon become my third evening in Murcia, and I still hadn’t decided when I was returning to Madrid, as I was still waiting to hear if my sister’s trip was definitely off due to the quarantine situation.
Walking through the quiet streets of small-town Spain is always a calming experience.
For breakfast the next morning, my auntie and I jumped in the car together and headed down to a lovely restaurant on the coast that we always tend to stop at. Singing a range of songs in the car on the way down (which reminded me of my car karaoke project for university), we arrived to enjoy a classic Spanish breakfast followed by a cheeky beer as we looked over the Mar Menor.
After this followed anther relaxing day at the pool, when I finally found out that sadly Ellie wouldn’t be able to make it over to Madrid, and so I booked my train back for the Thursday to give me a few days relaxing in my flat without rushing back.
Now that we knew exactly how much time I had left, we made a plan of action for the following day, involving taking a little shuttle train from a tiny local village up to Cartagena, a city on the coast. This is another experience that my auntie and uncle had talked a lot about, but that once again I had never done, and so I hopped on to the tiny one-wagon train in earnest.
Upon arriving in Cartagena, we walked around the city wall and into the centre, where we soon stopped for a drink to cool off from the summer heat. After this we were sure to stop by a local bar, Ramón’s, where I once again got chatting to Ramón himself and we enjoyed the local speciality coffee, un café asiático.
For lunch we sought out a restaurant that my auntie and uncle knew, and sat down on the terrace for what was to become the start of a wild two-hour experience! After we placed our orders and they gave us a plate of patatas bravas “as a gift for the delay”, we had an inkling that things might not be running smoothly behind the scenes, and this hunch turned out to be right!
With our starters coming out at random intervals, it soon became evident that a complete chaos had been caused by the numbering system of the tables, which had fallen apart as new tables had been put out and nobody new which numbers they were. When it was eventually time for dessert, the head waiter had clearly had enough, and opted to just stand in the middle of all the tables and shout out the list of desserts that were available, instructing everyone to just raise their hands for their preferred dessert as he did so. What a laugh!
Once lunch was finally over, we headed slowly back down to the waterfront, wandering along the docks of the port and back forwards the train station. I then spent a relaxing evening in the pool by myself, watching the sun set as I called some friends around the world.
All too soon my final full day came around, and after a morning hanging around the pool, me and my auntie headed out for lunch at a local bar whilst my uncle headed out with his friends. This involved a few courses of local dishes, all of which was delicious, and which I then digested whilst lounging around in the pool once more.
I did have one thing I wanted to do before I left, though, so we made the most of my last night to squeeze it in before my return up north. This involved a trip down to the mud baths of Lo Pagán, which I’ve made the most of during a previous visit, but which my auntie has never experienced. This involves wading into a shallow pool, slathering oneself in sulphur-infused mud, allowing the stuff to dry in the sun, and then washing it off.
After watching the sun set and stopping off for a kebab (it’s hard to get a decent one in Madrid, so I’d to make the most), we headed back home and had one last drink for my last evening. The following morning was then spent lounging around the pool, before heading off for a lunch at a restaurant that we usually visit just before I head back on the train.
This time, however, there was a rail replacement bus service in action for the first half hour of my trip, and so I’d to wave my auntie and uncle off from the car park before a rather uneventful socially-distanced train ride back to the big city. Although sad to leave my auntie and uncle and resigned to the fact that my summer holidays were nearing an end, it was lovely for me to come back to find that all my plants had survived my absence thanks to my friend for nipping in to water them!
Much like Cami, Sam, and family, I’ve to once again thank my auntie and uncle for putting me up and putting up with me for a whole week after my five days were extended by the unfortunate cancellation of my sister’s trip to visit me in Madrid. I feel like any time out to travel is a real luxury this year, and so I’m really grateful to have been able to visit Tenerife and Murcia.
For now, it’s back to work for me, and I know that Ellie (my sister) and Johann (her boyfriend) will be back in Madrid just as soon as they can!
