A long drive last weekend made me yearn for the cobblestone alleyways of Spain. It's a simple but wonderful feeling to wind your way through those narrow streets with their rows and rows of open balconies, every corner with a cafe and every turn an unexpected sight. An experience that can't be replicated back in the states.
Many friends love Barcelona but find Madrid to be like any other European city. I enjoyed them both albeit for different reasons. Barcelona for its open neighborhoods dotted with Gothic architecture and Gaudi's unmistakable freeform buildings. A landscape that is remarkable with its Port Vell waterfront at the sea winding into the criss-cross grid of L'Eixample and into the woody hills of MontJuic. By the time I reached Madrid, I felt much less like a tourist spending most afternoons reading in the beautiful parks. I didn't venture out of the Old City so perhaps that's why I never tired of Madrid. There the old and the new intermingle and each street blends into the next so you can't tell the difference between the Habsburg, French, or Georgian architecture. I stayed down in Barrio de las Letras - which is situated between Lavapies, Puerta del Sol and Paseo del Prado - where many of Spain's most famous writers like Cervantes and Quevedo lived. It is an area full of history and interesting buildings and is well-known for its concentration of bars, restaurants and hotels. I couldn't get over the fact that there are 2000 restaurants to dip one's feet in. Love.
Despite the smoke filled air, their obvious obsession with ham and other meat products and the lack of decent hand dryers in public restrooms, I very much adored Spain and will definitely be back. The full bulk of photos are on Flickr but here are the goodies.
