Eager to show my family more of my host country, we took a quick trip to Madrid. Quick it was – as the speed train sped up to 180 mph along the rolling hills, rocky mountains, and flat dry plains of Spain. Spain is truly magnificent, and this is what I love about train travel. You can see so many different parts of a country simply by looking out the window and appreciating what you see.
After a quick 2 hour ride to the capitol of Spain, my family and I settled in at Hotel Wellington, probably the bougiest hotel I’ve ever stayed at in my life. The doorman, Manuel, greeted us at the front door and took our bags inside for us. A bell boy escorted us to our room, where we were greeted with complimentary muffins.
For lunch, we took Manuel’s suggestion, explored the area around our hotel, and went to La Cocina de María Luisa. They’re known for their mushrooms, and we certainly enjoyed our mushroom dishes.
We first spent an hour walking around Parque del Retiro, the most beautiful park, kissed by autumn colors. Parque del Retiro reminded me of Central Park in New York City, and it was even more incredible of a sight in the fall.
Meandering around the endless rows of manured bushes and famous statues, we stopped for a minute at the pond, full of geese and children on rowboats.
A street water-color painter began painting Dad’s profile as he sat on the bench, (much to Dad’s dismay) and before we knew it, we all were happily posing for the man to paint our own faces. Only Alexa’s portrait ended up looking like her.
Next, we wandered around the city, stopping in front of the world famous museum, El Prado. Huuuge regret not going inside; however, since the line was too long and Dad did not want to wait, we eagerly visited Gran Via, the 5th Avenue shopping heaven of Madrid. So many people lined the busy, lit streets at dusk – it felt like New York at Christmastime.
In an effort to reunite with my dad for a Spanish-style Daddy Daughter Date (#18 in case anyone was keeping up with us this summer!), I accidentally walked through a movie being filmed on a side street in our quiet residential area. Oops. Finally, I found Dad at a bar Lux, where we sat and enjoyed our evening. We ended the night with a family dinner at a seafood restaurant.
The next morning, we got up early and hopped on the Madrid bus tour, which took us all around Madrid. We went to Temple of Debod, and found another park to idle in for a while.
It was so relaxing to take some time and lay in the grass at Parque de la Montaña. We took in the panoramic views of Madrid, the colorful trees shedding their leaves, and the serenity of the Spanish people, rewinding on the grass.
We walked to Palacio Real, enjoyed the beautiful gardens there, and listened to a man play Despacito on his accordion.
For lunch, Mom and I split Tripe, beef stomach with chorizo, called “callos”, a traditional dish in Madrid. While it sounds disgusting, it was one of my favorite dishes I tried that weekend.
Mom and I also explored Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol.
We went to the top of the El Corte Ingles (essentially the Macy’s of Spain) and had glasses of cava on the rooftop overlooking the busy plaza, bustling with tourists and families with young children playing in the square.
Dad really wanted to go all out for our last evening in Madrid, and that we did. We ate dinner at Puerta 57, located in Santiago Bernabéu, the Real Madrid stadium, with an impeccable view of the field. While Madrid was not playing, the massive size of the stadium wowed us. My friends Irene and Tessa joined us for dinner, and soon we were all toasting to Spain and new friends with glasses of red wine and fresh cava.
Before our entree came out, Irene shrieked when she noticed the man at the table next to us was proposing to his girlfriend! Although saying it out loud sounds creepy, Dad and I took pictures as the woman agreed to marry her boyfriend and he slipped the ring on her finger. The entire restaurant erupted in applause. We showed the couple that we had captured the moment for them, they both started crying again, elated that their special moment would never be forgotten.
Being the meat-man, Dad had Irene, my friend who lives in Barcelona, translate his detailed meat order for our waiter. Since the waiter seemed slightly confused, Dad insisted on taking Irene and the waiter back to the kitchen so he could hand pick out which cuts of meat we wanted for dinner.
After an incredible meal, we felt quite good and full, ready for the second adventure of the night: Kapitol, Madrid’s seven floor club. Once we got a table, we all skrted inside to the fourth floor with pop music and danced the night away.
The next morning, Alexa and I treated ourselves to a sister morning, starting with an elegant breakfast at our luxurious hotel, shopping for leather wallets and new clothes, and exploring the Reina Sofia, the famous art museum which houses Picasso, Miró, and Dalí.
Adventuring in a new foreign city with my family was one of the best experiences. I had forgotten how much I missed them, and noticed our family dynamic improving. Distance truly must make the heart grow stronger, because we all seemed to get along fairly well. I enjoyed all of the individual moments I spent with each person in my family.
Being in Spain has made me realize how much my family means to me.
Back home, family doesn’t always hold the same importance as it does here in Spain. Spanish households prioritize family, spending time and engaging with each other, and talking about everyone’s days. This is a cultural difference that I hope I can bring back to Chicago with me.
After all, family is everything, and no one can love you quite as much as your family.
ALWAYS ASHLEY 
Lovely! My partner is from Madrid, I’d love to visit soon!
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