How Did I Forget Such a Love?

After getting over the fact that I felt like an idiot, wearing boots in nearly 70 degree weather like some Williamsburg hipster, I took my last full day in Madrid by the horns and said, "Enjoy, damn it!"

I'm quite certain that Madrid cannot be more different than Berlin. While Berlin is still reinventing itself after a devastating war along with the more recent destruction of the wall, Madrid is classic as ever. I adore Berlin with its wide avenues, its green spaces on every block, its impossible to ignore hip, artsy vibe but then there's Madrid with its medieval center, full of narrow, winding streets, plazas, and churches pressed against discotheques. I appreciate the aura of each so much, if someone held a gun to my head and told me I must choose, I'd be a dead woman.

Then there's the weather factor. I cannot tell you how much I needed this sun after six weeks of gloomy weather. Yesterday, I took a little siesta in Retiro Park (the Central Park of Madrid) while listening to quiet chatter and a saxophonist in the distance. Despite the saxophone player working on a loop that consisted of "My Way", "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You," and "Tequila" (???), I found the whole scene amazingly relaxing. Clearly, as my own snoring woke me up a few minutes later.

The rest of the day, I visited my old stomping grounds...cafes, shops, the clubs where my friends and I would dance the night away, the ole' churros and chocolate place we'd hit afterward as the sun was rising. Perhaps I even stopped by a familiar waffle (gofre) stand where one can perhaps buy a gofre smothered in chocolate. And while I wandered the cobble stone streets of the city center, gazing once again at the grand opera house, the breathtaking palacio, and the ridiculously romantic Plaza Mayor, I truly fell in love all over again. Radiating this happiness, I smiled at every dingy tapas bar I passed, filled with old and young alike, drinking Estrella at the bar while chomping on olives and arguing about the upcoming soccer match. I then planted myself on a plaza and drank a few copas of sangria while chatting with a couple of very sweet Spanish guys, who unbeknownst to me had paid my bill before they slipped into the night.

I then took advantage of the evening sky and strolled by the palace, the opera, and the Plaza Mayor one more time to take in their beauty, this time with lights twinkling. Although I was glad to go home and hang with my host family, I'm quite sure I could've walked the whole night. And probably the next day and the next week, just like I used to do. I'm not sure what this "homesickness" means exactly but I'm reminded of what a slutty heart I have, lovin' up cities all over the place.

Tomorrow, it's back to another love. Berlin, I haven't forgotten you but you sure have some tough competition. Time to woo me a bit more.