Travels in Madrid

Sept 18-21, 2019

Our days in Madrid have been filled with long walks along many narrow streets, wearing our eyeballs thin at the museums, and eating.  We’ve been staying in a 4th floor apartment (a good workout) in the Letras neighborhood, where many illustrious writers have hung out(Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Góngora, y otros.) These days, it is populated by well-heeled folks, young and old (us) from around the world, trundling suitcases, alongside permanent residents, and at night, many young people in the bars and restaurants. It’s located within minutes of the three major museums of Madrid: the Prado, the Reina Sofia, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. 

This part of town makes for great walking, with short blocks and narrow streets adding a sense of discovery to every turn. Streets fan out from little plazas, so you travel in many directions quickly. The buildings are mostly old, windows with interesting iron grill work or balconies, and warm light glowing through curtains at night. It is an area of active gentrification (the apartment next door is undergoing a vigorous and loud renovation). Most buildings are 5-6 storeys, but already there are taller ones. There is a huge lot behind “our” building; what will it become?

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