Madrid
We are now in Madrid, flying in from Berlin last week. Here we’ve been joined by my brother-in-law Mat who’s been in London for a couple of days while we’ve been gallivanting around Europe. And in Madrid we’ve met up with Goldie, Nat’s second daughter, who is living and studying in Madrid.
It’s true I’m missing Don terribly – I’m not used to travelling without him – but it’s definitely special to be with my sister and her family who I’m incredibly close to.
Madrid has been a chance to stay in one place for a while. We have a lovely Airbnb with plenty of room for all of us. We’ve stocked the kitchen with essentials, checked out the local markets, restaurants and cafes and worked out the best walking routes to different parts of the city.
The weather has been beautifully warm and sunny, with crisp chilly mornings. We’ve walked Parque de El Retiro, the beautiful Madrid park, had dinner at the oldest restaurant in the world, sampled food at the Mercado de San Miguel and visited Córdoba for the day. Last night Mat, Peppa and Goldie went to see Atlético de Madrid play RC Deportivo de A Coruña at Metropolitano stadium.
Today we wandered Madrid’s massive outdoor markets, El Rastro. I’ve written before about how sometimes you end up at the right place at the right time. As we left the markets there were people lining the streets – lots of people. A quick google told us it was the annual Fiesta de la trashumancia, where shepherds and hundreds of sheep walk through the streets of Madrid to highlight Spain’s ancient free range grazing practices and the threat to the corridors the shepherds use.
Of course we stopped at a cafe for cheesecake and to wait for the sheep to come down the street.
And down the street they came – all 1,250 of them, shepherds throughout to guide the way. It was a beautiful spectacle and remarkably calm. Nobody pushed to see the sheep, there was no shouting or cheering, just happy conversation and appreciation from the locals and tourists watching. The shepherds were smiling and waving and taking extra care of their sheep. It was an unexpected highlight of the day.
What an extraordinary city Madrid is; we are loving every second of it!
