đȘđž Madrid | Long time no see, still fabulous! đ
After five years, Iâm back in Madrid for work, and it feels like a lifetime has passed. Last time I was here, I stumbled into the massive Womenâs Day march in 2020, followed by the first brutal wave of COVID (yep, I caught the original strain right here đ). I spent a week isolated in my hotel room, relying purely on my immune system to pull through. This time, the most obvious change is the insane hotel pricesâmore than double what they were pre-pandemic đž. The price that once got you a room at the Westin now barely covers a stay at AC Hotel near Atocha Station. At least taxi fares havenât gone up much. Several new rooftop viewpoints have popped up, offering fresh angles of Madridâs layered skylineâlike at Riu Hotel, Palacio de Cibeles (a classic), and CĂrculo de Bellas Artes đïž. Our clientâs office has also moved from the posh Salamanca district to a Baroque-style building with a huge balcony along Gran VĂa. The pedestrian network between Gran VĂa and Atocha is now complete, too. Madrid remains, in my heart, one of Europeâs best big cities for slow travel and relaxation. Iâve spent the week out every night (letâs call it networking đ )âstarting with tapas and drinks as early as 3 PM and going until midnight. The more wine, the better my Spanish gets đ·đ. Every evening served up a different spectacular sunset, and I put my camera to good use đž. Gave a formal speech in Spanish for the first time in years, and it went pretty well (at least there was applause đ). Guess all those hours cramming for the DELE C1 paid offâeven if my skills are probably rusted down to a B1 now. Not sure when Iâll be back (on a work trip, that is), so⊠¥ojalĂĄ nos veamos pronto (ahorita)! #Spain #Madrid #BusinessTrip #TravelDiaries #Citywalk #UrbanPhotography #NightViews
