A Room with a View

Stone's throw from the famous Prado Museum from my room at the Hotel Ritz Madrid!

Home Alone

Literally just barely made it to our gate Kevin McAlister-style. Should have heeded my own professional advice and been at the airport a minimum of 3 hours prior to int'l flight...

See you in Madrid!!

Meeting the Sun in Madrid Pt. 3

John's photo of Madrid all dressed up for Christmas!

On Sunday morning, I will be waking up in Madrid! It has been two years since I have been back to my European home-away-from-home and I am counting down the days.  I lived and studied in Madrid in 2007, where I made my blogging debut with my amiga, compañera, and co-author, Becca. Now my brother, John, is living in the city that (literally) never sleeps.  My parents and siblings didn’t get the chance to visit Madrid while I was living there, so now we will all go visit John and they will have the chance to experience John and my beloved city for the first time.  After lots of tapas, sangria, and sightseeing, we’ll fly to Rome for Christmas.  I love Rome in winter and I am excited to see the city all dressed up for the holiday!

Not only am I am excited to play in two of my favorite European cities, but I am also excited to experience Europe with my family.  It has been years since we all traveled together, now that we are all ‘grown up’ (well, maybe that’s giving some of us too much credit J).  My parents’ prioritizing traveling as a family and as a learning tool for their young children is one of the key reasons I am where I am today.  So I am very excited for the now-all-adult Jenkins family to travel together.  Also, it will be my parents’ and sisters’ first time in both Madrid and Rome, and my mother’s first time to Europe.  I think we are in for an adventure!

Needless to say, this is a personal trip, but being in the travel industry means every trip is professional development! I am looking forward to seeing Madrid and Rome from the eyes of a luxury travel advisor this time!  Stay tuned!