Do as the Romans...

Who said we are too old to act like tourists??

Soy yo!

How soon can I come back?!

Back-2-School

John and I visited our Spanish Alma Mater, St. Louis University of Madrid...

 

And then showed everyone to Escamplero, where I spent the majority of my time when not studying :) ...

Nos vemos, Madrid!

View of Opera from our room

The week has flown by! As always my time in Madrid has been fantastic. Showing my family the city I feel is my second home made it all the more special.

John and I were noting... typically New Yorkers avoid Times Square and in DC we avoid downtown during the tourist-filled Cherry Blossoms, but you always find Madrilenos shopping in Sol, tapeando in Santa Ana, out in La Latina on a Sunday night... always an authentic buzz.

My second time in Madrid as a tourist instead of a Madrilena, Katie and I stayed our first night in the grande dame Hotel Ritz (my favorite!) with the closest Prado view. Now los Jenkins rest our weary feet at the lovely Hotel Opera after our long days of sightseeing and the views are also memorable - Opera to the left and the Palacio to the right. 

Jamon!

Between Sol, Ben's first experience at El Corte Ingles (buying a "euro" appropriate jacket), to the craft market in Plaza de Espana, we are getting lots of Christmas shopping done.  Not a surprise, most the Jenkins' favorite purchases are perishable and don't last very long... spending quite some time in the markets and tapeando in the evenings!

Of course we visited the famed Prado... Velazquez looks at me differently from Las Meninas every time...

... and spent the afternoon listening to street musicians play Christmas carols on repeat on the accordion in Retiro Park...

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!