things i did in madrid

thesilvercollection
4 min readAug 6, 2020

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the first time i traveled to spain was in march of 2012, and since that first visit, i have always felt like i had to go back.

although i only spent a week or so in salamanca, i fell completely in love with the city: with the rain, the cigarette smoke, the café con leche, the cobblestone streets, the bocadillo de jamón, and the old, beautiful buildings.

i remember feeling so free, and so inspired by the city itself; it was a feeling i had never had before.

when it came time to leave, i felt like i wasn’t quite done yet- i still had more to see, more to experience, and much more to learn about myself. so i left knowing that someday i would have to go back. and i did.

i went back to salamanca the following year, and then years later, when i decided to study abroad in college, i chose to go to spain again- but this time i went to madrid.

~moments in madrid, january — june 2018

milhoja de frambuesa y crema inglesa from pastelería de san onofre, mercado de san miguel

eat-

  • get some treats from pastelería sonia in gregorio marañón (or really any local pastry shop)
  • have lunch at iberostar hotel las letras
  • order chocolate con churros from san gines (great place to go after a night out)
  • eat magdalenas.
  • get a bocadillo de jamón
  • eat croquetas (ideally croquetas de jamón y queso)
  • order a huge tortilla rellena from la buha
  • get chilaquiles from el chaparrito when you start to miss mexico city
  • spanish olive oil.
  • eat at least three different kinds of paella
  • have brunch at brunch club café
  • green olives and goat cheese.
  • eat jamón ibérico. and jamón serrano. and any other cured meat you can get your hands on
enjoying a bottle of sidra at my apartment in gregorio marañón

drink-

  • go to frutal or kiwio for a fresh juice
  • if you fancy a trip to the beach, have a cocktail at restaurante ojalá
  • enjoy a bottle of sidra with dinner on a warm summer night
  • drink spanish wine
  • get fresh-squeezed orange juice from the juice machine at a grocery store
  • café. café con leche. café cortado.
  • have a drink at josealfredo
casa de campo

go to-

  • visit the palacio de cristal
  • have a picnic at el retiro (and also rent a rowboat)
  • ride the teleférico in casa de campo
  • go to la bicicleta café to have a bite to eat and get some work done
  • buy some fruit from the mercado de la cebada
  • spend a long night out at teatro kapital
  • explore the sabatini gardens
  • go to la capilla del obispo (and spend time exploring other old churches and cathedrals)
  • have a night out at los bajos de argüelles
  • plazas. just spend time in any and all plazas.
  • visit museo thyssen-bournemisza, and explore the little park nearby
  • stroll around la puerta del sol
  • spend a day exploring la casa de campo
  • enjoy a show at teatro flamenco madrid
  • visit the museo nacional centro de arte reina sofía
  • go to la plaza mayor and explore the side streets
  • treat yourself at the mercado de san miguel (get a milhoja de frambuesa y crema inglesa from the pastelería de san onofre)
  • go to a local bar while a soccer game is on
  • get a tinto de verano from cien montaditos
  • sit on a bench near the teatro real at night
lots of great memories dancing to this song

songs i listened to-

  • moon river- frank ocean
  • amorfoda- bad bunny
  • god’s plan- drake
  • dembow- danny ocean
  • okra- tyler the creator
  • sensualidad- bad bunny, j balvin, prince royce, hear this music
  • all the stars- kendrick lamar feat. sza
  • gloria- laura branigan
  • needs- verzache
  • solita- ozuna, almighty, dj luian, mambo kingz, bad bunny, wisin
  • nice for what- drake
  • you send me- sam cooke
  • i like it- cardi b, j balvin, bad bunny
  • make you feel my love- adele
  • soy peor (mambo remix)- bad bunny, omega
  • one kiss- calvin harris, dua lipa
  • guerrera- dellafuente, c. tangana
my love letter to madrid

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originally posted: august 25, 2019.

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thesilvercollection
thesilvercollection

Written by thesilvercollection

i like to make art + travel. west african + american. third culture kid. artist.

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