As I am growing into my routine here in Madrid I’m so happy to be meeting new people and developing closer friendships. Last weekend was a blast!
Picnic in Retiro. Hi Becky! 
Beautiful golden hour light 
I finally found a Tajín substitute 😭 
Barceló, we meet again
All of the English assistants at my school had Friday off, so we united in Retiro to reflect over some tentempiés and vino. A few had to split off before to sunset to eat, but Becky, Sarah, Jaanki and myself walked around Embajadores to grab a few drinks, some delicious tortilla española, and to my surprise, a Spanish tarot card deck! I was originally looking for some sage for smudging in my new apartment, but was happy with what I found. The salvia will have to wait for another day. On my way home I stopped by a Latin market in search of Tajín – it’s nearly impossible to find it here in Madrid – but was happy to find a substitute (right next to the empty facing of, you guessed it, Tajín). I can finally eat mangoes and ice cream again. I headed back out to hit a club or two with my coworker Madi and the friends she met through CIEE, an organization that helps applicants of the Auxiliares program gather the necessary documents and thoroughly prepare for their journey abroad. We passed by Teatro Barceló, one of the first clubs I ever went to here in Madrid. After an early night (read as: *only* three drinks) I headed home to get some much-needed shut-eye.
Stefan 
Stefan, but sentado 
I can’t get over these windows 
Stefan’s five-card read 
El Jardín del Príncipe de Anglona 
Will I ever tire of skyline photos? I hope not
After a lazy Saturday doing housework, I was ready to spend more time in el centro on Sunday. My good friend Stefan took the train into town and we spent the day lazying around the streets of Madrid. We found more books at my favorite donation-only book store, had a few tintos de verano at 100 Montaditos, relaxed in a gorgeous garden, bought some Dr Martens lookalikes, ate pizza, drank coffee, and I even got to break in my new Spanish tarot deck on him.
I’m so happy to be networking and making more friends here in Spain, I’m feeling much more at home lately. Now that I’m more in the swing of things it’s time to plan a few trips and take advantage of my three-day weekends. Ya veremos, ¿no?
