Stopping to smell the roses 🌹

Gosh summer is nice, especially when you’re wandering through beautiful gardens where shirtless Spanish men go for their runs or do their workouts. After a day on planes I decided to start my 3 days in Madrid with a morning (midday is still morning in Spain) walk in the Parque de El Retiro. I’m translating that to ‘Park to retire’ and it’s a beautiful place to do just that.

I just had a wander through the sprawling park, stopping to look at the cute ducklings with the excitement of a small child and taking in the Spanish sunshine. After stopping to smell the roses (literally) in the rose garden I took in the crystal palace (interior closed) then stopped to sit in a garden cafe with a refreshing frozen lemon slushy while a saxophonist plays some light jazz tunes in the background. #sonice

A big challenge for me on this trip (and life in general) is going from boom to bust by not ever slowing down. Sitting in this park under the shade of the trees sipping my frozen drink is certainly a good way to start working on this challenge. I discovered a way to help with that is drinking frozen drinks - can’t smash them down or you get brain freeze so you have to wait for them to melt just enough to drink. I soon discover paper straws don’t last long enough to take it slow.

The Velázquez Palace in the centre of the park had an exhibit on James Lee Byars (no I’m not pretending I know who that is). I really wish I ‘got’ art. I love looking at it but fail to see the depth behind the meaning of the pieces. A few phallic items naturally caught my attention, one of which I had to photograph the attendant to get perspective. When the Spanish say ‘just the tip’ they don’t mess around 🍆🤣.

The last stop for me in the park was the central lake full of people (mainly couples) in little row boats. Can you get a more wholesome activity with buskers playing classical jazz (is that a thing? 🎶). Oh the romance 🥰. Summer days in the park in Madrid are absolutely delightful. A lovely first activity to explore in Madrid.Les mer