Un Mes en Madrid

June 27

As most people might expect and parents surely know, traveling with children is much different.  Plans have to be made around naps, potty time and all those other irritations that parents endure for their children.  The ordinarily fast paced attempt to see as many sites around the city as possible becomes instead the experiences of areas that we might never visit otherwise – the zoo, the public pools, the playgrounds and more. 

   

And believe it or not the extra down time provides an incomparable opportunity.  Most importantly it gives time to bond with family; eating together on the balcony, playing hide and seek and learning to read.  As an adult I also have time to catch up on reading and writing, time for meditation or self-reflection, and a good run in the morning. 

Madrid has numerous parks scattered across the large city of almost 3.5 million.  They get utilized very well.  Already we have been to three playgrounds and always there are children there.  The parks are well maintained with plenty of trees to provide shade from the blistering Madrid sun.  Hundreds of species of plants and flowers run along the paths made for the runners and those strolling aimlessly around.  People everywhere of all ages find some excuse to spend time in the parks.

Yesterday we visited Retiro, the largest and most unique of the parks.  Once upon a time, on my first visit to España nearly 15 years ago, this is where we spent most of our time.  All day and into the night the African immigrants beat bongo drums and smoked hash.  Street performers like mimes and wanna be Michael Jacksons earned a living honing their eccentric talents.  We didn’t get the opportunity to see any of this yesterday, but Sofiah and Kaia finally met Abril and Vera, the daughters of two friends of ours who live in Madrid.  Chasing pigeons and playing in the sand kept them happy.  Meanwhile, the adults watched, munching on tapas and drinking horchata.  Life has changed in the last fifteen years, but it’s still a blast.