Madrid, ESP

Feb 26-28

Madrid surprised me the most out of any city I had visited in Europe. A truly special place that felt so much more hidden from tourism than other major cities across Europe. Beautiful Spanish architecture everywhere, amazing weather, reasonable prices, and delicious meats. What's not to love about this place?

The Spanish capital had a vibe about it that was hard to explain, but it was something you felt right away while walking through Madrid. Madrid moves at its own pace; unbothered, unhurried, completely at ease with itself. Nobody seems to be rushing anywhere. Locals linger over long lunches that stretch well into the afternoon, Spanish culture is taken seriously, and the city only really comes alive after dark. There's no performance to it either, no sense that the city is putting on a show for tourists. Madrid just exists, confidently and on its own terms, and somehow that makes it all the more magnetic.

Some highlights included El Retiro Park, arguably my favourite park I've ever visited. The stunning sunset views at the Templo de Debod, as well as the incredible nightlife in this city. But the best part of Madrid was honestly just walking around and seeing how happy the locals were to be there. I remember we saw a random band playing in the park and I had never seen people so excited to watch street performers. Almost nobody spoke English here, which gave it such an authentically local feel.

Madrid doesn't make it onto everyone's must-see list the way Paris or Rome does, and honestly, that might be exactly what makes it so special. It hasn't been polished for outside consumption. It hasn't been flattened into a highlight reel. What you get instead is a city that is genuinely, unapologetically itself, one where the locals are the main characters and you're just lucky enough to be passing through.