Madrid with Lyena

Perhaps because we used to live in Europe, or maybe because I am European, going somewhere to Europe on a trip doesn't seem like an out of reach type of deal. It's still super special and requires a lot of prep, but oh, it's so worth it! 

This February, I decided that it was time for my sister to get a little break from her crazy life and everything she was going through. We decided it would be absolutely amazing to meet up in Madrid, one of Lyena's favorite places. I used my Delta miles to fly for free (thank you, being Platinum definitely felt special) and Lyena's ticket was very inexpensive coming from Ukraine. We basically had only three full day together and so we tried to capitalize on that as much as possible!

I arrived on my own very early in the morning, took an express airport bus and walked to our hotel. It was a very nice hotel, situated in the most central location! Unfortunately, they were so booked that they couldn't check me in early, so I had to go to their basement and sleep on a couch somewhere by the bathrooms-hahaha. You should have seen my mummy pose with a phone and purse tucked under my arm, with a sound machine on and ear plugs. But I did get sleep! 

And then! Lyena arrived and we found each other! It was so great to see her! We settled into our hotel and then went to get lunch and walk around. A LOT. 

Here we are...

For starters, an evening picture by our hotel. It was such a busy area, even late at night! 

We walked to Plaza de Cibeles and walked around that beautiful park. 

It was a February Friday and people were out and about, with the country coming out of Covid-19, it was really unusual to see so many people! 

Looking at the beauty around me. 

Back at the Plaza. That's where Real Madrid celebrates their football victories! 

I absolutely love the concept of European plazas. 

Happy to be together. Almost twelve years apart. 

Here is my beautiful Lyena. She brought two coats and tried not to clash with me too much in pictures. 

And that's me, trying to look more European than I usually do. 

That Friday evening we also went to a hole in the wall type of Mexican place. It didn't smell so great there but the food was fantastic! And cheap:) 

The next day we went on a walking tour of central Madrid. Met with our guide at Plaza del Sol.

Lyena on our walk. 

The walk was for around two hours, and, as usual, I can't remember any facts about the tour, although I remember it was very entertaining. 

We walked all the way to the Royal Palace of Madrid. 

I thought the palace looked rather magnificent and very large. 

We decided to do a quick tour of it inside. 

The exhibits were pretty standard, but definitely beautiful. 

Lyena always knows how to pose:) 

We spent the rest of the day wandering around, getting some pastries and just enjoying being out. Look at this crowd! 

We tried to go to the Museum to see some Goa, alas the tickets were sold out and we couldn't get in. 

We spent the evening in the park again. 

Listening to the Spanish songs...

The following morning, we took the subway to de Las Ventas, the largest bullfighting ring in Spain. 

The audio tour was quite amazing and really informational! 

We got to see the bull ring and hear all sorts of stories about the history of bullfighting. 

It was a bit crazy sometimes to listen to all the traditions and reasons and details of bullfighting. There is no way I could ever watch one live event. 

This picture doesn't really show the size of the bull ring, but it should give you an idea. It was pretty amazing.

And funny! 

The building itself is pretty iconic. I just can't imagine how hot it is on these plazas when it's hot in the summer months! 

And then! The greatest crazy thing we did with Lyena was to go to the Real Madrid match against Granada! 

We couldn't believe that we actually were there, at the famous stadium! 

Lyena is a huge football fan so this was a dream come true for her! 

We were tired but so excited to be there till very-very late! 

Isn't this crazy! We actually were at the Real Madrid match:)! 

And that's me. And we all had to wear masks although the match was outside and they were very strict about it;).

Early Monday morning, Lyena walked me to the bus stop to go to the airport. It was tough to say goodbye, but I was so glad we made this trip happen! 

We need to make sure to keep connecting to each other and see each other as often as it's possible. At least now she is in Ukraine and is much closer than before. 

On the way back, I had a layover at JFK and somehow I was eligible to hang out at the Delta Sky Club while waiting for my flight. It was my first time there and it was AMAZING!!! The food was so good! The drinks, the conveniences, the comfort--everything! If I flew more often, I would definitely try to maintain my status to be able to use lounges like that. 

Grateful for the opportunity to meet up with Lyena. This was the first week of February...the tensions with Russian were ultra high and I was trying to convince Lyena to just stay in Spain, but she was determined to go back to Ukraine, unfortunately. That's another story....