Why not move to Madrid for 7 weeks?

(As always, click on photos to enlarge to get a much clearer view)

So I've been in Madrid for a bit more than 3 weeks.

It's been fantastic.

And then it's been difficult.

Repeat.

I'm living in the what most people refer to as the "gay district" which is very close to Gran Via, the main street, and pretty much in the heart of the center.

Gran Via

Here is a peek at the street I'm living on plus a peek in either direction at the end of the street:

Yep, that entirely unimpressive-looking building is
where I'm staying. Don't judge a book by it's cover, however.

To the left

To the right

Coming here from the quiet, peaceful countryside of France made for quite an interesting change. It's incredibly loud most nights, with people up and about, partying and causing other general shenanigans until well past 6am, around the time they find a cafe to get breakfast and a coffee to sober up, and just as I wake up to start my day the noise dies down to be replaced with the general hum of life in the busiest city I've ever been in.

I have but to walk downstairs to be within 30 seconds distance of places I could go to buy nearly anything I could want in the world. Coffee, a disco ball or an avocado are all within instant reach should I ever be in urgent need of them. Or just the general, unhurried need of a disco ball and other such things.

The city is so alive, the energy is contagious. I'm constantly in a state of feeling slightly overwhelmed and very excited and, of course, lost in most senses of the word.

When I first arrived, the revolution was still pretty much in semi-full swing, and a 5 minute walk from the apartment takes you to Puerta del Sol, where people were still living in tents in the square protesting against the government. There were tents everywhere with people sharing ideas and speaking through megaphones, but then there were a lot of people who were just sitting on old couches under tarps drinking a beer in the mid-day heat or getting a haircut, for example:

Walking to Puerta del Sol

Puerta del Sol

A protest sign on the metro

They were here during the week it rained almost every day

Inside the tent area

A man getting a haircut in the midst of it all

It was really quite a sight. I felt very out of place as I walked around and took it all in, not being able to understand what was written on the posters or talk to anyone about it.

I came to Madrid knowing I'd stay here about 7 weeks and not much else. I spoke virtually no Spanish but have since found several language partners and have self-taught enough to speak a pretty survivor-level of Spanish, but I'm improving a lot day to day, each time I meet with someone new, and I have spoken for over an hour in Spanish on some days, albeit very poorly. It helps enormously knowing French, which also allows me to understand a lot more than I'm able to speak.

Anyway, I've also become a bit of a jogger for a lack of a better way to stay in shape. There is this former royal garden, "El Retiro" that I go to often, whether it be for a jog or a walk or to find a bench to park in to read a bit. It's ENORMOUS. It feels like a dozen gardens and parks in one:

On one end in El Retiro

fountains everywhere

One of my favorite gardens within the garden,
which I have dubbed "Peacock Paradise"

Mother and baby peacock 

They're sorta everywhere in this part of the garden

Where I read a bit

Great view for reading, no?

I often got lost in the beginning while jogging around because it's just so darn big, but it's kind of a magical place so I don't mind all that much.

Basically, this is the time that was left after leaving France but not having enough money to travel around like I had planned, for several long and complicated reasons I won't discuss here. I could have gone home early, but I could not pass up the chance to spend almost 2 months in Spain - I have always wanted to learn Spanish and never had the time, so I took advantage of Alberto's offer to visit.

Besides studying on my own and juggling a dozen tandem language partners, I also found a handful of people to teach English to to make a little money. And to be perfectly frank, besides these two main activities, I spend the rest of my time walking around, reading and writing.

I doubt there will ever be such a period in my life again (until after retirement perhaps?) where I will have such time and freedom, so I am simply trying to take it all in as much as possible and, little by little, mentally prepare myself for coming home on July 19th.

Love,
Katie