I first visited Madrid in February 2017 for just a couple of days. I remember enjoying the food, culture, and architecture — it was the first time I had visited Spain; my instinct told me Madrid is a city that matches my style. It seems that the universe also desired that I return to Madrid. While living in the Maldives last year, I met many friendly Spanish vacationers who passed through the resort I was living on. Surprising to me, the Maldives is a popular destination for tourists living in Madrid and Barcelona owing to travel promotions from their international airlines.
And so in the span of a summer, I accrued a handful of new friends who gave me an easy excuse to make Spain and Madrid in particular, a forthcoming destination. I squeezed in two days in Madrid after Istanbul and Split on my way to South America. Though my time was brief, it was great to connect with new friends and set the stage for a subsequent return next year.
