K & L's Travel Blog

February 12, 2024

The title sounds a bit ominous, but it’s been a good finish to our time in Madrid. It took Kitty a while to get her mojo back, but one of those days was the worst weather day we’d had with heavy rain, high winds and cold temps. It even sleeted for a few minutes. I was exhausted from my day trip to Segovia, so it was the perfect time to spend a quiet day at home and take short walks in the neighborhood.

Our final meal of the trip was at a nearby Asian fusion restaurant, Kitchen 154 Vallehermoso. We enjoyed dumplings of pork & beef with wonderful crunchy texture in a tasty sauce, barbecue ribs with a spicy finish and red curry shrimp. I appreciated having a bit of heat as Spanish food is largely devoid of hot pepper flavors). We had 2 beers, 2 entrees and 1 appetizer for €50.00. It was an excellent meal and a perfect end to our trip.

Last night I walked down to Gran Via, about 20 minutes from our apartment. It was a cold and misty Sunday evening, and I naively thought the crowds might be somewhat diminished. Wrong!! I enjoyed taking photos nonetheless, and then rode our familiar #2 bus back to the apartment as the drizzle turned to a more steady rain. 

Tonight we walked down to the Temple of Debod and witnessed the sunset scene: hundreds of youths and young families clustered around the sunset view and a band playing Latin music. Party time was starting to surge. Kitty’s impulse is to walk into the crowds and mine is to head away. 

Tomorrow will be a long day. We’ll catch a taxi to the airport at 8:00AM/2:00AM EST and land in Asheville near midnight. We are looking forward to getting home and back to our creature comforts (nice shower, comfortable bed, working kitchen), not to mention catching up with friends and family. Madrid has provided us with a good dose of big-city, Spanish living, but we are ready to return to the Appalachian mountains and our peaceful woodland cove.