Back from Spain...

I had been waiting for the chance to go back to my old stomping ground, and that time came sooner than I ever could have imagined. After 5 years have passed since I last lived in Madrid, I returned. I returned to a beautiful country, a beautiful city that is near and dear to my heart. Madrid and I shared so many wonderful experiences and moments, both good and bad ones, when I studied there for a year. And now I was back. And I was excited to dance with Madrid once again.

Kathy, Melody and I packed our bags, grabbed our passports and eagerly headed to the airport. After leaving Sofia on a delayed flight to Milan, we missed our connecting flight to Madrid. Well, we didn’t quite miss it. It was cancelled. Cancelled due to fog!!! We stood in several hour long lines trying to figure out how we can get to Madrid, and get their fast. As it turned out, Alitalia (the worst airline company EVER) put us up in a hotel and told us there was a flight for the following morning. What a disappointment. We had been planning this trip for months and now we were stuck in the Milan airport. I just wanted to be there already. We eventually boarded a plane the following day and nothing but good continued to come our way. We had made it to the fine-looking Madrid we had been anticipating for so long.

With one day down, we still had 6 more to go to live it up. And that we did. From fun bars, to tasty restaurants, to pleasant people, to the pleasurable surroundings, we were in for a treat. For me, it was a surreal feeling being back in a place I used to call home. So many things were the same. The same stores, the same favorite corner bar, the same great atmosphere. As I played tour guide to my friends, I couldn’t hold back all my “Wow, I used to love this place” or “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that is still there.” I am sure by the end of the trip the girls were getting pretty annoyed with all my comparisons from my previous time spent here.

All in all, the trip was a great success. We ventured to fun bars, met lots of interesting people from all over and managed to do the whole touristy thing of course. We explored the many different plazas and unique side streets, the grand palace where the king and queen used to live, the very famous Prado museum, several churches, the big flea market, and the city itself.

For some it is hard going from a country like Bulgaria, a very dark country still trying to rebuild itself from the past, to a country like Spain, where there is so much vibrancy and life to offer the people, and then, back again. You see a small glimpse into what you could have and where you could be, and it is hard to readjust back to the BG life. But for me, I am generally really happy here. I like my life and I enjoy what I do here, however frustrating it can be at times. I know that when I return to Bulgaria sometime after my service is complete, I will probably have the same warm and fuzzy feelings I had when I returned to Spain. For now, I will enjoy the home stretch of my service and soak up all the Bulgaria and the people here have to offer. For me, this is the time to just live in the moment and smile.

(WOW...That was a long one!)