How does one wrap up a two-month journey through Spain? There is no guidebook for that. For us, it was a mashup of some of our favorite things in Madrid, along with down time to wander less-touristed side-streets.

Being our second time in Madrid, we situated ourselves right at its center – in an Airbnb at Plaza del Sol – and we had a bit more focus.

Our Madrid mashup was a little of everything: a palace tour; a new contemporary flamenco show at Teatro Magna which was among our trip highlights (get your own mini taste of the performance here); churros and chocolate at Chocolateria de San Ginés (since 1892), a couple of great meals, and a Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum visit with a special exhibit of “Women Masters” on display (photos below). Unfortunately, Kevin suffered a sick day, but I found a local pharmacist who pulled out all the stops to get him back on his feet.

Heading to the Madrid airport the morning of Jan. 12 was bittersweet. We can’t wait to see our friends and family in the States and also hope to be back to visit Madrid and Spain again soon – perhaps next time to explore Basque country or hike another Camino route.

There are good reasons why Spain is the third most visited country. As visitors during a record-breaking tourist year (6.3 million visitors in 2023), we aimed to leave a light footprint and share some kindness along the way.

Thanks for reading!

NOTE: Best site for what’s on across Madrid’s performance venues.