Aventuras de unos madrileño-galeses y un Tiguan

Well well… this is it, we’re off. Some by Ferry, some by plane after having sworn never be on a boat again.. (and because of the lack of room too)..

Adiós amazing people at work and not so amazing students 🤣🤣🤣, adiós our gorgeous flat , I’ll miss your lovely pros but I won’t your awful cons!!
See you again incredible friends, thank you for such a wonderful year.
Adiós Patricia the super nanny, the girls are going to miss you so much! (And me!!) will see you again soon I’m sure!

Very proud for the girls’ School grades, I’m normally not one to share achievements but we are incredibly proud of them going from basic Spanish level and learning through play, to old fashioned memory and strict academic system, obtaining high grades in exams in Grammar, Geography, Science, Maths etc throughout the 3 terms and improving, ( and of course both 10 (A+) in Music, cos they’re Welsh after all!!)

Bye for now 38 degrees! We’ll miss your pools but not the night heat!

Adiós Madrid, for now… 🔥💔🇪🇸 ☀️
Hello Cymru 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🐑 🍺 🎶 helo ffrindiau!! ❤️

MAY 2023

APRIL 2023

March 2023

JUNE 2023 From bday party to bday party, school and end of year activities, summer fair, school trip away and thunderstorms.

Last month of crazyness. What a year. To say it was a rollercoaster is an understatement. Our hearts are broken but will be easily fixed. Ready now 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🐑 ❤️

I‘ve never been the biggest fan of South Spain, I’m more of a northerner.. greener, less touristy, and less fried food.. but as I grow older, the extra 10 degrees are winning my heart. So when the girls had a 4 day weekend at school, I grabbed the chance with both hands to go and see El abuelo aka my dad. Specially since Spain is covered in snow and we’ve gone from 18-20 to 0-4 degrees in Madrid.

The journey by train never fails to amaze me, very different to north Spain which is more like the UK. But the variety in scenary was stunning nevertheless. a geography lesson in 6.5h for the girls (when they were not too embedded in their iPads). From the coast to the mountainous regions of Jaen and Granada, riding through a few ranges and valleys (Guadalquivir, Guadiana, Sierra Nevada, Sierra Morena etc), 4 hours of snowy mountains and olive trees. Going through the lunar landscape of Tabernas, scenary of western movies). Impossible shapes made by the erosion of red soil, really pretty in a different way. I never realised there were so many mountains in lower half of Spain. The contrast between red, greyish green, white snow and blue skies was something else..
The last 2 hours were more flat through fields of Castilla, fields of cereal, sunflowers and windmills. Very open.

Back in Madrid, and as much as we love Kiko, glad to be in a hair free home (other than my desperately in need of wax legs).

Recovering from France in a full on Carnaval week, odd socks day, green day, dressing up day, bandanas for cancer day, crazy hair day… no rest day!! Walk around on Saturday and magic show booked by abuelo on Sunday to get through the pain of waving Dad goodbye for another two weeks… 😣

More European adventures! After a quiet January, we’re back bigger and stronger!! What a week!! Absolutely shattered but worth every minute. ❤️❤️❤️⛷️⛷️❄️❄️❄️🍷💥

We’ve done some serious travelling over Christmas, but worth every mile. Ending a year that has brought lots of change into our lives and whilst we are still learning to live without her, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 🤍

December Week 4
Bday parties
Xmas do’s
Quality time with Abuelo on Xmas week

December Week 3

Disappointed to miss the Madrid’s Youth Choir Christmas concert (full auditorium), but enjoyed a brilliant unexpected concert of old talents by the door.

Mercado de las ranas Artisan market in Huertas street. Beautiful handmade products ❤️

Santa’s race and Santa’s by bike day. Quite a sight.

Visit to the Hayedo de Montejo Forest, all leaves gone but pretty nevertheless.
Beautiful knitted tree at the village’s council and amazing Nativity made by the brave locals, standing still for 3 hours in 8°C!!

School Christmas concerts. Utter rubbish (said with love) but loving the fact I can understand every word!! 🤣🤣❤️

December Week 2
Yearly visit to the lake in La Casa de Campo park via the Teleférico (Cable Car)
Unexpected surprise visits -always the best!
School trips to the local Market, Bike repair shop and collection of Xmas food for those in need.
One more week, one less week 😭

December 1

Xmas lights hunt in the “Naviluz” bus, birthday meals in local markets, school races in aid of children’s Leukemia, magic shows, retail therapy but the biggest highlight of the month, and the year … 🥁🥁🥁🥁

Nora meets the 🐼 🐼 twins!!
I’m not the biggest fan of zoos, specially Madrid zoo, although I was pleasantly surprised with the massive improvement since I was a child. Beautiful place. Still a zoo though 💔

Seeing 5 pandas, 2 of them little twins born here was very emotional for her.

The city is buzzing with things to do, concerts, markets, lights, never ending lists of plans to do with or without kids. We must find a balance between enjoying and overdoing if, and try to live the festive season without falling in the consumerism trap. It is heartbreaking walking through shops with billions of euros of stock in them and finding so many people outside without even a warm place to sleep in…

We are not buying Xmas decs this year or Xmas cards but will be keeping some time to find something charitable to do.

November week 4

More adventures! Visiting the Royal Palace, El Capricho garden, walk around the river and exploring the city. Finding a little gem, a quirky caravan and camping site near the city, lovely vibe and bbq, music atmosphere 🍺
Nora’s first bday party and learning about different costumes ❤️

The girls fit bits breaking records -27.000 steps , there was a time when reaching 1k excited them 😝

Disappointed with 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ⚽️ :((

November Week 3

El Castañar del Tiemblo and vinery visit

November Week 2
Some city walks with a Wednesday Bank holiday, visit to the Jardin Botánico, Faro de Moncloa (viewpoint) , and spectacular Cirque du Soleil.

November, end of week 1,

Weekend in Pedraza, family meal, visit to the Caves, night in Gallegos and walk around La Cabrera National park.

Nora is starting to settle and enjoy school and friends. She had her first day out so she was happy.

Halloween plans and a trip to Almeria to see Abuelo and Kiko.
No costumes for the competition as the suitcase stayed behind but some facepaint and voila! The most scary outfit was the man dressed as electricity bill! Funny.

Birthday celebrations with family, school friends and an unexpected welsh visit! 🥰

Hope everyone is having a lovely half term

A week of rain, coughs and lost voices with some ups.

A nice surprise on the school run. Square and street taken over by tv series from my teens. Apparently T6 was recorded in my street also not long ago.

Catch up with Luisa my Bathafarn neighbour. (With Dafydd cameo).

Weekend with friends, some of which we hadn’t seen other than FT since before lockdown.
We missed the sheep yearly passing through Madrid by an hour but nevermind. It is quite a sight to see the centre closed to the traffic for over 1000 sheep to pass through it on their yearly travel from N to S Spain.

Rain and flu made us a bit homesick but with some friends we got through.

Another week another dollar.

Day 16.

Our weekly fresh air dose: Sunday out in Pinilla del Valle, in the Valle de Lozoya.
A beautiful valley between La Cabrera climbers paradise and Guadarrama range.

The photos don’t do it justice.
A super interesting 2h visit to the remains of the Neanderthals settlement with great guide that kept the children engaged. All for 1€. “The clan of the cave bear” isn’t 100% accurate apparently.

Fantastic food by the reservoir and lovely walk with autumn smells and not a single knot of wind. Very very peaceful.

Couldn’t help to think how great would be to show all this to the welsh gang.
From next week I’ll be meeting all my friends, some of which I haven’t seen since before covid, but we wanted to have 2 weeks without commitments just to settle.

Monday. Back to the bureaucracy loops. Trying to get admin done is Spain is some kind of video game expert level, but if we’re talking about Madrid, in particular, the centre, the level is super pro or some form of torture.
With this paper go to this office that will stamp you this to collect that to go to another window to get a document necessary to apply for what you need. Get that and come back. - If I’d had a pound for every appointment to get parking/resident/GP/etc, I’d be writing this from the Bahamas.

Hope you all are ok and thanks for all your texts and messages 🥰
Cariad mawr i chi gŷd gan Madrid.

Day 15

Walk to the leisure centre to register for swimming lessons (most schools have swimming pools and lessons but not ours 😞 ), but on a positive note they’re only 5€ a month.
Popped into the local market on our way back. 3 floors of amazing products. Who said crisis??!

Afternoon walk through El Retiro to register in the library. Nora loved borrowing “the biggest fart in the world” in English. How funny she read it in Spanish in the UK and in English in Madrid! Huge library btw, a bit overwhelming! Kids floor huge! With outdoors reading area 🥰

Bumped into some event to promote the Navy. Very very loud. Pass.
I thought initially I’d collapse with the distances, but not being 5 min away from everything helps to make a day or half a day out of every chore 🤣

Loving the city life, but it doesn’t come without a price:

We hate weekends. We live opposite to KAPITAL, the biggest club in Madrid, 7 floors of music and pretty people. Pretty but loud. I hear them until silly o clock though my earplugs. The interior bedroom on the other hand suffers the people going up to the hostel on the 3rd floor. And some get the wrong door. At 2,3,4,5 am. 🥵

Hating not having the bins by my kitchen, it’s a pain to walk to the street ones, good job it’s just a 1st floor. Which is noisier by the way.
Ambulance.123. Police.123.firemen.123. Repeat.

Jumping dog poo and homeless people is not nice.

Our flat hasn’t got a lot of light. Blue skies and sun shining but we have the lights on in the morning. With the price of electricity.
Again, being on the 1st floor is a con.

Been ripped off by the pharmacy with Nia’s epipens. I’ve been told it’s 3 times the price but they’re reduced because they’re on prescription.
I thought they’d be free??? Although maybe that would put the SS (NHS) at a strain?

Bottom line, everything has its pros and cons.
Another big con is all the people I’m missing here :(((

Walking to register the girls at the health centre and finding pianos scattered around the city centre. Treasure hunt of 14 pianos to be found and played.
We found 3 and an incredible amount of talent from people you wouldn’t expect! Never judge a book by the cover!

A week off whilst the students prepare more theory. Much needed.
Catching up with life and admin 2 pages list of to do’s.

But starting to breath and enjoy. Temperatures have cool down to a pleasant 22 degrees and blue skies.

Nia is very happy in school, loves learning, loves the challenge. Has made lots of friends. Loves her uniform 🤣 , her teacher (she is ❤️❤️❤️), and her books. Despite the incident at the museum where the school rang me cos Nia had fainted-Exhibition about Egypt and mommies courtesy of British Museum.
The explanation about mashing the brain with hooks through the nose was too much for her. And her friend who threw up.
(Whose idea was that?!).

Nora… after a very stressful week that has almost made me throw the towel at times, tears, not liking school, teacher more 🖤 than ❤️, (the b*** won’t even let her go to the toilet! She even made me cry! ), super strict, a desk mate that annoys the 💩 out of her… , finally today she had a great day.
She has been moved from Aron’s desk.💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 She’s got her own books so is able to follow more. Enjoyed the food at lunch time too and came out happy. Finally.

Treat after school to celebrate. Sh*tty views in comparison to Costa but enjoyed the neighbourhood walk and shops spotting nevertheless. Some homework watching life go by and finally in bed at a decent time.

❤️💛❤️

12 de Octubre (and the name of the hospital Nia was born). Día de la Hispanidad (Spain and Latin America’s day), and also día del Pilar (our Lady of Pilar).

Bank holiday on a Wednesday. Actually liking it as it breaks the week up. In need of the day off.

Yearly military parade. Massive. Staying away from the crowds so watched it from our balcony 🤣. Amazing display of aircraft formation. Totally gutted Robin had to fly back at 10am.

Yearly mandatory birthday meal with Tia Pili (Aunt Pilar). Seeing some of her friends’ children that played with Nia when they were 9 and 11 and now 18 and 21! Bonkers.
Spain is known for paella but not for cakes. (Note the posh cake with posh candles)

Finish the day covering 28 books with adhesive. I dream plastic now. How sticky. Respect to Spanish parents for doing this every year.
Even with you tube tutorials I’m still thinking they would look better totally damaged than the job I’ve done with this sticky stuff. Bubbles are in fashion.
If they learn all that’s in these books they might be ready to go to sixth form on return.