Julia Roberts

Today we walked up the road to see Uncle Pedro's house. He has 7 huge dogs which roam around his farm, and recently the mummy dog misbehaved herself with the neighbours male dog. 10 days ago, two little Perritos arrived on the farm, so the children like to go and visit them in the afternoon. Pedro is an absolute legend. He has a bald head, is pretty hefty and looks incredibly Spanish. He was wearing a black t-shirt which said 'No me gusta la ciudad', which made me chuckle. For all you non spanish speakers out there, he is basically a proper farm lover.

As soon as he met me, he goes 'Julia Roberts ey!' Pretty funny guy. I've actually been called Julia Roberts on a number of occasions, which is obviously quite a compliment! It's better than being called Jessie J I guess! 

Thank You Madrid...

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet people from all over the world.

Thank you for providing me with the craziest, strangest, best nights out ever.

Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Thank you for igniting in me a huge interest in travelling.

Thank you for forcing me to become independent.

Thank you for your amazing vintage clothes.

Thank you for Fro Yo.

Thank you for the friendships I have made here.

Thank you for inspiring me.

Thank you for your beautiful architecture.

Thank you for making me try Beef Carpaccio.

Thank you for your terraces and afternoon Gin and Tonics.

Thank you for your eclectic mix of people.

Thank you for your beautiful squares, perfect for people watching.

Thank you for making it acceptable to meet people in the street, and then becoming close friends with them days after.

Thank you for making me laugh for 99% of my time here.

Thank you for all the hilarious dogs I have seen.

Thank you for your beautiful sunshine.

Things I LOVE About Madrid

• I basically live 5 minutes walk away from Madrid’s equivalent to Oxford Street, Gran Via. I have never lived in a capital city before, I’m more of a country bumpkin, however, I absolutely love how easy I can get around, and how there is always something going on, just outside my front door. 

• Dogs. I have never in my life seen so many cute dogs in one place. I have always liked dogs, but in Madrid I LOVE DOGS. From the gay couples who wander around with miniature dogs dressed in bright, blingy outfits, to the fat french bulldogs owned by the hip, punky, youngsters. 

• The bright clear sunny skies in Winter. It’s currently February, and for most of the month it has been a lovely 14 degrees in Madrid. The other day, I nearly whipped out my short shorts and ray bans..typical English behaviour.

• Street entertainers/metro acts: The majority of the Spanish public don’t have a heart. OK, I guess thats a bit harsh. I’ll try again… the majority of the Spanish public don’t enjoy the little things in life. Wherever you go in central Madrid, there will always be a street performer, and quite often, the Madrileños don’t batter an eyelid. They never fail to make me smile though. My mornings are always brightened up by someone on the metro bursting into song.

My Top 3 performers are as follows: 
1) Crazy Spanish lady who pushes round a boom box on her granny trolley singing Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance.
2) The chap who sits on Fuencarral attempting to sing Bob Marley. “dun worry bout a ting cus erry little ting is gon be aaaaaright.” 
3) The three miniature Mexican hombres who serenaded me on the metro when I was tired and fed up.