We have arrived! After a whirlwind few days in New Jersey tasting NJ wines, we flew overnight to Madrid, Spain. The side trip allowed me to be a table Captian for a first of its kind showcase evaluation of 100% New Jersey made wines. It was a stellar experience that deserves its own blog. More on that soon.
As I exited the plane at the Madrid airport, I was greeted with the fresh, clean aroma of white florals in the air. It was a subtle tint to the environment, but a welcomed introduction to a city I was nervous to meet. It feels a lot like a blind date, I am self-conscious and shy, hoping it is a match. The airport is huge, yet artistic. The giant ceilings constructed of warm wood beams swoops and swirls overhead, like water ebbing and flowing. Giant murals show Picaso's influence and beckon you into the city for new exhibitions, shows and culture. Immigration went smoothly and we got the all to important entrance stamp for our visa submission. The officer looked like Ben Afflict and winked at me, flirting in the most warm and gentle way. Hey now, Spain IS friendly LOL!
Our taxi into the city center where hotel Espahotel Gran Via is, was made incredible with a car that had a glass roof allowing us to gaze up at the incredible architecture around us. A couple things immediately surprised me. One was the massive amount of trees incorporated into the city. Somehow with all the talk of how hot the city is, I expected it to be barren and exposed. The other thing was that it is a very European city. OK wait wait, before you start thinking I am a total moron, I did know it was a European city and that Spain is in Europe, but the feeling of the city I had somehow transferred over in my mind to feel like Mexico. Having never been here, but having travelled to Mexico many times, my mind tried to form some kind of imagination of what to expect. I envisioned the warm, vibrant, soulful well worn comfort of Mexico, but what I have found is a city reflecting back old world charm and vigor full of regal authority. With how much time I spend in Europe for work already, this was instantly familiar and I realized how silly it was that I had not imagined it more properly from home.
Home.
That word is carrying a lot of weight for me right now. I am currently without a home. Flying in the pilot did the "Welcome to Madrid, thanks for flying with us" bit. Us frequent flyers often stop hearing all these announcements as they sound the same everywhere you go, but this one gave me pause. Two of his sentences were haunting, "If Madrid is your home, welcome home..." and "We look forward to having you fly with us again soon". They hit me in my emotional solar plexus. Whoa, welcome HOME. Whoa, I don't have a return flight. Whoa I am not going to be flying with you any time soon. Reality swept over my forehead in a cold sweat, my breath sucked in sharply and I had a moment of dizziness.
Holy shit, I just moved to Spain.
***I will be updating the blog regularly so all of you can track this wild adventure. Please subscribe so you get automatic updates!
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