So it was my birthday (June 6th) and what better place to celebrate than beautiful Spain! Been spending my week eating way too many tapas and birthday cakes -let me not forget to mention my awesome birthday dinner at Botin– while enjoying the heatwave in Madrid .
Also on top of it all I discovered a little place (Toledo) where the streets are full of stories and my poetic soul could free and carelessly wander and with all comfort gratefully state; to feel happy for another year of life that has been given to me.
I even wrote a little poem. It’s in Dutch though..
Toledo,
jouw straten vertellen mij
talloze verhalen
verborgen smalle steegjes
heten mij welkom
Schaduw verkoeling
Van de hitte in mij
Sorry to those who follow and read my words and don’t understand Dutch. Hope I’m still able to take you with me on this journey by sharing a little video and some pictures and tips on my visit to Madrid and Toledo and some personal snaps of my birthday suprise dinner at Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world still running!! I may sound a bit of a geek while sharing this but the fact that I ate at the same restaurant (and had a piece of the same meal) Ernest Hemingway is writing about in The Sun Always Rises kinda turns me on. In a way you may never really know 🙂 If you would know the story of the history of the Sobrino de Botín you would know that history never dies there. And therefor the stories happened there will kind of stay alive forever.
First day at Madrid was a blessing 🙂
I slept in and woke up to this wonderful sunny day that I spend walking around the city center and basycly eat everything available at the amazing food market; Mercado de San Miguel.
A little snap on the hottest day ever at the West Park while visiting temple Debod. I love Madrid is filled with lots of beautiful parks. The West Park is located on a hill side with a stunning view over the city. Definitly worth a visit!
The evening before my actual birthday we went into the city for a night stroll while breathing in the warm summer night air. Looking for a cute place to have a drink and some midnight birthday cake we ran into this cute little restaurant/bar called Le Loco that is located at Calle Barbieri 15. They were really happy to have me and raise the glass with me right before closing time. They even fixed me a real tasty velvet cake with a birthday candle 🙂 I couldn’t wish for a better place and way to rang in my last year as a twenty something year old.
June 6 2015, 00:00 AM 🙂 at Le Coco
Toledo
Happy birthday girl entering the city of Toledo
Toledo is an old city about 70 kilometers from Madrid and easily attainable by train. It will take about an hour to get there. What I really like about this place is that apart from the fact that it’s really old, it’s really beautiful! It is really no wonder that this place has officially been declared a World Heritage Site. When you enter the city and walk around it feels like you stepped back back in time into a completely different world. You clearly see the both Arab, Jewish as Christian historical influences in the architecture. There are many historic places to see, but I would advice to allow yourself to get lost in the little streets and explore Toledo that way. It is so much more fun! ♥
Taking that branded Poet Jones canvas bag everywhere 🙂
Like I’ve said before; “If you would know the story of the history of the Sobrino de Botín you would know that history never dies there. And therefor the stories and moments happened there will kind of stay alive forever. .”
Enjoying the heat while in a little boat in Buen Retiro Park Renting a boat is surely something I would recommend to do when you are visiting the park. Especially on warm days it’s a nice way to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the park while chilling at the water and getting your tan on 😉
Last but not least some fun moments at Plaza Mayor in the slider. At this central plaza in the middle of Madrid you will find lot’s of street artists and tourists. And of course while posing for a picture I got majorly harassed by the Spanish Charlie Chaplin…
All with all Madrid was truly one of the best places I’ve ever spend celebration my birthday. What a lively city! And with good tapa’s non stop available and the sun kissing my skin every day I am easily conquered. So Madrid I fell for you and I for sure will be back some time in the future!
Love,
