Two years ago, something happened in my life that I had begun to think would never happen to me. These thoughts had crossed my mind for various reasons, all of them very valid, but as fate would have it, life gave me the opportunity to leave my country for the first time and breathe new air. That wasn’t just any trip; the first place I set foot in after leaving Venezuela was the city of Madrid, and the photos I’m sharing with you today are from that very day, March 18, 2024. I went for work—we were going on a concert tour—and even though I didn’t know anything about the place, one of the best walks of my life took place with great joy and anticipation.
How I wish I could have seen my own face on that first walk through this European city. Everything was new to me, even though I was already 35, but I felt like a kid living out a dream, and the best part was that my girlfriend was there with me to share the experience. I couldn’t believe the weather—I’d only ever experienced that kind of cold in an air-conditioned room, but there we were, walking through the streets, and in fact, I only felt the cold when we went inside somewhere. It was so different from my country, where being outside means feeling our tropical climate at any time of day. I had already imagined the architecture, but nothing compares to seeing it in person—standing in front of so many iconic buildings and popular landmarks that I’d only seen on TV until then. And sadly for us, I was really impressed by how polite people were on the street, how clean everything was, and the respect shown (I say "sadly" because in our cities, it is not like that).
I always say that on that day, even though I slept very poorly on the plane, I was full of energy, and I think I walked for over eight hours. We took a bus that took us downtown, but we literally explored Madrid on foot. That day we ran into a great friend we hadn’t seen in seven years, and he practically served as our tour guide. I’ll never forget that it was past 10 p.m. and the sun was still out—something that never happens in my home country of Venezuela, where it’s already dark by 7 p.m. On top of that, with jet lag setting in, my internal clock was all over the place, but how could I not walk for hours and hours? We’re talking about the Plaza Mayor, the Plaza del Sol, the area around the Royal Palace, etc. Anyone who knows this city knows how beautiful it is ❤️
That day I realized that all decent people have the right to experience something like this, and it’s not something that happens to everyone. Even for me, with a stable job and a decent income, it’s really hard to plan a trip outside my country; in fact, I’ve only left Venezuela on my own once, and it wasn’t very far—just to neighboring Colombia, but the thrill was so great that I wish it for everyone—and I don’t mean visiting Madrid, but the experience of discovering new and beautiful places, the positive energy of knowing you’re walking the streets of another country, the same energy that kept me walking until midnight on that first day of a trip that would last two weeks, but that would shape me forever.
Just as the description of the Wednesday Walk says, this day also dragged on because I was taking pictures of everything I saw while walking. I’d say it’s because of the excitement of doing it for the first time, but the truth is that everything in Madrid caught my eye. I’m someone who loves art and architecture, and I’m also learning to appreciate nature more and more—and in this city, I found it all in one place. I think the walk could have been longer if it were up to me 🤣 but there were a lot of us together, so I played it safe and we didn’t stay out past midnight. It’s been two years today, but it feels like it was just yesterday. The whole trip to Spain was beautiful, but the excitement of that first time is something you never forget 🙏
