Today I got cocky. I was all set to take a day trip to Segovia, I got up and out earlyish and took a beautiful walk through El Retiro, think Central Park, as I made my way to the train station. I had 15 minutes to spare, I had this…until I tried to buy a ticket and realized that this particular train departed from a different station, whoops! The next train was sold out, and the one after that wasn’t for another few hours, so I had to improvise…and I’m so happy that I did because it was a beautiful, fall, sunny day in Madrid and I had plenty to do to fill the extra day here.

(I’m horrible at selfies, working on it. I’ve actually seen a few people around the city with the selfie stick, no joke! http://www.amazon.com/Promaster-Selfie-Stick-Camera-Smart/dp/B00IEEN8TE)

First stop: The Botanical Gardens. I walked around these tranquil grounds as I listened to my stockpiled SERIAL (who’s listening?? I’m totally hooked, but NO spoilers please!!). Some might think it a strange choice while walking around in beautiful nature, but it was perfect for me!

  

Afterwards, I headed over to another art museum, Museo Thyssen. This was by far my favorite of the museums in Madrid! Their layout was the most inviting and accessible, and their collection is great. Right now there is also a temporary Givenchy exhibit, which was a lot of fun…dresses worn by Audrey Hepburn, Jackie O, different royals, etc.

For the rest of the day and night I was focused on food and roaming the streets of my neighborhood, Salamanca. (Mao, you should probably stop reading now 😉 ) Some Jamon Iberico, a night at Mercado San Miguel, and Churros…I couldn’t leave Madrid without crossing these things off my list.  Those that know me well know that The Fairfax Farmer’s Market is one of my favorite places in L.A. Well, a night at Mercado San Miguel isn’t that different – there are various stalls with all sorts of Spanish foods (plus 1 stall of sushi?), and a bustling crowd. I had a variety of tapas and seafood and some Sangria, and then I headed out to Madrid’s most famous place for churros, Chocolateria San Gines. NO, I didn’t finish this huge order of churros, but yes I enjoyed every bite (how can you not?!)

 

And lastly, there was such great response to navy is the new black so I wanted to let you know I’m working on snapping some street style shots and will have a Spanish Sartorial post soon! Stay tuned…

Tomorrow morning I’m off to Barcelona for the weekend. Goodnight Madrid.