so 14 months after i left, i was back in madrid. i was here in a long transit flying between milan and new york city.
in one way madrid made me feeling all sentimental. in another way it was like i never leave. when i read the signs and names of places and metro stops, it took me back to all the memories i have there. it really felt like i left a huge chunk of my heart in the city. but in the metro stations, changing lines, it was as if i was always there. i stayed one night at the place i used to live for months. arriving at my stop, i remembered clearly every single thing, the route i used to take every single day and all the things around. like i never left.
madrid was the first city i lived in before i moved to live in milan, paris, and rome. so i couldn't help but automatically paying attention to things around me. my attentions were drawn to many mundane things like the feeling of the houses there, how people decorate their houses, the proportion of the streets i walked in, the way people dress, the way people talk. after living in other places that were so different, it's like you got to know better the real character of the city.
i spent my time visiting places i used to go. it felt so achingly familiar. like every single memory would pop up in my head. it of course didn't feel the same without everyone there. and of course it will never be the same again. it felt like a phase that has passed. a good one. a hell of a good one. i will always treasure madrid as one of my best periods in life, as one of the best cities i've ever lived in.
madrid, if i could hug you i would.
