Madrid

Two weeks ago I hopped on a plane and flew to Madrid. It was a very spontaneous reaction to an invitation I had received three weeks earlier. I gotta say it was just what the doctor ordered. Wine, lot’s of wine, sleeping in, great food (well, beside that one lunch…), great company, quality alone time, shopping and long walks in a forgien city. My kind of mini vacation.

When I was younger I was quite spontaneous. A combination of age and parenthood has changed that, this is I suppose both good and bad. When I was in my twenties and living L.A., if I had a few days off I jump into the car and just drive... with no idea where I’d end up. San Fransisco, Las Vegas and on more than one occasion Mexico. In my thirties I lived in New York and during those years I had a schedule which was a bit more rigid but somehow I still found the time to travel abroad at a moments notice (ok maybe 2-3 weeks of planning. I would often get on the subway and sit for an endless amount of time and suddenly get off and wander around a new neighborhood. Basically, I love to explore. I love to taste new foods, see new things, meet new people. These things give me endless amounts of happiness.

As you get older you begin to really know who you are and one thing I have learned about myself is that alone time is essential. Before I met Tony I lived alone for 7 years and I loved it. I guess when you live alone for so long you just get used to it… when you are later put into a situation where you are with people everyday from the minute you get up until the minute you go to bed you start to really appreciate those moments you get alone. This is life, this is family, this is marriage. Yet, sometimes you just want to be alone. I am the kind of person that can be alone in a crowed room so I love going to the gym or a musuem by myself. I also love taking walks. In Madrid I took walks and it was during those walks that I came to the conclusion that a spontaneous (adults only) vacations are a must for moms and dads. At least for me and thus it will have to happen more often.