This month’s return trip to Madrid is a welcome change of pace. Last spring I traveled to Barcelona and Madrid on the heel of the Asia trip. It was a nice change of climate, atmosphere, and culture—not better, just different after the intensity of Asia and tiresome iffy Bay Area weather. This trip is shorter and my work commitments are less demanding, so hopefully I’ll have an opportunity to explore and sightsee.
At the top of my list is a visit to Lavapiés. I missed this neighborhood on my last visit. Lavapiés is home to various ethnic communities and lesbians—which means what, readers? Lesbians of color! Hopefully, I will be able to find food more palatable and lighter than the high caloric and meat heavy diet of typical Spanish fare. Not only is the food heavy, but folks in Madrid and perhaps other parts of Spain too, dine late. If someone informs you they will pick you up for dinner the earliest you will see your host is 9:00-9:30 pm.
In preparation for this trip, I asked my colleague to please leave my evenings free. He agreed, but reminded me how late night dining, conversation and drinking wine are such an integral part of social life in Madrid. He wrote: “You must live the night life, Skye!” And, indeed I will—nightlife with my folks, food in moderation and less of an assault on my digestive system.
Last year, I was invited to join a group of Fulbright Scholar alumni for a monthly guest speaker’s series; the participants met afterwards in a private room at a restaurant for post-talk discussion with the speaker. I didn’t particularly want to be at this function, but I was invited as a special guest and felt it would have been impolite to decline the invitation. Fortunately, the host seated me between two American expats both white women, one a New York Times reporter who lived in Madrid with her husband, the other another New Yorker and Madrid socialite.
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