Finding the Light in Puerta del Sol

Falling in love with a foreign place at first glance seems like a cliché. I don't care how corny it sounds, but for me Madrid was that place.

I could go on talking forever about my experience there, but instead I want to share my feelings about one of Madrid's most famous areas, Puerta del Sol. Literally translated, it means the door of the sun.

When we arrived in the piazza I fell in love. After almost a week of little to no sun in Prague and Berlin I was beyond thrilled with the warmer weather.

Walking into the Puerta del Sol 

I removed my jacket and allowed my skin to breath in the fresh air and soak up the rays of the sun. 

This was a moment of pure bliss. I shut my eyes and angled my face towards the sun. There was something comforting about it there, amongst the swarm of natives and tourists. I enjoyed listening to the sounds of the crowd and watching the individuals dressed as Dora the Explorer and Spongebob wave and try to get people to takes pictures with them. 

I was hungry, so I found a pastry shop at the edge of the piazza and went in. The delicious smells filled my nose and I was immediately hungrier than I had been about 2 minutes before I walked in. 

DELICIOUS pastry for breakfast!

Using my beginner level Spanish I picked out a circular donut looking pastry. It was sticky, and had shavings on the top and had some type of filling on the inside. If you're someone who counts calories don't even bother walking into one of these shops or much less eating what I did. Honestly though, I could care less. One of the best ways to experience a culture is through it's food and this is something I fully intended to do.

I paid and walked back out into the sunshine. There was a fountain just off center in the piazza and I was lucky enough to find a space. I sat down with my "breakfast" and then spent the next 5 minutes devouring my delicious treat. It still makes me laugh how breakfasts in both Italy and Spain consist of pastries and cookies. I think this may be part of the reason I love it here so much :)

I'll never forget the pure happiness I felt wandering around Madrid. The atmosphere, the people and the city itself were spectacular. The amount of beauty throughout the city completely mesmerized me. 

There have been several moments throughout my travels and time spent in Rome that I have felt complete and utter happiness. The moment I entered the Puerta del Sol was one of those moments. 

Standing still in the middle of the open square, absorbing the rays of the sun I felt at peace. 

Fountain in Puerta del Sol

I was only in Madrid for 2 short days, but I'm most certainly not done with this city. I'll be heading back in the future, back to that moment in the Puerta del Sol, eating my favorite sticky pastry and immersing myself in the culture.