Our first
day in Spain. It was hot, dry, and my mom and I were experiencing severe
jet-lag. I felt like I was walking through a fog, and people and shapes were
blurring before me.
Needless to
say, we weren’t up for any intense sightseeing or travelling after spending a
restless and sleepless night on the plane.
So first
things first, we beat the Spanish summer heat by taking a dip in my mom’s
friend’s pool, who graciously allowed us to stay at her house for a couple of
nights.
She lives
45 minutes south of Madrid, in a little neighbourhood called Los Vallejos that’s
close to both Aranjuez and Chinchon. She has a stunning location, on a hill
overlooking rows of olive trees and the Spanish countryside.
After a
long dip in her pool and a delicious traditional Spanish meal of gazpacho soup and
salad, we drove 15 minutes to Aranjuez to take a little stroll around the city.
Aranjuez is
famous for being the spring residence of the Spanish Royalty, so checking out
the Royal Palace, even from the outside, was a must.
There are beautifully landscaped gardens surrounding the palace, which we enjoyed walking through as well. 
However, due to our late start to the day, by the time we got
there, the security guards were already kicking people off the grounds. I don’t
think this happens every night, but this particular weekend was special because…
Aranjuez
was having a fiesta (and they didn’t want any drunk people in the royal gardens
haha.) The Spanish love to party, so much so that every city/town/region has a
series of yearly fiestas. There’s
the patio festival in Cordoba, the tomato throwing festival in Pamplona, and
smaller more general festivals throughout the whole country.
Aranjuez's "Mutiny
Fiesta” in early September is what we were in town for. Apparently, this
particular fiesta is recommended by the tourism board internationally. We weren’t
awake for the festivities (they start at midnight!) but we managed to check out
the handicraft and food stalls that were open earlier in the evening.
Last time I
was in Spain, I was 11 years old and literally only ate bread, butter, and
McDonald’s. In an effort to right my past wrongs, this time around, I wasn’t
saying no to at least trying everything once. Which meant that when Mom wanted
to ordered pulpo, we ordered pulpo. Pulpo = Octopus, and although it looked
weird and sketchy raw, it tasted absolutely delicious, full of flavour and melted
in your mouth.
It only
takes 45-55 minutes by train to get to Aranjuez, and it’s worth at least a day
trip to walk around the gardens, visit the royal palace, or rent a bike and
ride through one of the city parks. It’s also refreshing to experience “small-town” Spanish life and enjoy the stunning countryside.
