Eurasia Mega Trip 2026 - Day Thirty Six - Madrid Night Photography

We are half-way through the Mega Trip! Hard to believe. Tomorrow we head to El Campello where we will be spending the month of October. 

I specifically wanted to spend a few days in Madrid to do photography. I was inspired by our experience last year when we took an Uber back to our apartment from visiting Granddaughter 2.2 and was blown away by the incredible lit up architecture. Last night we did it. We took an Uber to one part of the Centro area and then walked our way across the entire Centro area until we got to where we were staying. We did all the photography we wanted, and by chance, found ourselves in the middle of a major political demonstration that had both of us a bit freaked out. But we kept our cool and managed our way back into the calm districts of town.  

I did a bit of online research and found recommendations on the type of lens and settings that would best work in the nighttime environment. This led to my selecting our Fish-eye lens  and a 17mm fixed lens as well. The first half of the photos were with the Fish-eye, the last half with the 17mm.

Notice the Beautiful Fountain in the center. The one that looks like a 'box' 

 

 "I'm telling you. That's a famous fountain!"

 

 Hmmm...looks like the infamous 'repair work on a de-I top of list item' if you ask me.

 Mingling with others at the top 'photo site'

 

 

 

 

 

 This was our furthest point out. Now we worked our way back into Centro

 

 

 

 

 Espouses Fotograficus is nocturnal in Madrid

 

 We walk on

 

 

 Man in a Bus

 

 High level street musicians

 

 We head down a street, not thinking much.

 

 But CLEARLY, something IS happening

There are tents set up. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people

 We are totally engulfed in people and can barely move

 

 Finally, after a rather nerve wracking time, we are able to exit to a side street and back to normality. Turns out this is a major protest for housing affordability.

 Calm

 

 

 

This may look like an Amsterdam brothel. It is a fast food place

 

 Moving toward the Plaza Major

The Plaza itself is quite calm

 

 

 

 We make our way back to our apartment, pretty wiped out from the stress of the demonstration and the length of the walk but feeling good we did it.

A last monument close to home

 

Eurasia Mega Tour 2026 - Day Thirty Five - Beginning The Madrid Photo Extravaganza

We are going to be spending three days in Madrid. This is essentially a placeholder between our two long stays in Alanya/Mahmutlar and Alicante/El Campello. This was also a time for us to spend with our favorite Niece and Red-Tunic Away Team Specialist, RMG. Unfortunately, the untimely accident causing her Father, and Wife's Brother to pass away has had her in the United States while we are here. 

So we are assuaging our pain by going into total photographic indulgence. Actually, when we were here last year visiting RMG and our Granddaughter 2.2 who was studying in Madrid at the time, I was taken by the spectacular lighting of buildings and monuments and said I would love to do a photo shoot focusing on that. That is scheduled for tonight. Yesterday, we got started by wandering the location where we are staying which is right outside the City Center while making our way to the historic center and tourist black hole.  

I've never spent time in Madrid other than transiting in and out or seeing the relatives. It is a city that was spared the destruction from WWII so there is quite a bit that goes back a long way. It reminds me of Rome (which as an Airbnb host told us, "You don't have to look for stuff. You can just walk around and it will find you." So we started out just walking though generally pointing ourself towards the major sites in the city center/

Stuff on the way as we walked

 

 

 

 In a park, we ran into some kind of filming taking place

 

 

 In said park, we also found yet another Eurasian sub-species of Espouses Fotograficus, this time the sub-species Madrianos

 

 Study of Birds Bathing

Arriving

 Plunging 

 Up for air

 

 "Hey! You're Getting Me Wet!"

 

 "I'm outta here"

 "Finally. We can bathe in peace."

 All other birds

 The street signs in this area have been made artistic and very easy to read

 

 

Back in prosperity...the return of scaffolding!

 

 

 Complete with scaffolding gnomes

 

Back to our wandering 

 

 

 

 We enter streets with interesting art work on the retail shutters and restaurant walls

 

 

 

 

I don't think this establishment is aiming for my demographic

 

 Into Tourist Central, the Plaza Major

 

 Mobbed but a great place for candid photos

 

 

 

 The Photographer's Girlfriend Series

"Hun. It didn't turn out."

"Let me take a look"

 

"Ah well, you need to be doing this, this and this, not to mention you forgot that, that, and that"

 

"AGGH Leave me alone!" 

 

Wife and I are never like this

Leaving the Plaza Major, wandering again

 

 

 

We ate something. It started to rain. We made it back to the apartment 

 Signs of the World

Don't abuse the Poop!