Madrid is always buen rollo
I bought a T-shirt in a Madrid store called dear tee. The collection of shirts had fun prints, all designed in Madrid, made in Portugal. The white shirt I settled on is emblazoned with Madrid is always buen rollo. I didn’t know exactly what buen rollo meant when I chose it. It sounded positive. The salesperson explained the best translation was “good vibes”.
It fits. The T-shirt, yes. The expression, absolutely. In the short time I have spent in Madrid, I got that feeling. Good vibes. Is it always good vibes? Well, close enough. Printed words on a T-shirt are allowed to exaggerate for impact. Madrid is a big city. It’s got masses of people. At times you can hardly shuffle through the crowds (like on the main thoroughfare Gran Vía), and you regularly have to shimmy past large garbage and recycling bins on the narrow sidewalks (that’s how garbage collection works, residents sort and deposit their refuse in these bins rather than home collection). But these are small inconveniences.
Generally, well-trodden places, like historic taverns or weathered facades, are well taken care of. It’s easy to duck into a quiet street to escape a busy one. If a place is packed, like a popular restaurant at lunch time or a bustling plaza, there is usually a fun atmosphere. The vibe is good times.
A couple days after buying the T-shirt, this precise expression came to mind when I visited Temple de Debod. The 2nd century temple was donated to Spain from the Egyptian government to save it from floods during the construction of a dam. In 1972, the temple was dismantled, transported to Madrid, and reconstructed stone by stone. Its location on the elevated Parque Montaña keeps its original east to west orientation.
My Spanish teacher told me it was a good place to see the sunset. It’s something she likes to do when in Madrid.
This time of day is called atardecer. Dusk. It is a wonderful moment to be out in Madrid. The sky glows then deepens to indigo. The city lights switch on and the architecture takes on a whole new look. Like the soft glow of candlelight everything looks better. The streets and plazas seem to come alive, even more, as people emerge for an evening out.
The sunset at Temple de Debod was beautiful. The temple slowly illuminated as the sky turned pink and orange. More than a pretty sunset however, it was the good atmosphere that left an impression. There was music playing, groups of friends chatting, couples walking arm in arm, people chilling out reading a book. On one side of the temple, people lined up along a railing watching the sunset with the Royal Palace in the distance. On the other side, kids were playing on swings, laughing, and running about in the large playground.
It was like a party. A chill party. Everyone welcome. Hanging out encouraged.
Buen rollo. Good vibes.
