Just Visiting: Madrid, Spain

I went to Madrid a few days after my law school graduation with almost no plan.

I had flights booked, a place to stay, and family to visit, but beyond that, nothing was mapped out. No itinerary, no list of must-see places, no real expectations for what the trip would be.

For a long time, I had gotten used to doing things with a clear purpose. Days were usually planned around something—an event, a schedule, a reason. This wasn’t like that.

This time, I was just going.

And most days, that’s exactly what I did.

We walked. A lot. (Shout out to my Dr. Scholl’s sneakers). Through different neighborhoods, down streets I couldn’t name, past places I didn’t look up beforehand. We stopped when something looked interesting. Ate secret cookies baked by nuns in an Abbey (delicious). Sat when we felt like it. Talked to people when the moment allowed it.

There wasn’t any pressure to see everything.

And because of that, I started noticing more.

I noticed how people moved through their day without rushing. How long conversations lasted. How meals weren’t something to get through, but something to sit in. I noticed how much of the experience came from simply being present in a place, not trying to optimize it. (And how people truly don’t even think about starting their evening until about 8 pm — tough for a morning girl).

And somewhere in all of that, something clicked for me.

I realized how much I genuinely love experiencing places this way. Not through a checklist or a perfectly planned itinerary, but through walking, observing, asking questions, and being open to whatever the day turns into.

It felt simple, but it also felt important.

Because for a while, I had made things more complicated than they needed to be. I had started to believe that everything needed structure, direction, a clear outcome. Something I will always struggle with, if I am transparent.

This trip didn’t have that.

And it ended up being one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had.

Not because of anything big or dramatic, but because it reminded me of something I don’t want to lose again—that I love being in new places, learning how people live, encountering stories, studying history, and experiencing a culture by actually stepping into it, not just looking at it.

Sometimes, it really is as simple as walking around and paying attention.

bytaylormcgee