Prosperidad

Prosperidad is a neighborhood very close to mine, within easy walking distance. Today I will take you on a little walk through this neighborhood.

When I moved to Madrid the largest city that I had ever lived in was Memphis, TN. I know because I just checked it's size. But Memphis is nowhere near the estimated population of the almost 5 million people of Madrid. I am finally admitting to myself that a good portion of the culture shock that I am still experiencing with this move has to do with suddenly living next to so, many, people. I try very hard not to think very much of the mountains and wide open spaces, because I do not want the claustrophobic feeling to set in.

I am probably freshly re-realizing this now because of the population of Madrid pouring back into the city from Summer vacation. In the first part of August it is spooky. There is a significant cut in the population. You start wondering if the apocalypse has happened and that you did not notice because you were not watching the news. Gradually you get used to the lack of people and business hours. Then September comes and, BOOM, there are people everywhere.

There is no where to go where there are not a lot of people.

This is not a bad thing, per say. It is just going to be something that I might never get used to, and to feel comfortable around. I think that I could be perfectly happy living in the country with no one around. But maybe I am just thinking that because it is the opposite of what I have now.

So today I present my"dream neighborhood" of Madrid. I so wish that I coud live here. This neighborhood is right in the middle of the Madrid area, but it is a quiet, cute little neighborhood filled with adorable houses that all have gardens.

I know that I am not adequately capturing the peace and beauty of this area. For one thing I was shy about taking pictures of peoples houses while they were standing there.

 But there are flowers everywhere, most of the houses are different, and house sized (not tall apartment buildings). 

There are little alley ways to the houses that cars are not allowed in.

There are tiny little plazas.

There are quiet, shaded side streets.

At the price tag of about 1 million per house, this is not a dream to come true any time soon, but a girl can walk and dream, and for a little while escape the hustle of the city to pretend that she is in a little pueblo in the countryside.