PHOTO-A-DAY CHALLENGE
Family Time, Daily Walks, and La Cabalgata de Los Reyes Magos
Week 1 of my life in photos
A bit over five years ago, my supervisor at the time gifted me a five-year One Line A Day memory notebook, and though initially, I couldn’t quite remember to add an entry regularly, by the second year, I looked forward to jotting down brief thoughts and reflections as I wrapped up each day.
Per the instructions, I could have started my entries as soon as I got the journal — I just needed to turn to the current date, fill in the year at the top of the page’s first entry, and start writing.
Me being me, however, a person who thoroughly enjoys jumping into things at the beginning of a year, a month, or a week, as arbitrary as those beginnings may be, I waited until January 1st, 2019, to start my one-line-a-day journaling.
This year, I started a brand new five-year memory book, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to accompany the writing with a photographic version.
As soon as I found out about the photo-a-day challenge through Anne Bonfert and Dennett’s submissions, I thought of it being the perfect photo companion to the one-line-a-day memory book.
Of course, I had to wait until January 1st to get started, especially since the 1st of the year happened to be on a Monday. Even after 20+ years of living in the US, for me, the week starts on a Monday :)
So here I go!
I woke up on Monday, January 1st, to a world blanketed in thick fog, but by the time I had breakfast with my sister and nephews, the sun broke through, and I rallied up the gang to go out for a new year’s walk.
Knowing that my four-year-old nephew loves trains (all manner of transportation, really), I suggested a trip to Aluche, a barrio of Madrid with a lovely park and a manmade lake not far from the train station.
The multiple playgrounds around offered plenty of opportunities for my nephews to play, and we also enjoyed sitting down on the grass, munching on snacks and watching the ducks bathe in the water.
Before we headed back to the apartment, we stopped by a stand next to the station and grabbed way too many sweet treats: baklava, candied fruit, and lokum (aka Turkish delight). I love the holidays in Europe! Sweet treats everywhere, no matter the weather.
On Tuesday, January 2, the beautiful blue sky from the day before was nowhere to be seen, and after spending the morning inside — which can be quite the chaos with the high-energy one-year-old and four-year-old boys — my sister and I knew we had to go outside.
Luckily, the Madrid suburb my sister’s family lives in features Tres Aguas, a shopping center of sorts but much more entertaining than most shopping centers I’ve been to in the US. Around the holidays, it hosted tons of free activities for children, which made it a perfect destination on a gloomy, rainy winter day.
We enjoyed a magic show, met the three wise men, rode on a sleigh (inside the center!), and admired the festive decorations. Fun was had all around.
In Tres Aguas’ outdoor section, a mini holiday market added to the festive atmosphere with colorful displays of winter items (gloves, hats, scarves), jewellery, cotton candy, and candied nuts and fruits.
As the sun set and the drizzle intensified, we walked back to the apartment for more indoor chaos before the young ones went to sleep. I then did a bit of reading, a bit of writing, and a bit of work. Though I technically took the week off, as a contractor, there’s always a task I could be getting ahead on.
On Wednesday, January 3rd, the gloom and rain continued, and though we went out for a walk, I didn’t really think about taking photos.
We took care of grocery shopping, and I went out separately to finalize gift shopping for the Day of the Three Wise Men, a huge holiday in Spain as I recently learned, a holiday most children here look forward to for gifts from the three wise men.
The rain really came down on Thursday, January 4. Undeterred, the whole gang ventured outside for our daily walk, and with his new rain boots, the four-year-old managed to jump in all the puddles we came across.
In an effort to avoid the busier roads, we took a turn into what looked like a dead-end street but found ourselves in a quiet neighborhood we hadn’t explored yet. I love when that happens.
Friday, January 5, was by far the busiest and most fun day of this first week of 2024. The sun was back, but a strong wind made the day colder than I’d have liked it.
Despite the chill, I started the day by taking my older nephew on a bus trip to the nearby Museum of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a free museum at the Cuatro Vientos Air Base.
As I mentioned, he loves all manner of transportation and the sunny weather was perfect for exploring the many planes and helicopters displayed outdoors and across seven hangars. When the four-year-old is happy and entertained, I am happy and entertained.
After an afternoon of playing indoors, the entire family ventured outside to watch and enjoy La Cabalgata de los Reyes, an annual parade that takes place before the Day of the Three Wise Men (Dia de los Reyes Magos).
Waiting for the parade to begin, we were greeted to a gorgeous sunset.
Dia de los Reyes, celebrated on January 6, is a massive holiday in Spain. I’d never heard of it until my sister moved to live in Madrid.
Children especially love the holiday as they receive tons of gifts, similar to how the three wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus. I get the feeling that this holiday is much bigger than Christmas.
Several streets are closed for the parade, and crowds of parents and children gather early on. One tradition associated with the parade is the throwing of candy on the gathered audience. I noticed that many had umbrellas, turning them upside down to collect more candy.
With family members living in an apartment along one of the streets, we opted to stay indoors this year, watching the parade from up high. My older nephew had gone with his father the year before and had a rough time with the crowd and the candy hitting him on the head (though not a problem at all with eating said candy!).
The cabalgata marks the arrival of the three wise men, who will then be delivering gifts overnight. It consists of multiple floats shining bright with lights and featuring all manner of characters. Music, dancing, and performers make the entire experience lots of fun.
After the packed day before, I took it easy on Saturday, January 6, and only ventured out for a lovely time in the sun with my nephews, one riding his bike, the other chasing after a ball. Since the day was a holiday, everything was closed, and there were hardly any other people out and about. I think most celebrated inside with their families.
On Sunday, January 7, the weather was even more pleasant with the wind gone, the sun out, and high temperatures of 12C (53F). My sister, nephews, and I went for a longer walk around their neighborhood, eventually settling in one of the many playgrounds in the area to make, chase after, and burst giant soap bubbles.
All in all, it was a pretty good start to the year for me. It’s been both more relaxed and chaotic when spending it with my nephews. That said, I’m grateful for remote work, which allows me to visit my sister and nephews for longer periods. Let’s see how the next week goes!
