The one week I spent in Madrid was the last leg of five weeks of travel.
After nine-to-ten hours of air travel, going through two high security airports, upon arriving in Madrid and taking the Metro from Barajas airport to the Atocha Train Station, exchanging money and obtaining a Spain SIM card for phone, I was tired and worn by the time I arrived at the entrance to Blanca's apartment building.
When I arrived, Blanca was in the middle of a meal. Without second thought she and her partner invited me to join them at the table. She prepared a very welcome plate of hot food for me and for the next hour-plus we sat conversing.
Blanca's Iberian, Spanish, Latin hospitality, warmth of welcome was immediately palpable, down to earth and refreshing. Blanca was and exceptional host during my one week stay. Although she lives a busy life, she always took time to assure that I was comfortable, did not lack for anything and went out of her way to give directions, travel advise and to make herself available by phone and messaging should anything arise. Most days I would have had the apartment to myself if I had cared to stay indoors while in Madrid.
Blanca's apartment was spotlessly clean. As shown in the Airbnb photo, it has lots of natural sunlight streaming through the windows.. The living room and kitchen were uncluttered and she has furnished her apartment with artistic good taste. There is one shared bathroom. It was clean and the shower always had hot water. In summary, her apartment always had a very “fresh” and comfortable feel to it.
The room she provided was well lit, had plenty of closet space and the bed was comfortable. I had full access to the kitchen, utensils and a shelf was cleared in the refrigerator for my use. There is also a washing machine for clothes.
My next to last day the weather abruptly changed. The rain and cold caught me off guard and unprepared while visiting Segovia for the day. As a result, I started to catch a cold. Immediately and without asking Blanca supplied me with sufficient cold remedies to make my last day in Madrid comfortable as well as extra for my trip home to USA.	I can not find sufficient kind words to describe the Iberian spirit of warmth and hospitality displayed by Blanca. Her apartment was clean, fresh, had an artist's decor and is centrally located to the major art museums, the Parque de Retiro, Madrid's Atocha Train Station and a five minute walk from the Metros Yellow Line #3 Palos de la Frontera stop. For my last week after a month of travel, I could not have wished for better luck in finding a comparable place, with a more gracious host for my stay in Madrid.	Blanca, certainly helped to make my stay in Madrid pleasant, hassle free and memorable. If you are considering travel to Madrid, I highly recommend without hesitation you consider choosing to stay at Blanca's Airbnb.
Thank you!
Ernest Ochoa