Bookstores of Madrid

Hey there. My name is Cat(ie). I'm currently in Madrid, Spain, but am originally from Tampa, Florida, in the United States. Although most of my life has been in education, linguistics, and music, I've always been interested in travel. When I was a kid, my grandpa was the one to start my need to wander. He was a retired Air Force pilot, an engineer, and all around a great guy. He and my grandma had lived in so many places around the states, and continued traveling well into their old age and until he passed. Even before I went anywhere, I saw his photographs; of San Francisco before the internet had even been invented; the Maasai in Kenya; the Great Wall of China; gondola workers and mimes in Venice; art students in Portugal; their friends eating dinner while they sailed a charter through the French riviera. When I did start traveling, whether it was somewhere in-state, to a gulf-coast beach, college football game, or Disney, or across the nation, to Steamboat Springs in summer, Yellowstone National Park, Nantucket, or taking me to a summer camp in Auburn, Alabama, he was always there with me, or supporting from afar. I never got the chance to travel the world with him–he passed away in 2019–but in some way, his legacy has allowed and inspired me to explore it on my own. I've been traveling solo, domestically and abroad, for a bit now, but Madrid is the first (and only) city that I've moved to indefinitely. I first moved here in 2021 to be an English language teacher, following getting my TEFL certification. I had considered it before but never committed, but the pandemic gave me some time to pursue it. My reason for coming is pretty straightforward: the only other language I substantially knew besides (my native) English was Spanish. I just happened to be placed in Madrid, and the rest is history. Although I'm still teaching english and pursuing linguistics, I also do a bit of guiding around the city, whether it be my friends who visit, new CIEE recruits, or coffee enthusiasts (yes. check it out at @catscoffeetour). I've really fallen in love with Madrid and--at least, for the moment--consider it home. They don't joke about the whole "de Madrid al cielo" thing. So, as you can guess, most of my guides have to do with Madrid, or different areas in Spain. I might throw in a little Florida guide here or there. By no means have I traveled all of Madrid, or Spain, or Europe, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an expert–but I love sharing my knowledge and helping other people find really great places to visit that they may not have heard of or considered before. If you want to stay connected, reach out here, or follow me on instagram: @nampahceitac