(Kenzie Kelly, May 26, 2024, Retiro Park)
This photo was taken one day in Retiro Park during my abroad experience in Madrid, Spain.
Pictured in this Spring scene is a community band that came together to play and practice in the park.
They started as only 3 musicians, but as more and more people straggled in the band continued to
grow and attract the attention of tourists and locals alike. I had been sitting in the park with a few of
my friends from the study abroad program when the scene started to form in front of us. Retiro Park,
especially in the Spring, shows the incredible vitality of local life. People from around Madrid center
would flock to these greens everyday to participate in workout classes, birthday celebrations, family
picnics, roller blading, street hockey, pickup soccer or strolls with friends, to name a few. Just a five
minute walk from my host family’s stay, I found myself in the park almost every day to people watch
and organize with friends as well. On this particular day, we had laid out blankets to read under the
shady trees and with the band performing we watched as more and more people migrated towards the
scene and set up their own blankets to watch. I found myself marveling at the sense of community that
the park was able to provide. Oftentimes as I walked through I would notice strangers banding
together to create a larger soccer game, locals taking photos for the tourists posed in the rose garden, or
watch class school groups enter the Prado Museum located just across the street from the park. With
the exception of maybe Central Park in New York City, I had never really experienced such a vibrant
green space in the center of a city that was truly utilized and appreciated in the way Retiro is.
Furthermore, I found that the constant usage of the park plays into a bigger dynamic in
Madrid. The locals there seemed to have a real knowledge of the spaces around them and made
consistent efforts to learn and engage with their communities. This phenomenon was clear through the
popularity of museums, neighborly chats, or apartment-wide events, but it was most prominent
through asking questions to the locals. In every interaction I had, and at every wrong turn I made in
the park or the city center, a local was not only able to provide seamless directions to my next
destination but also to offer a fun fact or brief history lesson about where we stood or where I was
headed. This enjoyment to engage with their surroundings and to share Madrid’s vibrancy with friends
and strangers alike was encapsulated in this musical scene. Locals and tourists came from every
direction and some even walked over to dance or sing along to the band’s songs. There was an
inclusivity and enjoyment that was shared by each participant and, luckily for us, rubbed off on the
spectators. As the makeshift band practiced their setlist, people clapped, FaceTimed their friends so
they could share the scene, and enjoyed the people watching of this local group.
