Replete as I am with bedding, a large, three-speed fan (best 18 euros I ever spent), and now flatmates too, I’m starting to feel more at home here. And Madrid itself is becoming more familiar too. I live right in the centre of the city, next to the Plaza Mayor and 5 minutes from La Puerta del Sol. Although a little touristy in parts, it’s a nice area and convenient to get anywhere in the city.

One of my favourite places in the city so far is El Parque del Retiro, a massive park out east. It’s famed for its boating lake, which is very picturesque, but that’s not the only thing worth checking out. On the far side of the park is a fountain with a statue of the fallen angel, as depicted in Dante’s Inferno. The story goes that it’s the only public monument in the world…