CWT Journal – August 14, 2026 / Madrid

After a morning of homeschool, we headed into central Madrid and visited the Puerta de Alcalá, one of the city's most famous landmarks. King Carlos III commissioned the monumental gateway in the 1770s to replace an older entrance to Madrid; completed in 1778, it once literally marked the road leading east toward Alcalá de Henares.

From there we wandered the streets of Madrid until hunger led us to a fantastic tapas bar. The girls continued their increasingly adventurous European eating streak with octopus and steak, and we finished with what Dad declared the best bread pudding he'd ever eaten.

Then it was back home, feet up, and another episode of The Rings of Power. Homeschool, Spanish history, tapas, and Middle-earth—not a bad school day.