20 May 2017. The eve of the Vicente Calderón’s last league match. The first time I stepped into Madrid’s embrace under the twilight.
01The Manzanares, Madrid
By the river
The photograph is where this part of the archive begins: the Calderón beside the river, in the last light of the evening. A place I had followed from a distance was finally in front of me.
The journey towards it had begun years earlier, with the 2014 Champions League final. Even after that defeat, something about Atlético stayed with me.
02Then / now
Still looking for an answer
I am still trying to understand why that match moved me so much. Perhaps that is part of what travelling is for: carrying a question into another city, meeting people, and letting the answer remain unfinished.
For now, this is a prologue. The river, the stadium, and a photograph to return to.