If it weren’t for the photos and a sliver of lingering jetlag, I’d think last week’s 48 hours in Spain were a daydream.  A really, really incredible daydream. Madrid is completely ‘preciosa’ and Coldplay put on the concert of all concerts with their American Express Unstaged show.

While the concert was absolutely the icing on the cake, everything about the whirlwind adventure was incredible. American Express Canada: you rocked my world. From the plush car whisking me to the airport to meet my travel mates in the premium lounge at Pearson airport (available exclusively to Platinum Cardmembers), to saying a sad adios to the charming staff of our slick hotel, every moment was special.

In addition to the Amex Personalized Travel Services team planning our departure and accommodations, the Amex Concierge service opened up doors to fabulous restaurants, off-the-beaten-path shopping and cute cafes. While Madrid is a beautiful and easy city to wander, having some inside advice on where to eat, drink, shop and play made the experience smoother than Spain’s famed sangria.

If you haven’t checked out the concert yet, thanks to the smart folks at VEVO and YouTube, it is still right here for your viewing pleasure. The charisma and energy coming off of that stage was palpable in person and you can glean some of it from this video. I promise. When Coldplay first took to the stage, the entire crowd at Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas went bananas. I took in my surroundings and had to pragmatically remind myself I was standing in the sand, mere feet from Coldplay onstage in an open-air bullring. Unreal.

This concert was the sixth installment of the American Express Unstaged music series – and the first show in a venue outside of the United States. If I’m lucky enough, I’ll be updating you on the seventh installment, wherever it is in this great wide world.

Signed, the luckiest woman in the world,
Karen Cleveland