Madrid - a city to remember?

August-September 2018

We arrived in Madrid just before 9am and had some time to kill before checking into our Airbnb. We wandered through the streets of the city which were quiet owing to it being Sunday morning. Madrid is a very grand and sweeping city with wide streets and stately buildings.

We had a coffee in Plaza Santa Anna where we were slightly shocked by the price - 4.40 for an espresso and macchiato - not Portugese prices! We also finished our final 5 pasteis de nata for a very tasty but not very Spanish breakfast on our first day back in the country.

Our apartment was in the Chueca area, with a tiny balcony virtually on the street level. We managed to check in early and relaxed for a while before getting some supermarket supplies for lunch - it felt like time for lighter food so we got bread, hummus, tomatoes for lunch and yoghurt and fruit for breakfast.

Accommodation in Chueca

We set out again to wander through the city for a couple of hours before our 7pm tapas tour. The tour took us to three great tapas places, where we tried Jamon croquettas (probably the standout dish) from Refra, Jamon iberico with bread and mushed tomatoes from Toma Jamon and mushrooms on toast with dry, almost bitter Asturian cider from Taberna de Los Angeles. All were very very tasty and we managed to keep dinner light (in terms of the amount of food) to give our stomachs a rest.

The next morning we had a free walking tour where the only other person on it was an older Aussie man. The tour was very good, and we went from Sol, around to the Plaza Mayor and through the old town, ending near the Royal Palace. One of the highlights was visiting Casa Botin, the (apparently) oldest restaurant in the world, opened in 1725 and visited by royalty, celebrities and major figures over the years. E.g. Ernest Hemingway, the Spanish king and queen, and the painter Goya worked there as a kitchenhand when he was a teenager.

 

The only sour note was at the end of the tour - when Rach gave the standard (for us) 10 euro tip as payment for the "free walking tour" the guide screwed up his face and looked disappointed - the first time it's happened. Since then I felt bad and thought in hindsight maybe we should have given more... never mind I guess!

I think that while visually impressive and still enjoyable, Madrid is my least favourite of Spanish cities we've visited. Malaga, San Sebastian and especially Seville felt like they had more history and had a different feel, Madrid feels bigger and in parts almost lacking something the others have, but I can't put my finger on it.

The next day was a relaxed start before dropping our bags at the hostel I'd booked for after Rach's departure to Ecuador for her South American diving adventure with Tony.  Then it was tapas for lunch near Plaza Mayor - calamari sandwich, tortilla and pastas bravas. I saw Rach off at La Latina station where she'd head to the airport, then Guyaquil, Ecuador to meet up with Tony.

I spent the afternoon first at a cafe in Tirso de Molina having a beer and a coffee while reading my book. Then I wandered around the city, northwards to the Debod temple, east through the very hip and interesting Malasena and Chueta, south and then east again to Retiro Park. 

I stayed in Retiro for a couple of hours reading and relaxing before heading to the Prado for free entry at 6pm. The queue was massive, several hundred metres long and it took about 40 minutes to get in. It was interesting inside to see the Goya and Velasquez works; but I really am not a museum or art person so an hour and a half was sufficient for me.

From there it was time for a bar hopping tapas dinner. I hit the following excellent places:

• Tinto y Tapas - delicious cheese and onion empanada and glass of wine. Olives as free tapas. 
• La Venencia - I didn't know this was exclusively a sherry place (ie no wine or beer) but it was probably my favourite. The menu of food and drinks was small and simple, and it had a great local feel to it. I had a glass first of Amontillado sherry - oaky, dry and slightly sweet on tongue. Good. Also a glass of Manzanilla - dry but not much else. Okay. Olives and nuts as free tapas
• Taberna Almeria - two red wine glasses and free tapas of bread, ham and cheese with each.

La Venencia

La Venencia

I noticed that unlike Seville and Malaga you are virtually guaranteed free food with a drink here. And tonight was a set of three good quality places to eat and drink. I felt Madrid had somewhat redeemed itself with my tapas experience that night!

I spent my final morning having a coffee again at the nearby Tierso de Molina, wandering around the city again near Plaza Mayor and Sol, then down to Lavapies (not much to see there) before finishing with a final tapas of delicious cod cake near Plaza Mayor. Then it was off to Nice, France, to meet up with my friend Bruce for further French, Italian and Croatian adventures!