Madrid!

One of the reasons we moved to England was the opportunity it provided to travel around Europe. The question posed to us most frequently was, "where will you go first?" Frankly, we did not know. You are probably wondering how Madrid ended up being our first trip. At the advice of some great friends, we kept our weekends open and stayed on the lookout for last minute internet deals. So there you have it, Madrid was our first internet deal.

Madrid is the heart and soul of Spain. It is home to the Prado museum, Presidential Palace, and some of the best, if not the best, tapas bars in the world.  

View from our hotel which was near Plaza Mayor and Plaza del Sol

Our first Spanish breakfast. Cafe con leche and churros. Rory had Spanish ham and eggs with a Coca-Cola.

Plaza Mayor

Mercado de San Miguel. An indoor market that was a little slice of heaven.

Mercado de San Miguel

The market had numerous walk-up bars. When in Spain do as the Spanish do! 

 

 

Rory enjoying his Prosecco.

The Palace

The architecture in Madrid was stunning. I forced Rory to pose.

Instead of going out to dinner we decided to embark on a tapas bar crawl. Tapas are a small plate, or appetizer. Tapas are not just food but a way of life for the Spanish. It is not uncommon to go to 3-4 tapas bars in a single evening. Eating, drinking, and socializing at each stop. 

The first stop on our tapas tour was La Tourina Cerveria. Locals gather to watch bullfighting is this themed bar. The walls are decorated with actual stuffed bull heads, photographs, and elaborate tile paintings.

Nom nom nom nom.

Patatas bravas (Potatoes with red chili sauce) and pimentos de Padron (sauteed green peppers) at Casa Toni. 

Sweet house red wine at La Casa del Abuelo

We also sampled the famous gambas al ajillo (shrimp in oil and garlic) at La Casa del Abuelo. There is a reason those little shrimp are famous. They were dangerously good.

After our tapas bar crawl we were feeling quite confident in our ability to communicate in Spanish. We didn't have to point to our Spanish-English dictionary once! The following morning we wandered the back alleys of Madrid to find a "local" breakfast joint in an effort to stretch our Spanish language skills. I confidently ordered a coffee and breakfast pastry, and Rory ordered a chocolate croissant and orange juice. The waitress even said "muy bien," after I ordered as if to compliment my excellent language skills. The waitress brought us green tea, espresso, and a sealed chocolate donut (no orange juice). Muy bien indeed.

One of the many streets off of Plaza del Sol. Shopping, shopping, shopping!

Plaza del Sol

Yes, ham is sold "by the leg."

It wouldn't be a trip to Spain without a Flamenco show. A lot of stomping, clapping and brooding looks.

Al Hambra - our favorite stop.

Cheers!