Madrid Tourists

Madrid, Spain: The first night of sleep after warp-speeding into the future is always difficult, but we managed to fall asleep easily... then wake in the middle of the night for a bit... then sleep like hibernating bears until 9a. Maybe we are on the Spanish schedule now? Late diners, mid-day rests? It made no difference for our schedule today because we had no schedule today. There are several things we want to see in Madrid, but anything that requires a ticket or reservation will be for another day. Today we will just stroll, admire, photograph, and hopefully find a few more potatoes nice things to eat.

Dave went to the "open 24/7/365" fitness center in the basement of our hotel and tried to use his room key card to access the facility (which he reported was completely empty and absolutely tiny). The door would not open, so he returned to our room and we gathered up our things and hit the streets just as shops were opening and people were on sidewalk tables sipping espresso, instead of the sangria of last evening. We did not need sweaters today - the weather was simply perfect.

Just a few minutes from our hotel is Plaza Mayor, the largest public square in Madrid, it was built in 1580 when King Felipe III was in charge. There is a larger-than-life statue of Felipe in the center of the square.

There was a lot going on in the plaza this morning. Many tour groups, more espresso sipping from the many cafes lining the square. The perimeter is filled with bars, cafes and shops of all types under covered walkways.

Next on our ramble was a visit to Mercado San Anton. Obviously once an actual open food market, today the stalls are filled with quick bites - anything from a zillion tapas selections, to pastries, charcuterie, cheeses, ice cream, deep-fried seafood of all types, oysters, sandwiches, and fresh fruits to-go-in-a-cup. I even saw Spanish tapas served in a Chinese bao bun. (People are so clever.)

We each had a little pastry and continued on toward the Cathedral Santa Maria La Real de la Almudena:

The church must be very popular as it was swarmed with school tours. We were trying to reach the building behind the cathedral - the Royal Palace:

Between the two buildings is a large plaza, which was also filled with school groups and the usual people dressed as comic book characters, or Mickey Mouse, or Superman so you can pose with them for a fee. Today was the first time we had ever seen a giant ape costume. Definitely the best costume I've come across in a tourist town.

On the far side of the plaza is a view out across Madrid, to snow-covered mountains in the distance.

There is much to see inside the palace and I snapped way-too-many photos. Please enjoy the ones selected below with captions (as I need a siesta).

After paying a ridiculously low (coz we are old) 7€ fee to enter the beautiful palace, the entrance is an amazing set of stairs in an "enclosed balcony" overlooking the main staircase. At the top of the staircase is a statue of King Charles IV, presented as Caesar. (Why?)

King Juan Carlos I abdicated in the Hall of Columns (photos below). The walls of this room are hung with tapestries depicting the Acts of the Apostles and has a statue of Charles V Subduing Fury, as one does. The ceiling fresco depicts the Birth of the Sun, 1762.

Exiting the palace, guests are bid adios by (a photo of) the King and Queen. Felipe VI has been king since 2014, when his father abdicated. The King of Spain is head of state, and commander in chief of the Spanish Armed Forces. The King and Queen have two daughters. Princess Leonor, born in 2005, is heir to the throne. A second daughter, Infanta Sofia, was born in 2007. PS: The royals do not reside in this Royal Palace, but live in a series of other palaces on the grounds of Zarzuela Palace, outside of town.

There is no need to mention my pedometer was working over-time after our visit to the palace. It was early-afternoon, so we re-traced our route and found a shady table in Plaza Mayor. Dave ordered tuna & potato salad and I ordered the famous Spanish omelet - a egg and sliced potato called tortilla (but not the type of tortilla usually found in our house).

Dave had another Damm beer and I ordered a gin & tonic, which sounded very refreshing in the warm afternoon. The server brought out a massive wine glass... (or maybe the size goblet a margarita would be served in?). It was filled with ice and a lemon wedge. He also had a bottle of tonic water and a bottle of Tanqueray gin. He opened the bottle of gin and asked me how much to pour in! My Dream Waiter! How funny. I have no idea if they charged by the ounce or what. It was 9€ on the cuenta.

Found a few fun things walking back to our hotel after lunch. We have seen men selling knock-off designer bags (Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, YSL) on the streets in many European cities. It is super illegal and we have also seen cops arrest buyers AND sellers. The guys always set their merchandise on a flat bed sheet, so they can quickly grab-up the corners, throw the goods over their back and slip-away if they see the police. Well, times have changed and the grifters have developed a set of cables attached to the corners of the sheets to make for a hastier retreat:

And it's not just Americans with angst:

After a nice rest in our hotel, My Driver decided we needed a good walk before dinner. He was right, and we did have an interesting stroll around our neighborhood near Plaza Mayor. There are so many alleys and small car-free streets that seem interesting. It probably would be so easy to get completely lost - but after only one day, we had the lay of the land. The evening was warm and we walked until we found the 45th restaurant we thought looked good and went inside. We ordered two appetizers: cod fritters and a burrata starter with rosemary-roasted tomatoes and olives.

We've had cod fritters prior and these were just as kinda-gummy as the rest. These cod fritters were not overly salty as they can sometimes be. The burrata salad was quite nice though.

Leo has been asking me to make Beef Wellington (like for three years or so) and I have been a Bad Bubbe and not obeyed his command. This restaurant has a specialty of of Beef Wellington (with veal!), served in a croissant. Genius, I tell you. Thinking this could be my ticket out of an expensive filet, I ordered the dish to share.

It was a bit over-cooked, but tender as bread. The sauce was lovely as well. I do need to make a proper Beef Wellington for my grandson.

Soooo... we should have probably gone off to bed after dinner, but OH NO, My Driver thought we should explore yet another little alleyway on the way back to our hotel. So much is going on in Madrid at night. The streets were filled with people heading out to dinner at 10p! (It's Wednesday!) We stopped into a little place that had a Health Department sticker advising it held 22 people. It was on a corner and the Barcelona football/soccer game was showing on a television. The bar had a menu with a small selection of tapas and an impressive line-up of cured ham hocks dripping oil onto the counter. I saw a bottle of Tanqueray gin above the bar, so we grabbed a table. Though the stool would have been too small for Lucile, we were seated at a table. Dave ordered a beer. I ordered a gin tonic with lemon. The bartender poured the gin into the ice-filled glass. And he kept pouring. And pouring. Finally, I had to say something. Stop. Alto. Suficiente. He was so friendly! They brought a plate of what I would usually call bar snacks to our table, but it was unlike any bar snack we have seen. It contained gummy candies.

While admiring the cured hams on display, My New Favorite Bartender asked if I would like to try anything. I said (in Spanish) that I do not eat pork. No problem, Senora, we have a dry-cured beef. But I sadly declined, as I had just eaten beef at dinner. A few seconds later two slivers of the beef were delivered to our table - and the amazing thing is they were dressed with WARM olive oil. It was life-altering.

After this experience, My Driver led me basically straight back to our hotel. We really had not walked that many miles today. My Fitbit is a bit confused as to time zones, but it looks like we walked 14,000 steps or so. I have synched it, so my pedometer knows we now are in a Spanish time zone. I'd worry about the lost steps, but I was sitting on a plane getting zero steps then.

All in all a very wonderful day in a very vibrant, friendly and well-fed city.

Until my next update, I remain, your dry-cured correspondent.

LINKS:
Weather in Madrid

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