madrid – PigTailz

I had my first summer to trip to Madrid. The weather was absolutely perfect. This is a novelty post.

First stop was lunch at a restaurant next to the AirBnB. The food was mediocre but the ceiling was absolutely amazing.

Next up was El Parque de Retiro. Absolutely beautiful day for wandering.

There is a rubber duck store. Like an actual store with nothing but tiny rubber ducks right in the Plaza Mayor.

I walked past some interesting store fronts. I love the ice cream cat so much. And who goes to a museum for ham??

The monuments and buildings were beautiful in the sun

What I remember most about this trip were the colors. Everything was so vibrant. I stopped at Mercado de la Cebada to look around and maybe grab a snack. I bought these cherries that were so ripe and sweet and red. So very dark red. My fingers were stained with juice. And the bright red fruit, the blue sky, the white monuments.

Then there was a cafe with this little drink garden! It was nearly impossible to sit and not wobble the coffee off the table, but it was so cute I did not even care.

Since moving to Spain, I have been on a quest for decent Mexcian or even Tex-Mex food. You would think there would be more food representing the various colonies. And there is a HUGE population of Central and South American immigrants. I found this really amazing looking restaurant in Malasaña.

Absolutely adorable, but the food was a big NOPE by traditional standards. If you are looking for 20 flavors of Margarita and some hipster taco with mayo based dressings this is your place.

I did at least find one place that serves a traditional US meal.

Then there were the creepies…

The summer trip to Madrid concluded with a trip to the Rastro. This was absolutely crazy. The entire city becomes a huge flea market. What is being sold is divided by district. I think my favorite was the antiques district.

Seemingly unconnected story time… I had been helping create a garden and installing a stone path. I planted too many lettuces and the stone path, jokingly, became known as ¨calle de las lechugas¨. I was walking along and discovered that Calle de la Lechuga is a real street! The vendors in Madrid have tiny versions of the street signs for sale, so I spent the rest of my trip hunting for a miniature version of this street sign. It was not available anywhere! Not even online!

And the cautionary tale… I am accustomed to travel in the bigger cities, but it was my first time being pickpocketed. The Rastro was so packed. I could feel someone attempting to open a zipper in my bag while I paid for a key chain. They didn´t have time to access anything besides the outermost pocket. And of course, I did not put anything there. Actually I don´t put anything valuable in the backpack when I am going. So … I was fine, but be careful.

Also… my daughter grabbed the rosemary. If you have not been to the big cities, do not touch anything people try to give you. It is not free. Within 2 seconds, the women with the rosemary separated my daughter and I. I basically ended up paying to get back to my daughter. It was more than I could afford. Be careful with that.

So this time, the destination was “Spain.” No, not just a city in Spain, but “Spain.” We drove to Chicago, flew from Chicago to Madrid, Madrid to Santiago, and took a week long road trip from Santiago de Compostela to Castellon.
We arrived in Madrid around 9AM local time, which was about 3AM Michigan time. We were a little tired, but ready to start the adventure. Our first stop was, of course, coffee and Spanish hot chocolate at La Lonja del Mar. My first cortado was divine, and my Tiny Grown Up was thrilled by what appears to be a hot cup of chocolate pudding with our first ever churros. We also shared a goat cheese salad. Everything was delicious, and even being right in the midst of the tourist district, the prices were very reasonable by American standards. We sat on the patio and watched the magpies and parrots in the Plaza de Oriente.

Our next stop was across the plaza. So we bothered the birds a little as we made our way to the palace. Many rooms were preserved with the period furniture, art, and sculpture. Other rooms were made into a museum hosting reliquaries, intricate tapestries, and religious art. My favorite was the armory. It featured weapons and armor preserved from many generations of kings. The horses had their own, very elaborate, armor, which was displayed on statues throughout the room. Photos weren’t allowed inside, but we did manage to snap a few when it was acceptable.

Next stop was the Parroquia de Santa Maria. Beautiful place, but we didn’t snap too many pictures inside. It always seems strange to take photos while people are actively engaged in worship.

Of course we needed more coffee and hot chocolate to continue on our journey.

We ended the first day with a shopping and dinner at a large market. We avoided most of the tourist shops, and spent our money on local foods and experiences instead. I did come home with a clay bull of course.

We woke up early to avoid the lines at the Museo Nacional del Prado. Again, no photos allowed inside, but I enjoyed not having my camera in front of me for the whole trip. The food inside the museum was a touch pricey, but actually very good. We managed to catch an exhibition of Goya’s sketches while we were there. It was all pretty amazing. I think it would take a couple of days to make it all the way through everything, so I won’t bother listing everything we saw. If you’re interested, details of the collection can be found here.

Immediately behind the Prado was a wonderful park and I cannot wait to visit again in summer. Even in amidst the bare trees of fall, Real Jardin Botanico had some beautiful blooms, citrus trees, begonias, and camellias. There was a rock garden, a wishing path, and some lovely indoor greenhouses filled with water plants, hanging plants, and cacti.

And… more hot chocolate.

We spent our last night adventuring in Malasaña. We went shopping at PopLand and Chopper Monster. And I was somehow inspired to purchase had made one of a kind heels from ioli.

Although I’m mostly a vegetarian, I’m not typically inclined toward vegan foods, and definitely not avocados as anything more than a garnish, but I was genuinely impressed with Avocado Love. The seating was a little cramped where they sat us, but the lighting more than made up for it.