Madrid - reloaded
Last year I blogged about Madrid, which has mysteriously vanished and got lost somewhere in the Matrix… Pictures and text was safely stored on my computer though, so here it is again:
Hola Madrid!
Last weekend I was lucky enough to fly to Madrid. It was my first time in Spain (if you leave out one childhood vacation which I don’t remember at all) and I felt very adventurous. Mostly because I am not used to being in a country whose language I don’t speak and it is such a weird feeling when you can’t communicate. You become very good in smiling and pointing though.
We were visiting friends who live right in the centre. The first night we went out to explore the tapas bars in their area. I might not have to stress how fantastic these were and can just leave it up to your imagination. But just in case: They were FANTASTIC! Mostly because there were only locals around us since tourists often don’t find their way into the regular living areas of a city. In the first one we had tostas which are similar to tapas but they are mostly all on a piece of baguette so you can eat them easily while standing and holding your glass of wine. You just keep ordering what you like and tell the waiter later what you had.
Then we went on to the next bar where we had our first Serrano Ham (there was lots more to come) and octopus which was delicious. It was a very buzzing atmosphere, everybody was enjoying a glass of wine and talking.On Saturday we started to explore the city. When I don’t have much time in one place I like to have just a general idea about where to go and then stroll around.
We also wanted to explore the shopping possibilities, after all Christmas is coming up. The inner city is very good for shopping and if you prefer to have it all under one roof try the department store El Corte Inglés. There are different ones around and if you are looking for presents this is a good place to go. We also bought a paella pan along with tapas plates and bistrot wine glasses for ourselves there.
El Corte Inglés
Hermosilla, 112
28009 Madrid
We didn’t have much luck with the weather, but that gives you just another excuse to go in somewhere and try more specialities. In the afternoon we were quite exhausted and felt like having a coffee somewhere. We came across this absolutely packed place which can be described as a tapas bar just for coffee and cakes. You stand at the bar, order your coffee and point to any of the little white dishes with a variety of cakes on them. They had a sitting room upstairs but that was full already and we were happy anyway to be in the middle of the buzz. Definitely a must-try-when-in-Madrid!
La Mallorquina, S.L.
Puerta del Sol, 8 Mayor, 2
Phone: 91 521 12 01
After having dinner in the inner city our host promised to show us two bars he liked. Both of them are quite hidden and you have to know where they are, otherwise you might walk by without noticing.
The first one was absolutely fabulous, my Dry Martini was superb and the setting couldn’ have been more amazing. It seemed to be an old theater and the bar is on the stage with a wide open space above you instead of a sealing! There was a sitting area as well which must have been the stalls of the theater once. You stand up there at the bar overlooking the rest. Who would have thought as the simple outside looked like this:
The second one was a Cuban bar which was different but very good as well. You actually had to walk into a regular appartment building and then find the bar at the first floor. Very smokey as I imagine cuban bars to be, and a very lively atmosphere. If you walk by a front door like this, it might be worth checking out the first floor:
Unfortunately I promised not to reveal their destinations, so they will remain special.
On Sunday we took a stroll in the park and headed towards the Prado Museum. It is free on Sundays and was packed in a very casual, relaxed way. I liked that but it also made me not want to stay very long because there are so many people moving around and standing in front of you. If you are in
Museo Nacional Del Prado
Paseo del Prado s/n.
28014 MadridPhone: 91 330 28 00
And full of all these impressions we headed back home to London!