Finally the day we have waited 30 years for arrives. Our travel to O'Hare and through security is seamless. We even have time for a drink before we board.
Our flight is easy...even comfortable. I sleep for most of it. Mike not so much. Soon we will see Lily. We're excited. Viva Espana!
Madrid was the perfect introduction to Spain. It's quaint and lively at the same time, rich in history, art and tradition, easily navigable, yet full of sweet spots and surprises. It's a big city with small city vibes. We flew overnight and arrived during siesta so we obliged. Our first post-nap stop was El Mercado de San Miguel for a little happy hour: olives that tasted like butter and 4 Euro chatas of wine...two of my faves. Every city has at least one market, and they are always bustling. When in doubt, it's the place to go for a snack or a meal or just to people watch.
Mike did some searching and found the cutest little place nearby for dinner and luckily they were able to fit us in. The signature dish of Meson de Champinon is the mushroom and of course, we had to order them along with some other tapas. Small plates are my favorite way to eat. A little of this, a little of that. Every bite is different and thus completely satisfying. The food was so good and the atmosphere festive. The Spanish guido in the NY tee belting out Sinatra with the organ player was great entertainment. A post dinner walkabout lead to Plaza Mayor, which was nothing if not charming under the crescent moon. Plazas are another brilliant city staple throughout all of Spain.
Day two, which was really day one, started where the night before ended in Plaza Mayor. We met up with Lexi for the start of a walking tour of the city. Lily turned us onto doing this when visiting a place for the first time. I found Lexi online and just knew she would be fun. It was a small group tour (about 20 people) that felt intimate. She was entertaining and informative in equal measure, which makes sense because she's a Brit and an erstwhile history teacher. And if I lived in Madrid, I would want to be her friend. We ended the trek on a hill standing in the founder's footsteps looking out on the Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace with a perfect view to show us Madrid truly is in the middle of nowhere. Lexi sent us on a solo walking tour through Madrid to La Macarena in La Malasana neighborhood for a lovely late lunch. It was a local spot a bit off the beaten path. Local spots are the best spots especially when vetted by someone you'd hang out with, break pan with, drink vino with.
Said vino lead to siesta. God are Spaniards smart. We are still unseasoned visitors. That means we're going to dinner too early. Too early because lots of walking and small plates means we are hungry. Cava Bajo seems like the place to go because it's basically restaurant row -51 to be exact. Dinner was meh. It was a combination of lack of atmosphere (hello the 5 O'clock 8 0'clock club) and ordering wrong, but a spontaneous stop at a blues club redeems the night. Hello La Coquette. We wait in line to be ushered into this little cave in the basement to drink V&Ts, eat sun flower seeds and feel very cool hanging out with the locals listening to some pretty great live music.
Day three is our final day in Madrid and I already know that we could and should have a day four in this city aptly described as the Spanish Paris (btw I've never been to the French Paris). And while I want to stay longer, Lily will be waiting for us when we arrive in Sevilla the next day and for that we can hardly wait. Today we are touring with Marta and our first stop is the Royal Palace just in time for the changing of the guards. The Palace burned down one Christmas Eve and all of the art and treasures just happened to have been removed hence The Prado, which otherwise would not exist. The Bourbon king invited all of the opulence that is Versailles. Think lots of gold, ornately embroidered walls and murals for days. Oh and 3400 rooms. Cozy. Marta dished on the royals entertaining us with stories of "The Ugly Family" (think inbreeding), Maria Luisa de Parma the perpetually pregnant king queen, Philip V the "frog king" of Spain, and one story of salacious behavior after another all while we toured the proper palace.
Post tour we walked clear across the city to get to the Prado. The Museo is in an area that gave off Michigan Avenue Chicago vibes that I really didn't need. I love how walk-able Madrid is. Along the way Marta waxed on points of interest and we saw parts of the city we had not yet seen. I can still hear her saying, or something like that. When I knew we were Madrid bound, the very first thing on my to-do list was visiting this museum. Marta really shined as a docent. Her love of art history was apparent and I was ever grateful. I'm not going to lie...the Prado was a little overwhelming to take on in an afternoon. I was most excited to see Las Meninas, but Tintoretto's Washing of the Feet and Goya's black paintings are the works that stayed with me.You want to talk about lead poisoning. The only people worthy of more gossip than the royals and artists.
After logging 20,000 steps before 3 O'clock, we stopped for a snack and a cold Estrella before...yep...siesta and then shower. We had no dinner plans. We quickly learned that reserves are only really necessary for a handful of establishments. The Bibos and the Botins of the city, which are not quite our vibe. We ended up street-side enjoying Tortilla Espanola and croquettas with a view of Botin, It was sort of perfect. We thought about trying to squeeze in to see what all the hype was about, but instead ducked into an Irish pub to dodge the sprinkles and watch a little futbol with the local mafiosos.
It was a good choice because we had an early morning train to Sevilla and Lily.
