Madrid:

We spent 10 days in Madrid!!! What to do for 10 days…hmmm…

Teo

Well, to start there was a huge park nearby, Retiro park, where we were able to run almost every day. This may have been the highlight of Madrid, with the exception of Teo the prancing dog. Our host, Brian has a jack russell terrier named Teo. Teo is well, a terrier. Between the runs in the park and tug-of-war with Teo, a full body workout was easy to be had! 

Our days in Madrid were absolutely lovely. We slept in everyday, ate a yummy breakfast provided by Brian, and went for a run around the park. How could life not be good with that schedule? We did a few other things as well…

Retiro

We were finally able to eat a wide variety of food, so we did. Our first night we had Indian food for dinner, we found a great Thai place with a good menu, and lots of Lebanese and Peruvian food! We also found 100 montaditos, which is a tapas place that sells tapas for 1 euro each. When I think about it now, it all seems pretty gross, but at the time we enjoyed it, and it filled us up when we needed it! 

On our first full day in Madrid, we walked downtown to catch the free walking tour and learned a whole lot about Spain. We learned that the concept of “tapas” was introduced by Alfonso XIII in Andalusia.

Madrid

So the story goes, it was a sandy, windy day and the servant covered the king’s vino with a piece of ham. When the king asked why a slab of ham was covering his wineglass, the servant replied that is was a “tapa,” or “top,” to protect the wine from the elements. Now, the concept of “tapas” is slightly more interesting. Back in the day, the workers did not have much money. After working a long day, they would typically spend their money on alcohol rather than food, causing a decrease in production the following days. In answer to this, the king implemented the idea of tapas. For every drink that is purchased, it must be accompanied by a small snack, free of charge. This way, the workers could still buy their drinks, but also get a little food, allowing for more productive days. We also learned that at one point in Spain’s history, it was illegal to be anything but Catholic. In response to this, Jews and Muslims would hang pig legs on their doors to prove they had converted, and were therefore, safe from persecution. As a result, those gross pig legs are now all over the country. I have never, and probably never will again, see so many pig legs in my life. 

Old restaurant

We saw the world’s oldest restaurant, complete with the Guiness World Records plaque and walked by the Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor. That afternoon, we decided on another tour. Did I mention we took these tours with Akanksha!?! During the free tour, she had mentioned she was going to take the afternoon tour as well. Since we had nothing else going on, we figured, why not? This guide took us to a point in Madrid that is supposed to be the middle of Spain. Technically it’s not, and everyone knows it, but they still have it marked, and everyone, including us, took a picture with it. He showed us some quirky little art pieces around the city, and ended at the gates at Gran Via and our little park. 

Madrid

The next couple of days were spent sleeping in, running, and wandering around the city. Somewhere in there we went to Museo Nacional del Prado during their free hours. One night, we hung out with our host, Brian. The three of us went to the grocery store, bought some wine, cheese, crackers, and a little itty bitty bit of fancy ham that I didn’t eat, and sat together eating and visiting. 

We wanted to see a soccer match in Madrid, and looked into both Real Madrid and Atletico. Real didn’t have any home games during the time we were there, but Atletico did. Neither of us particularly care for Real, so it was fortuitous.

Vicente Calderon Stadium

The experience was very, very different than Barcelona. The stadium is not nearly as nice-it’s actually quite run-down, and the fans were much rowdier. It was very entertaining. At one point, the other team scored, and there was cheering at one end. The fans that were cheering were wearing Atletico colors, so we were confused. The fans around us started yelling things at the other fans. At one point they were chanting something, but Javier couldn’t make out what they were saying. We asked the people around us what was going on, and they told us that the group that was cheering for the opposite team were in fact Atletico fans, but they were protesting against the club.

Atletico fan. nice.

A few days before this game, a fan from the opposing team was thrown over the bridge, into the river and died. This all happened after the game in the streets. The people directly involved were identified and dealt with, but some members of this group were denied entry to the next game. Those that were allowed entry were cheering for the other team in protest. There was much more chanting, heckling, and smoking at this game. During half-time, Javier grabbed a snack from the snack bar, but everyone around us seemed to have brought their own meal. It definitely had a local feel to it compared with Barcelona. We had a great time.

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Toledo

At some point, we took a day trip to Toledo. We walked from the train station, up the hill, to the old part of town. We really liked the different influences of architecture, specifically the Moorish influence. Toledo used to be the capital of Spain, and you can see how the different kingdoms influenced the building of the city. There was a little train/tram thing that took you on a tour, and we hopped on with a Jr high school group from the UK, who were a little obnoxious, but more funny than anything. We had earbuds that plugged into the walls to listen to the history of Toledo, but I couldn’t hear much of it because of the rowdy kids. 

Toledo Cathedral

We were told to go into the cathedral. At this point, we had seen enough cathedrals, but since it was recommended, and probably the most popular thing to see, we caved. We were pleasantly surprised. The inside of this cathedral was different than any others we had seen. Well, most of it was the same, but it was really bright inside from natural light, and they have this part on the ceiling, behind the altar, that has an entire scene of angels and saints. It’s like a typical religious painting, except its not a painting- It’s a stone sculpture, with the statues coming out of the ceiling and walls. There is also a dome that allows the sun to shine into the cathedral and helps illuminate the scene. It’s really difficult to explain, but we had never seen anything like it before, and it honestly made the visit worth while. We walked around the city for a bit and stopped by a synagogue. By then, it was time to head back to Madrid.

Jackie club hopping

Since we had such a great pub-crawl experience in Budapest, we decided to check out the pub-crawl in Madrid. Last time, we met some really fun people and had a great night, so we were hoping for more of the same. Unfortunately, what Madrid advertises as a pub-crawl is actually not a pub-crawl at all- it’s a club-crawl. Yes folks, you jump from club to club all night with a free drink or two in each place. It did not have the same feel as a pub-crawl. The music was so loud, you couldn’t talk to anyone if you wanted to, and the places they took us were pretty sad. When we met with the group and the leader was telling us what we were in for, I asked him why it’s called a pub-crawl when we’re not going to a single pub? He just smiled and said, “you know, we’ve had a lot of complaints about that. I don’t know why they keep calling it a pub-crawl when it’s not.” UH…YA!!! And in case you’re wondering, refunds are not given. We made the best of it. 

Madrid nativity

Javier was on a mission for two things in Madrid. 1. Find Peruvian food, and 2. Find a nativity scene. We found a Peruvian place with only 3 days left in our stay. They offered a great menu, and was quite yummy, so naturally we ate at least one meal there everyday- at least. And we did find a nativity. We stood in line for over an hour to see this thing, and I have to admit…it was totally worth it! There are several nativities in Madrid, and the one we chose was El Greco themed. Basically, they have taken the annunciation and nativity paintings by Greco and created exact scenes based on his paintings. The space was well lit, and as we entered, we could hear a choir singing Christmas carols.

christmas choir.

The nativity is actually a replica of the city of Toledo complete with its gates and cathedral. El Greco lived and painted most of his life in Toledo, so it seemed fitting. They have it set up in a way that when you enter, you walk alongside the city. Just as you are about to turn to walk in front of the city, they have the annunciation. The city is very detailed and has electricity, running water, and a real river surrounding the city walls. I am used to seeing nativity scenes that consist of the manger, and all the usual suspects.

Nativity

Javier was telling me that in Cusco, the different churches compete with one another to make the most impressive nativity scene. So, he has experienced this type of thing before, but even he said that it was the most impressive nativity he had seen. As you make the final turn you walk around the other side of the city and through the exit. It was very well done, and a very organized way to get people in and out. We both left feeling quite amazed.

One evening we went to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía during its free hours. We both decided that we liked this museum more than the Prado with its Picasso and Dalí works. On the way home, we walked into an auction house.

Madrid

We saw something in the window that caught our eye, and decided to check it out. We had no idea that it was an auction house, or that there was an actual auction taking place. Neither of us had ever been to an auction before, so we stood in the back an watched for a while. It was a fun experience.

The crowds had become noticeably bigger from when we first arrived in Madrid to when we left. At one point, we avoided Plaza Espanya because of all the people. Instead, we checked out other areas, such as our own little neighborhood, and the Plaza de Toros. Javier had a hair cut by a nice Moroccan guy for only 5 euros, and I went shopping at my new favorite store, Oysho. 

Bye Madrid

I’m pretty sure there are quite a few things I am missing. We were there for a while, but used it more as downtime and a chance to exercise a bit. We had a great time with Brian and the mighty Teo. But it really was a great way to gear up for the arrival of the Alvarez/Huen clan!

To see more pictures of Madrid and Toledo, click HERE.