(me next to the Palacio Real and in front of the park)
Wow, Madrid. It was better than I had ever imagined. There is something so colossal and so significant about the place- it’s really hard to put into words. It’s one of those places you just have to go see for yourself to grasp a taste of the life, history and culture. To know that you only have 2 full days to devote to a place like this is a bit overwhelming. There are just so many essential things that you have to see while you are there or else you won’t get a proper perspective of what the city has to offer and really what’s it’s like to be there. So rather than just “winging it” like I did with my previous trips, I began reading and researching and booking things in advance about two weeks before the trip. I’m so glad I did. It’s a lot of work, but worth it in the end. It’s satisfying to know that you really got your money’s worth and that you know just in case you never get back there, you were there and experienced it.
So, my roommates, Nikki and Christian, came along on this trip. We took a bus out of Bilbao at about 2:30pm Friday and arrived in Madrid around 7pm. The first thing that came to my mind once we reached the city limits was, “Wow, this looks a lot like Houston!” The borders of the city were very modern with tall buildings and there were wide highways with lots of traffic. And just the way everything is bigger in Texas, everything was bigger in Madrid. It made Bilbao seem like a pueblo.
When we got off of our bus, we had to figure out how to get to our hostel. Little did we know we were going to be about 40 minutes away by car. So we asked a lot of questions and figured out that we needed to take the Metro across town. We lugged all our bags and switched metros half-way through and finally got to our stop. Then we walked another 10 minutes or so stopping every 2 minutes to stare at the map…we looked like the most stereotypical of tourists. But it was OK because we soon learned that about 50% of the people there were also tourists and also very lost. You never see this sort of thing in Bilbao. Those people stick out like a sore thumb. We finally reached our hostel, which was right off of Plaza Santa Ana, a famous and historic square right smack in the middle of the city. It was the perfect location if you planned to mostly walk to see all the sights (thanks to Fodor’s Guide Book). The building was so old and beautiful but the actual hostel was about what you expect of a hostel to look like…very simple, a little scruffy looking with three incredibly uncomfortable twin-sized beds. But, we weren’t there to enjoy our accommodations. We were there to do some serious exploring. And for 22 Euros per person per night in a pricey city like Madrid, you can’t get much better than that.
On Friday night we walked around the Santa Ana plaza area and also walked down Lavapies, which is known to be the Jewish neighborhood of the city. But all we really saw were a bunch of Indian restaurants and a bunch of people hanging around outside. We walked into a bustling tapas bar and ate some yummy empanada and each had a drink. We then continued to a cerveceria where you can order just about any type of beer you want. The place was full of men shouting and laughing about I don't know what. I ordered a cerveza limon...a beer with a hint of lemon. It was very tasty. I was impressed. Then we walked to Cafe Populart, where an awesome blues band was playing. The entire month of November, Madrid celebrates a Jazz Festival and so we passed several bars with live jazz music but it was quite pricey to go into them. For some reason at Populart it was free to get in. I still can't figure out where the band was from. They spoke English as their main language but had an accent too. All the songs were in English. They were great. Christian ended up getting their CD. After that, we headed back to the hostal and to bed because we were beat and knew we were waking up early.
Saturday we began our journey at The Prado Museum. What a sight. Man (hombre!). This place holds some of the most famous and well-known pieces of art in the world. There are two other famous museums in Madrid (Thyssen and Sofia) but of course we didn't have the time to see them. We spent about 3 hours there and probably only saw 1/4 of the art. It is absolutely gigantic! Among all the artists that were featured, we made sure to see El Grecco, Goya, Velazquez and Rubens. They were just excellent.
Then we walked along the Paseo de Prado, a very long road where you see some of the oldest and most beautiful buildings, fountains and plazas. Included in this were some famous sights such as El Fuente de Neptuno and La Plaza de la Cibeles. Of course we stopped at a few souvenir shops along the way as well! Then we ate lunch at La Trucha (the trout)in plaza Santa Ana. It was a tiny little restaurant recommended by my guide book for a good taste of the food for not very much money. I ate a chicken dish with roasted garlic and potatoes. Nikki and I shared a vegetable dish and I got a cute little pitcher of the house white wine. It was all very yummy.
Then we continued with our exploring to the Puerta de Sol, which is the exact center of Madrid and it's compared with New York's Time Square because there is a big clock tower where the people go on New Year's Eve to count down to midnight. But it really looks nothing like Times Square. Haha. The custom when counting down in the last minute before midnight is to eat 12 grapes the last 12 seconds...this can be very difficult depending on how big the grapes are. After this, we walked to Plaza Mayor where there was a fiesta going on with all the Swedish football fans who came to watch their match against Madrid Real. They were all wearing blue and yellow jerseys carrying around Swedish flags and shouting obscene things (in their own language thank god). It was all quite a spectacle. Sharing this space were all the artists who come to work and sell their masterpieces. There were some really beautiful things that I wished I could buy. Oh well.
Finally, we made it to the Palacio Real (the Royal Palace) where you can actually take tours, but it takes at least 2 hours to tour place because it's so big and we didn't have time. The king and royal family don't live here (no royal family has since the 1930's). They live in a more remote palace somewhere on the outskirts of Madrid but it was still neat to see a place with so much history and royalty. The area where it sits is called the Plaza de Oriente where there are tons of small gardens and sculptures of historical figures all over the place...along with a beautiful fountain in the middle. We arrived there at about sunset and it was just gorgeous.
Then we went to see the monument of Cervantes (the author of Don Quixote). Supposedly this was the exact location where he wrote the last words of his final novel. It was beautiful as well. Then we walked along the Gran Via, which is one of the most famous shopping streets in the world (similar to Rodeo Drive or 5th Avenue). We have a smaller version in Bilbao, which is big enough for me! Then Nikki and I went to the famous Buen Retiro park, which can be compared (a little) to NY's central park. It's also gigantic with a beautiful lake in the middle where you can see people in little paddle boats. We didn't stay too long because it was getting dark and very cold and we didn't bring our coats with us! Yea I know, that was dumb. Nikki and I stopped at a pretty cafe to have hot chocolate and churros-one of Madrid's delicacies. I was pretty much in heaven for those 20 minutes. So amazingly good. The hot chocolate is more like pure chocolate melted down. It was so rich, like eating the equivalent of 3 chocolate bars. But it is essential that you eat this when you go to Madrid (twist my arm! ;)
After a short rest, we all went back out for more tapas and drinks. We went around Plaza Santa Ana again and then to an area one of my students recommended called Chueca, where you can find a lot of gay bars but supposedly they are the best. Well, we went a little too early, around 11pm/12pm and the nightlife in Spain really doesn't start until at least 1am...and then people stay until about 5 or 6am. I still can't manage to pull this off. The latest I've been able to make it so far is about 4am. Maybe I'm just too old. I don't know. Anyway, we were convinced my some persuasive barman to go to his bar where if we ordered a drink, he would give us all a free shot. So we went and he ordered something for Nikki and I that scared me half to death. We watched the man add in about 10 different types of pure liquor and a tad bit of green kiwi flavoring. It was neon green in the end (see my photos). It was actually kind of good but a little too sweet for me. Of course I drank it all because it was the equivalent of about $13. So then we took our free shots and left because not many people were there. We went to one more bar where we were falling asleep on the sofa because it had been a really long day. So we finally went back to the hostel and went to bed.
On Sunday we woke up early again and went to breakfast. Then we went to see the Arab Wall where the old Moorish city used to stand and where it is said originated the city of Madrid. There weren't really any signs around it and not much to really see. Oh well, I'm glad I went. Then we went to the famous El Rastro market that goes for miles and miles on one road where you can buy anything and everything and there are always great deals going on. All the foreigners go to do their shopping there and I did a lot there as well. It's jam-packed with people and it takes hours to get through because of all the human traffic. People are always bumping into you and trying to get past you. It gets a little frustrating after a while. This is also where someone decided to steal my cell phone as it was resting in it's case behind my back. I should have known and I was warned several times to watch my things. I was too busy safeguarding my purse in front of me but I should have stuck my phone inside. Oh well, you live and you learn right?
Finally we went to eat lunch at Botin, which is said to be the oldest restaurant in the world! It dates back to 1725 and I believe some of the structure inside is original. This was also said to be Ernest Hemingway's favorite restaurant when he would visit Madrid. And you all know how much I love him so of course I wanted to go somewhere he loved. It was beautiful and old inside. The waiters all wore white jackets with napkins around their arms. They were all so charming and sweet and the service was amazing. I ate another Spanish chicken dish and drank some delicious Spanish wine. It was great.
We sadly had to end the trip and get back to the bus station lugging about twice the amount that we originally brought with all the new gifts and goodies we had bought. That wasn't fun but we made it and then had to wait forever to get a bus that wasn't already full. I have been working all week to make up for the sleep I didn't get this weekend but it was all worth it. I got to see a famous, beautiful city with wonderful weather (pretty cold but beautiful)and now I have lots of wonderful memories from this trip.
