The Capital – Madrid

We could see the train station from the end of the street so it was a mere 10 minute walk, trundling our cases behind.  The easiest check in ever, and a smooth journey north.

Definitely cloudier and cooler in Madrid … glad of our jackets now. Majestic buildings sporting huge heraldic beasts wherever you look.  Glen skidded to a stop in front of one store front … “Look!” he exclaimed … “a spring store”, and sure enough a shop selling every type, size, shape, colour and vintage of mechanical spring.  Who knew!

Our apartment for the next 3 days is right in the heart of the city … walking distance to all the museums, like the Prado … vast city parks …. there are 46 public markets if one felt so inclined.  As the weather was predicted to turn rainy, we dumped our bags and went out to explore.  Elegant, well-kept buildings in pastel shades — their shutters and balconies a darker contrast.  A market place designed by Monsiuer Eiffel himself .. not your usual market — this one was upbeat and trendy with counters groaning under a mouth-watering array of ready-to-eat tapas. Might be good to try later.

Madrid’s massively domed cathedral sat directly opposite across the square from the Royal Palace.  Resplendent behind black and gold gates, it presented an impressive view with its 3000+ rooms and vast courtyard. Reportedly the largest palace in Europe. 

As darkness fell, lights sprang up all over, and a gentle rain began to fall.  We ducked into a small restaurant called Gloria Bendita … gloriously eclectic, but with wonderful aromas wafting out of the kitchen and attentive staff.  We ordered a vegetarian ‘tartare’ salad … tiny chunks of mango, avocado, onion, cilantro and citrus … bursting with freshness and flavour.  This was followed by pork cheeks simmered in a rich house sauce of umami-goodness and  topped with strands of crisply deep fried onion. It was so good, that if we were at home, the bowl would have been licked!  Thankfully there was a basket of warm bread rolls to mop up all that deliciousness.  A small portion of the salad was waiting to be finished, when the waiter began to clear it away … “Nooo!” we cried in unison.  He grinned and backed away.  Small glasses of digestif were brought with the bill … a chilled, homemade version of Bailey’s Irish Cream … but oh, so much better.

The rain had stopped, and it was a pleasure to walk home through glistening streets splashed with colour from the shopfronts.

There was a breakfast delicatessen/bakery/coffee shop Granier just steps away from the apartment, so Glen descended in the funny, creaky elevator and went in search of coffee.  Came back with croissants as well!  A day starts off really well with good coffee and probably the BEST croissants we’ve ever had … even in France.

Colder today, and although not raining, it looks as though it could so we pocketed some disposable rain capes just in case.  We’re off to the Prado — time for a little culture — but the aromas from a small bakery (Levaduramadre) assailed us first and we  just had to buy some meat pies for lunch first.  It’ll be a carb overload today, but who cares!

Autumn has arrived … all the leaves are being blown around by a chilly wind.  Boaters on the pond looked positively frozen … but the ducks and geese seemed to be having fun. We found a reasonably sheltered bench in the big central park to consume our delicately spiced beef pasty.  There’s a definite police presence around the city, even here in the park.  I gather there was a huge protest with hundreds of thousands, just before we arrived.  All the streets and shops now are being seriously decorated for La Navidad … lights strung across the streets … beautiful living ‘Christmas trees’ made up of colourful potted plants … all the squares and plazas are a hive of activity as cranes maneuver large festive panels and figures into place.  This in addition to the other restorations taking place all over the city.

The Prado … is wonderful … even for non art connoisseurs.  It’s helpful to see whole collections by a single artist to get a feel for their skill and style.  All the major artists were there (only one Picasso though), but many of the lesser known painters were well represented too.  Unfortunately, like most exhibits … photography is not permitted. This is a brilliant link to all the collections though: https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/  It was a truly memorable visit.  The rain capes came in handy on the way home.

The next day started dry so we hopped aboard local buses and explored some more . . . however many of the ‘must see’ attractions  – like the Plaza Mayor appeared to be under renovation and were cordoned off, and it was difficult to move against the tide of people heading in the other direction.  The rain returned with a vengeance … and perchance we found ourselves outside Gloria Bendita again.  This seems to be our bolthole in the rain.  Coffee and a simple but delicious dish of beautifully roasted potatoes drizzled with a creamy piquant sauce, whiled away the time before our tour of the Royal Palace.  Perfect for a rainy afternoon.

Visitors had to go through security, so we fumbled our way out of dripping rain capes and deposited our belongings onto the x-ray conveyor belt before being allowed entry.  And goodness … what an entry hall and staircase!  Again, no photography allowed, but you can see some here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Palace_of_Madrid    Not the best quality video but gives you an idea.  Best viewed on a smaller screen: https://youtu.be/0mC_nEBJeQI Every room had ceiling paintings and was decorated with different coloured marble — red, green, golden brown.  All the artwork had gilded frames … there were exquisite silk wall coverings and antique vases from China tucked in corners.  I gather it is no longer the actual residence of the Royal family, but used for State events.  It would certainly be intimidating to live in such a place — hardly cosy!

We’ve come to the end of our time in Spain … 8 wonderful weeks … and so many memories to take home.  Thankfully we decided to leave extra early and take a taxi to the airport. We chatted to the driver as he weaved through the morning rush hour (our last chance to practice Spanish), and arrived at 9:20 … our flight didn’t leave for 3 hours.  We checked our bags and figured it best to get security checks over and done with.  The scene that greeted us was far more chaotic than other airports … lines of passengers everywhere … a shortage of trays for belongings … huge bags being stuffed through x-ray machines (isn’t it supposed to be carry-ons only?) … security personnel halting passengers and wiping down hands (back and front) AND waists!!!!  What was that for?  I had forgotten to remove my money belt, so there was a great excitement as I was to go back and put it in one of our trays – which was rapidly disappearing through the scanning machine flaps.  What if it fell out and got jammed? The inside of my backpack was examined and wiped . . . but not Glen’s.

With all our belongings finally collected and reassembled we went off to look for our gate area.  In the elevator – we and our fellow passenger peered hopefully at the panel – nothing was immediately obvious which button to push, so we tentatively pressed a few.  Arriving one level down it became clear that we now needed to board a train to get to gates M and S. An hour and 15 minutes had elapsed by this point.

Onto the train … up the escalators … more shuffling line-ups … this time for passport checks —  and just like at supermarkets, you always end up in the slowest line.  Finally through, there was still a long walk to reach gate S-11 and we arrived with just enough time to visit the washrooms before boarding the flight.  Three hours, and we needed every minute!

Farewell Spain … we’ve LOVED every minute of our journey … well, maybe not Madrid airport.  I’d give it a miss if I were you!