Madrid was my first stop of this trip. It’s been almost 21 years since the last time I was here. I found the city to be vibrant, beautiful and full of friendly people. It was also warm which was a nice change from the long winter we had in Portland.
I was in Madrid for 5 full days! I walked a lot and kept pretty busy. I was trying to figure out how to share my time there since I did not want to go in chronological order and I did a lot. So, I decided to give you my top 10 activities/ places I enjoyed the most during this visit. I went to Toledo one of the days so I will do a separate post on that one.
Here is my top 10.
1. Tapas cooking class. I LOVED this class at Loleo. Lola was our teacher and she showed us how to make 2 tapas, a rice dish and a cod dish. It was fantastic! We ate, drank good wine and had a delicious coffee to finish up. If you want to have a cooking class while in Madrid or want a private dinner, call Lola. Here is Lola’s contact information. Lolarodriguez@loleoeventos.con
Remember I told you in my post about traveling solo that you won’t be lonely? Well, I went to the class and met a couple from San Francisco, another one from Serbia and a young woman from Panama. We cooked, ate, drank wine together and had a great time because we all love to cook and eat! Be open to new adventures!
2. Plaza Sol. This is literally in the center of Spain and very well located to start any of your adventures. I stayed at Hotel Europa at calle del Carmen. Loved the hotel outside terrace since it was a great place to people watch and meet other fellow travelers. There are lots of stores and restaurants and Plaza Mayor and Mercado San Miguel are about 10-12 min walking. Also, Cava Baja street with all of its mesons is really close by.
3. Go watch a Flamenco show. It was beautiful, not only the dancing but I loved the vibrato of the dude that was singing. He was fantastic and so was the guy playing the guitar. The show was only 1 hr and went very quick.
4. Go to el Rastro flea market if you are in Madrid on a Sunday. They are open from 9a-2pm. Lots of cute things, trinkets and anything you can think of. if you want to bargain, this is your place. I just got lost between all of the stands. Love it! Some historical data for you. Did you know that this place is called el Rastro because of all the tanneries in the area and when the animals were dragged it left a trail or “rastro” of blood on the streets.
5. Eat Tapas! Lots of them! I truly enjoyed the different tapas available. My favorite hands down are the croquetas – does not matter which stuffing they have – and tortilla de patatas. Yum! One thing I found interesting is that in Madrid depending on where you eat – at the bar, table inside or table outside you might have a different price. Anyway, try them all. And remember tapas are to be shared so meet other fellow travelers and invite them to join you.
6. The royal palace and areas around the palace. I walked over there on Monday hoping to visit again but it was close because the King was receiving the new ambassadors. If you want to know more about this tradition, here is a link. Talk about pomp and circumstance! 😂 Each ambassador gets picked up from the ministry of the interior in a carriage and driven to the palace to meet the King. They do this one by one. It was a pretty great morning watching the proceedings although I did not get to go in the palace that day. I went to the Almudena cathedral, walked around the Royal gardens and took a little break from the heat under a tree. This area is really beautiful. Lots of green areas and other parks.
7. El Retiro Park an oasis in the middle of the city; A beautiful park with trails, water ways, lush vegetation and plenty of places to rest and have a good time with friends or by yourself. The glass house was beautiful as was the big artificial lake where you can rent pedal boats. I was tired by the time I got there so I found myself a shady spot and took a power nap before going back to more touristing.
8. Historic Madrid like palacio de Cibeles and the Prado walk. I had read about the palacio de Cibeles and the observation deck, so I decided to visit. It gives you a 360 view of Madrid and its main building. They have some art exhibitions inside that I recommend you watch.
9. Plaza Mayor was my go-to place in the evenings to watch families, couples take their nightly “paseo” or walk. Plaza Mayor has built during Phillip III reign. You can read more about the Plaza here: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/plaza-mayor-madrid
10. The pedestrian walk signals of Madrid! lol. They promote diversity and inclusion; In 2017, ahead of World Pride, new pedestrian lights were installed. male/male, female/female, heterosexual couples and single women. I was paying attention, so I took pictures of the walk signals I found along the way. It was a game for me to find them. 😉
Just a few more things I loved: the pastry shops like La Mallorquina, the gelato store Don Nino across from my hotel, el Corte Ingles gourmet food section, meeting 2 Puerto Rican couples at the laundromat and having a 2 hr conversation as you wait for your laundry to be ready; $1.50 café con leche I had every morning at the counter; by the time I left they knew me and would ask me if I wanted my usual. ❤️ When you go to Madrid you will eat well and will feel at home. I can guarantee you I plan to be back very, very soon!
Let me know your thoughts to my top 10 list. Do you have a different one for Madrid? Look forward to your feedback.
Much love, Ana 🌹
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