Advertisement
Published: April 19th 2016
Breakfast!
chocolate croissant and cafe con leche10 days in a carry on - I've done it before and I'll do it again! I'm off to sunny Spain to see the boy. Nonstop Dallas to Madrid on a 787 filled with extra oxygen, shadeless windows and hopefully, less jet lag. And hooray! No one in the seat next to me! Note to self - Row 25 or so, the last one in the first economy cabin by the lavatory shows only 2 seats instead of 3, probably to give a little extra aisle room near the lavatory. I took the window thinking no one would purposefully book that horrible aisle seat - and no one did! The entire row (1 extra seat yippee!) to myself. Good gamble on my part. Glass of wine, 1/2 Ambien, and 10 hours later I'm waking up in Madrid. 5€ ride on the Metro and I find myself in Lavapies in a cute little 1 bedroom apartment, courtesy of AirBNB. Lavapies is a quaint little barrio known for it's openly alternative lifestyle and excellent nightlife
andadded bonus- 1 Metro stop from Will. I'm already in love with the neighborhood. I meet Will eat the symbol of Madrid - the bear and tree statue
a room with a view
My apartment in Lavapies in Puerto del Sol and we head to Cuidad Mexico (yes, Baja style street tacos in Madrid). We washed down our tacos with mango margaritas and head out to enjoy street life in the city. Madrid is great for people watching and when you find a good spot, look for a little bar and order a caña (about a half pint). We had "grown up" drinks by the Palacio and smiled at our selection of tapas - gummy bears, chocolate raisins and peanuts. If you can, find a slice of tortilla España and thank the heavens you are in Spain. Tortilla is a traditional Spanish food made with thinly sliced potatoes baked in an egg mixture. The entire thing is fried and then sliced into wedges and served at room temperature.
Will has to teach during the day, so I'm free to explore until siesta. A sign for a photography exhibit of Joan Fontcumberto at the Museo Nacional de Antropologia caught my eye while on the Metro. 5 modern, open floors of photographs by Fontcumberto, Man Ray, Alexander Rochenko, and Iván Istochnikov made for nearly 3 hours of happy viewing. A very quiet exhibit - at one time I
ancient
4 floors walk up and no elevator. may have been the only visitor, but I highly recommend.
Wandering thru Retiro Parc also is highly recommended. Located in the heart of Madrid, it's quiet and removed from the noise of the city - and great for people watching, too.
On the weekend, Will and I found an exhibit of featuring the Titanic. If you know Will at all - you might know that he was obsessed with the Titanic when he was 8 and 9 years old. He knew obscure facts and pored over anything he could lay his hands on to read. His favorite movie for a while was "A Night to Remember", an old black and white about the ship. The Kate Winslet version had come out, but he was too young for such graphics. A Night to Remember was our solution...romantic and no frozen popsicle bodies. The exhibit was thorough and had enough actual artifacts and information to keep us both occupied for nearly 3 hours. The 8 year old William was quite happy when we discussed over cafe con leche later...
What can one say about Segovia? A 40 minute train ride from Atocha station and we find ourselves in the
shade of centuries old Roman aqueducts, a fairy tale castle, and an impressive Gothic cathedral. Knights in shining armor, an old Sephardim (Jewish) quarter, lush countryside, and 2 amazing tour guides in the form of Will and Allen. If you find yourself in Segovia, don't miss Restaurant Jose Maria and order the cochinillo (roast suckling pig). No knives necessary - the waiter lops off the portions with a plate and serves it piping hot. Washed down with a glass of fresh sangria and we are in heaven.
Back in Madrid, Will arranges a little dinner party at the oldest continually operating restaurant in the world - since 1725 - Sobrino de Botin. Goya worked there while waiting to get into art school! The specialty is also cochinillo and a delicious soap de ajo (or egg poached in chicken broth). A few bottles of wine and a quick tour of the ancient wine cellar made my night complete, and the following evening, we celebrated my last night in town at Chocolatería San Ginés - another ancient establishment since 1894. Thick hot chocolate and crispy hot churros to dip - no real need for dinner.
I pack and get ready
Bear and Tree
Puerta del Sol for the metro ride to the airport in the morning. I already miss the boy and the city. Next year I hope to go back in October to feed my unhealthy obsession with Christopher Columbus...October 12, to be exact. Bonus points if you can tell me why 😊
Advertisement
Tot: 0.092s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 8; qc: 46; dbt: 0.05s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
