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Published: November 27th 2008
Hotel Regina
The travelers resting on their cozy lobby couch.I'm sure you've heard the stories by now, I just want to be sure that nothing was left out (there was quite a bit of wine tasting going on here!)
*Should anyone be looking for a travel guide in the future, I come highly recommended by the Slupski family and I charge cheap rates - you only have to bring me along! Willing to go at any time!
Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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Thursday
I arrive in Madrid a little later than anticipated, but was excited to see Ed & Vivian at the Hotel Regina. After receiving all the hugs and kisses and catching up on the trip, we set out on foot for the Palacio Real, Royal Palace of Madrid. We made it there and got our tickets okay, and Rick Steve provided us with a tour of the open rooms. We toured the royal pharmacy, music rooms, dining rooms, smoking rooms, china rooms... you get the idea! The royal family no longer resides in the palace (the present king determined that it was too large since by the time his morning coffee made it from the kitchen to the dining room,
Palacio Real - Royal Palace of Madrid
Our first stop after my arrival in Madrid. Don't forget to ask about the money belt/passport story. it was already cold!), they live in a smaller palace on the outskirts of Madrid.
We attempted to walk through the royal gardens; however, since they seemed to only exist on the map, we decided to tour the Cathedral of Madrid instead. Since the church took so long to construct, it is decorated with “modern” art and is probably one of the least impressive cathedrals in Spain. Luckily for us, there was a rehearsal going on for some sort of musical group and we got to listen for free which more than made up for the lack of beauty. Vivian and I ascended the side altar (shown in picture) to see what was up there, but I’m still not sure what it was - maybe she can explain it to you.
As it was approaching lunch time, we set out to find the Plaza Mayor and a good restaurant. The Plaza Mayor proved interesting, but didn’t provide very good lunch options. I believe it was Ed that happened across an Italian restaurant with an available table - and it was there that we enjoyed our first “menu of the day.”
Vivian was happy with her glass of wine (little did
she know that in other restaurants she would get the whole bottle!) and I saw Ed drink a beer for the first time in my life! (I had to keep asking - “do you really want that?”)
After my mealtime experiences in Madrid, I was glad to have started off with such a delicious meal.
After a quick rest at the hotel (Ed even took a siesta), we walked down to my favorite place in Madrid, the Parque de Buen Retiro, a huge park with a lake, lots of greenery, some statuary…probably not best viewed at dusk, but we had a lot to cram into a little time. Leaving the park, we walked by the Puerta de Alcala and Fountain Cibeles (both famous landmarks in Madrid). The most exciting thing we did was walk with the protesters down the sidewalks of Calle Alcala. Vivian had the foresight to have me ask the local policeman what “event” was happening. When we learned it was a “manifestation” we tried to get through it quickly…but you may have been able to see us on CNN as we were walking behind the man carrying the largest flag on the street. The atmosphere was
very festive though with lots of music, people chatting, banners and flags. For a first protest, it wasn’t such a bad experience.
After making it through the crowd of protesters, we walked to the oldest restaurant in Madrid, “Sobrino de Botin” where I had made us an 8 o’clock reservation. Vivian convinced the waiter to let us sit in the cellar (good thing too as it was almost full!). We enjoyed our meals thoroughly and especially enjoyed watching the servers prepare the roast suckling pig (which we did not order, once has been enough for me, thank you). Stuffed with good food, we retired to our cozy room at the Hotel Regina and called it a night.
Friday
Stopped for café con leche, juice and tea at the Pans & Company, then hopped on the metro at the Puerta del Sol headed to Atocha Station. After checking out the women’s craft show, we caught the AVE train to Toledo, disembarked and headed to the historic part of town. Once there Ed bought our tram tickets and we visited the tourist office for maps and info. We boarded the “cheesy” (Ricks word, not mine!) tourist tram for the roller
coaster ride of a lifetime up, down, and around the hills of Toledo. It was definitely worth it for the beautiful views and history (recited in English and Spanish) through the very loud loudspeakers. After checking out several restaurants we decided on Los Arcos because their menu of the day offered garlic soup, something both Vivian and I wanted to sample. It turned out it really was just garlicky water (of course with a bit of olive oil, but combined with bread it was quite tasty).
Continuing the journey, we visited the most famous gothic cathedral in Spain (Cathedral of Toledo), where we saw about 15 cardinals hats hanging, a 700kilo gold and silver monstrance, and enjoyed the hole in the ceiling immensely (Ed and Vivian will have to explain all of that).
We ended Toledo with some window shopping, mazapan tasting, wandering the narrow streets of the city and Vivian even found a Spanish man to converse with for a while (in Spanish no less!).
Back in Madrid, we exited our AVE train and found a botanical garden inside our train station. We enjoyed it for a while, then headed back to the hotel for a quick rest (you
Madrid Cityscape
This is Calle Alcala where we stayed at the Hotel Regina and walked several times to get to the Puerta del Sol - the very center of Spain. see, I didn’t run them to the ground walking as I’m sure you’ve been told!). We strolled down Gran Via and stopped for a look at the Plaza Espana which had a huge statue and fountain plus a Moroccan craft show that night.
We dined at a wine & cheese shop which had a few tables in the back. We sampled the cheeses of Spain, enjoyed a plate of jamon Serrano and bread - a
very unique and delicious meal.
Once again at the hotel, Vivian and I sampled the sweets that we had picked out at the bakery while I registered for next semesters classes online. Had a quick chat with mom and dad, then went to bed for our early morning on Saturday.
Saturday
Woke up before dawn (seriously, Starbucks wasn’t even open yet!) to catch our 7:20 train to Granada. Our taxi delivered us and our luggage at the station and we managed to find our seats just before departure. We had our coffees and croissants on the train, and generally enjoyed our 5 hour ride through the countryside (at least I did). Ed even found a friend and Spanish olive expert in the man seated
Catedral de la Almudena
Vivian and I are at the top paying homage to... no really we just wanted to see what all those other people kept walking up there for. next to him.
On arriving in Granada (remember, located in the south of Spain) we could see the snow capped Sierra Nevada mountain range that had just opened its ski slopes that day!
Our taxi driver dropped Ed and I at the bus station in order to purchase our bus tickets for the return trip. Vivian endured what was probably the worst 10 minutes of the whole trip - completely silent in a cab by herself, except for the non-English speaking cab driver, of course. Sorry, Vivian!
He dropped us off at our hotel - the Casa Capitel Nazari that was right across the river (more like a stream now) from the Alhambra. We took a quick walk around the old arab part of the city then found a restaurant off the Plaza Nueva for lunch.
After another quick rest at the hotel, we walked, some would say hiked, to the cave museum of Sacramonte. There we saw the caves, gardens and way of life of the gypsy people who live there. Of course, after the walk, a rest was needed.
We went to the tapas bar recommended by our taxi driver and ate the BEST free tapas I’ve ever
Puerta de Alcala
On the other end of Calle Alcala, we visited the Puerta de Alcala after touring the park. It was originally part of the wall that surrounded Madrid. tasted. We only made it to round 2, but enjoyed some purchased tapas as well.
Although it was quite chilly and very windy, Vivian and I had some ice-cream to finish off a wonderful day.
Sunday
Had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel that consisted of cheese in olive oil, hard boiled eggs, kiwi, ham and cheese assortments, coffee, tea and hot chocolate, pastries and rolls - I’m sure I’ve forgotten some things (like Ed’s guava juice!).
We walked down to see the cathedral and old Moorish silk market (now a confusing market of scarves, lamps and souveneirs). Vivian and Ed practiced their Spanish by saying “No, gracias” to the gypsy woman selling rosemary sprigs and fortune telling.
Our cab picked us up at the hotel to bring us up the mountain to the Parador of Granada. We checked-in, but the room wasn’t yet ready so we went out to the terraza and had coffee. The view of the summer palace across from us was spectacular, the sun was shining and the weather was warm(ish) - it was a great day to see the Alhambra.
After our drinks, we were told (by a ruder, older receptionist) that the room
Fountain of Cibeles
Also near the park and Puerta de Alcala. After Spain won the Euro cup this summer, the team jumped in this fountain, as is tradition, and many madrilenos (people from Madrid) followed them. still wasn’t ready, so we walked down to the ticket office to reclaim our Alhambra entrance tickets.
Upon our return, the room still wasn’t ready - but the nice receptionist was back. He explained the problem, gave us free drink vouchers for the bar, made us dinner reservations for that night and finally, showed us to our room.
The room, which was located in the historic part of the hotel that used to be a monastery, was wonderful! It looked out over the Parador’s solarium and across the Generalife (summer palace) of the Alhambra.
We didn’t have too much time to enjoy it, since we wanted to get to the Alhambra before dark. Luckily the Parador is located inside the palace gates of the Alhambra so it was merely a quick walk to the Palacio Nazari where we began our tour.
As a whole, the Alhambra was a city built on top of the highest part of the region. The Palacio Nazari was the palace where the royal family lived (with his harem of 500 women - and all of their children!). The intricate plasterwork, painted tiles, wooden window shades and fountains still exist and Rick Steve provided us with
My First Protest
Thanks to Vivian, I asked a local policeman why there were so many people around, he informed me that there would be a "manifestation" later. a history lesson of each room.
We walked the 20 minutes from that palace to the Summer palace called the Generalife. It only has 3 rooms total, but the gardens and fountains are immense. Somewhere in between the two palaces we enjoyed our spinach empanadas and cookies.
Lastly, Ed and I ascended the stairs of the fortress, Alcazaba, where the soldiers would have lived. Vivian chose to sit that one out as she had exercised enough to never need Curves again!
We returned to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. At the lounge we enjoyed our free drinks, then entered the dining room. There was a guitarist playing for the diners and we all chose to sample the special hors d’oeuvres menu in which we had about 10 hors d’oeuvres each, plus dessert. When we told the head waiter how much we enjoyed the meal and ambiance of the restaurant, he thanked us and gave us the recipes for the entire meal!
For a sample menu:
Cod soup, pork loin, ham and tomato sandwich, marinated partridge (I found it delicious), garlic soup, fried white fish, and even a sampling of pig’s foot. Then the dish that we chose plus
CNN
The protesters had the entire Calle de Alcala shut down. We were able to enjoy the live music and festivities while we squeezed by on the sidewalk. Maybe you saw us on CNN? a variation of arroz con leche for dessert.
I’m sure not all of this menu sounds delicious to everyone, but I assure that not a scrap of food was left on our plates (with the exception of the pig’s foot, which is understandable).
Once again in the room, I took the best shower ever - 6 shower heads, plus a towel warmer, although I did have to shower in the dark - ask Ed about that!). I think we all slept well that night!
Monday
Up for the gourmet buffet breakfast. I think we all ate at least 2 plates worth of food. Sweets, fruits, meats, cheeses, eggs - even wine for breakfast. Although I know we didn’t want to leave, we packed up our bags once again and caught the bus to Madrid.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this bus since I always ride the cheap bus and Vivian and Ed had elected the “super” bus. It turns out, on their bus we got our own bus stewardess who served breakfast drinks, snacks, and even ham sandwiches for lunch, as well as headphones to watch the movie.
The 4.5 hour ride went smoothly enough with
lots of scenery and even a few of Don Quixote’s windmills to look at. Once in Madrid at the bus station, we took a taxi to the train station and caught the train to Salamanca (Ed and Vivian, I’m sure will explain to you the fun we had there at the station).
I’m sure they were both worried when they saw the dinky towns we passed on our 2.5 hour journey to Salamanca. Let’s just say that I’m sure they were relieved (and maybe a bit impressed) by little Salamanca.
We taxied to their hotel and discovered that I hadn’t made the reservation for the right amount of days (I promise I wasn’t trying to cut your trip short!). The receptionist was very sympathetic and found another accommodation for their last night.
We headed to the Plaza Mayor where they had café con leche while I ran home to put my stuff down. Then we found a restaurant close by where we had a great dinner.
Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday
I can’t chronicle everything that was said and done on these three days because I wasn’t always there. While I would have gladly skipped a whole week of
Sobrino de Botin
On our first night together, we went to Sobrino de Botin, the oldest restaurant in Madrid. Vivian got us a table in the cellar which was worth it. classes, I didn’t think Vivian or anyone back home would think that was a good plan.
On Tuesday, I took them to the Casa de las Conchas, the private Jesuit university and the historic buildings of the University of Salamanca and showed them where I had my classes during the first month of class. After that, we had the menu of the day at Don Quixote’s Restaurant and I left them to explore on their own.
I had a late class that night, so we met for dessert and coffee afterwards to catch up.
Wednesday is a busy day for me, so I only saw them for a quick lunch in the Plaza Mayor. We met again in the evening and attempted to do some more sightseeing but everything seemed to be closed - so Vivian provided the entertainment.
The College of Sciences was celebrating their week of fiestas and had music and characters on stilts walking through the street - always something happening in Salamanca!
We dined in the Casa Paca, a restaurant recommended by our taxi driver. While we weren’t enthused about the service (which I think is typical in Spain where the waiters don’t work for
First Sangria
Our first pitcher of Sangria was enjoyed in the cellar room of Botin. tips), the food was delicious!
On Thursday, we met in the morning for a breakfast of churros with chocolate. They packed up at the hotel and we said our goodbyes at the train station. I showed them there seats, had them practice the name of their train stop and waved goodbye!
I couldn’t have imagined a better trip and I’m so glad that they enjoyed Spain as much as I have.
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