Jill, Annika, Danci, Margriet, Tove and Hannika
As none of us had ever been to Spain's capital city before and none of us spoke Spanish, she was truly taking on the job of a tour guide extraordinaire! With her as our 'director' it was a fabulous experience as she handled everything, basically took care of all of us for the whole weekend.
Unfortunately, the beginning of our adventure got off to a sour start when our evening flight was delayed in Marseille and then there was a horrible accident on the freeway with all traffic at a standstill for nearly an hour while they cleared the wreckage. But we were together and off on a girl's weekend so none of these events really dampened our spirits. When we finally arrived at Danci’s house, we were thankful to be safely out of the sky and off the road! A little snack, some wine, a few giggles and we all went happily to bed... It was well after 1am; the perfect way to get onto "Spanish time" where everything happens very late!
Friday we woke up to a beautiful day and we left from Danci's house for our day of sightseeing...
This was no ordinary Friday... it also happened to be a major national holiday honoring Christopher Columbus. All schools, government buildings, most shops and several modes of transportation were closed for the day. We took a bus into Madrid and then the metro into the center of the city. Right as we came up onto the street from the underground the King of Spain’s motorcade drove right by us! We had a split second to snap this quick photo!
All of the streets were blocked off and there were mounted police on horses at every corner.
There were also LOTS of people out to see the spectacle! I'm told that large building in the background is the Post Office!
Danci led us on a walking tour of the city...
Here we are in front of Madrid's City Hall...
When hunger set in, Danci quickly escorted us to the Museo del Jamon(Museum of Ham!). The Spanish REALLY know their hams and have SO many kinds! This place was really amazing.
yes, those are ALL hams!
We sampled several types of special hams and cheeses here.... and drank a refreshing glass of sangria, chock full of lemon and orange, to wash it all down!
Our next stop was the Plaza Major where there was a huge fair called "Viva America"! The title was lost on us...we thought Spain was in Europe. Plaza Major reminded us a lot of St. Mark's Square in Venice-minus the cathedral, of course.
There were many mimes performing…
This "Superman" was really pathetic!
A group of guitarists, a la Segovia, were entertaining the crowd. These girls especially enjoyed the music...
and these darlings enjoyed the sweets!
There was a huge tent in the middle of the plaza where many wine and food vendors offered free samples…
We stopped at a small restaurant/tapas bar on the edge of the Plaza for some more of Madrid’s delicacies. This time Danci ordered fried calamari (the rings) and little tiny whole fried calamari called chipirones, some other little lightly fried fish (maybe anchovies) and a plate of fried chunks of potatoes with a red spicy sauce. Everything was delicious and went well with the pitcher of sangria and fresh bread. Danci also ordered a drink that was beer mixed with a lemon/lime type of soda which was light and refreshing.
From here we wandered some more and went into a bakery for a special kind of pastry Danci insisted we try…. They had all kinds of things here to tantalize us, but we were so full from our lunches we were able to just look and take photos!
Little pumpkins for Halloween....
From here we walked to the Royal Palace, which due to a big luncheon the King was hosting was so heavily guarded that this was as close as the police would allow us.
This cathedral, right 'next door' to the palace, was open to the public that day.
We walked quite a bit more, strolling by this lovely area where we stopped at a small outdoor cafe for coffee before catching the train back to Tres Cantos.
It was the perfect way to rest our feet at the end of the day…
Once home, we had a quick rest and change of clothes before our taxis arrived to take us back into the city for dinner. Our ‘early’ reservation at Goizeko-Kabi, a very nice, traditional restaurant, was for 9:30pm and sure enough, we were the first people to arrive. This restaurant serves some of the best Basque dishes in Madrid in an intimate, understated interior.
We were all given menus, all in Spanish and no prices anywhere-that always makes you a little nervous! Just as we were beginning to try to figure it all out, Danci took charge and ordered our entire meal which was fantastic! To start off the evening, a small little glass flute arrived with a rich but light foie gras mousse and a wonderful white wine to go with it. What followed next was a series of incredible plates. Here are a few of the dishes…
Saturday we went back to Madrid-this time it was to shop till we dropped. Most of the day was spent in El Cortes Ingles, Spain’s nicest and largest department store. Everyone spread out on their own and we reconnected for lunch…at 3pm.
After lunch, we dragged our weary bodies onto the train back to Danci’s house for a short rest before it was time to head back into the city for another feast. This time, Danci had chosen the hip, contemporary restaurant, Europa Deco, in the chic Urban Hotel located in Madrid city center. This is one of the famed, Spanish chef Joaquin de Felipe's restaurants and they specialize in creative Mediterranean dishes. We had the tasting menu which had too many courses to count, each seemingly better than the one before with Spanish wines matched to each one. Needless to say, it was a special evening and we all really had a great time…
Sunday found us a bit short on energy so we had a leisurely morning lounging in our pj’s and enjoying a light, late breakfast. It was another lovely day so we went for a little walk around Tres Cantos. After we all packed up, we walked back into the town to a little tapas restaurant, Bodegon Frangagheila, for a final meal before going to the airport. We enjoyed more delicious hams, cheeses, breads and, for the first time, a paella. Needless to say, we'll all be on diets in the upcoming week(s!)
Our flight home was thankfully a non-event and all our husbands and children met us at the airport with open arms. Wonder where we'll go on our next girls' adventure.......?!?!
If you are interested in seeing more photos, here's the web album link: http://picasaweb.google.com/susiebates/Madrid?authkey=P8mE07o-83g
Goizeko-Kabi: http://www.goizekogaztelupe.com/
Europa Deco:http://www.agoda.com/europe/spain/madrid/urban_hotel.html
3 comments:
Mmmm, jambon serrano!
Kerry
Mmmm, jambon serrano!
yes....delicious!!
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