Quick Links to Spain Pages:
Madrid
In Madrid we stayed in a VRBO, Calle de Huertas #12, from Thursday through Monday, September 19
Huertas is one of the main pedestrian streets in the old part of Madrid. This is the view from our room looking east...
...and this is the view looking west
...and this is looking at our building. We were the middle two windows on the level one down from the top.
And this is the view of large female legs sticking out a window.
Stopping for a beer (attitude adjustment) on the Plaza Mayor at "Museo de Jamón"
The tastiest museum in Madrid, according to their menu
Down the stairs toward Las Cuevas
Plaza Mayor. Is that Filipe III?
Here is a view from the top of the Red Bus. We do this to get a lay of the land our first day in Europe. It also keeps us from falling asleep from jet lag, usually.
Selfie number one. Get used to them. We didn't pack the selfie stick, though.
We stumbled upon the Mercado de San Miguel, just a couple blocks off Plaza Mayor.
Our first introduction the ubiquitous Jamón Ibérico. It's everywhere and there's lots of it.
Lots of beer to. Contrary to the list here, Mahou is the most popular brew in Madrid.
Here is where I picked up olives for my evening martinis
The market was crowded and bustling and fun.
Oysters and Cava anyone?
Mussels, shrimp, scallops, oysters, clams, etc.
What do you know, an Irish pub!
Time for Guinness break, for our strength!
The martinis will have to wait.
John Calver in an old painting
Goya
Lunch, spinach salad and salmon "canope"
We had a good lunch here, El Diario Cerveceria.
It was on a side street near the Prado Museum
This is a living wall. Well the wall isn't alive but the plants on it are. I can't even get stuff to grow flat on the ground.
This is from the elevator at the Reina Sofia
From the elevator again. We enjoyed the Reina Sofia as well as the Prado but couldn't take any photos inside. It was a no no.
I snuck a couple, though. Cheers! Or I should say, "Salud!"
This proves we were there
What do you know? Another Irish pub!
I thought he was French.
Calle de Huertas
The small plaza near our apartment.
There were several groups of guys dressed in a similar fashion to these guys, drinking and having fun in mid-day. We never did find out what they were up to. Something to do with bull fighting, no doubt.
Here is Lorri with a cow, not a bull. Ale-Hops were all over Spain.
A new arrival. He got plastered on the flight over.
Speaking of getting plastered. Not really.
Too much to do and see!
Tapas and beer!
Plaza Mayor
Market day
Panorama of Plaza Mayor - doesn't do it justice.
The Palacio Real
Jack and Lorri and the Palacio Real
The other side of the Palacio Real
From the Plaza Real
The Penn State Nittany Lion
No photos allowed inside the PR except in the main lobby which is this.
and this
Just a small little place for Spanish Royalty to hang out.
Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Almudena
photo of a post card of said cathedral
Photo of said cathedral
and another
And back at the Mercado again!
Touristy but fun!
Just point to what you want.
What a deal!
Break time
It was fun to find little places on side streets and sit back and watch the world go by.
Sometimes they would bring a free tapa, sometimes you had to order.
Sometimes they brought what you thought was a free tapa and they charge you for it! No matter, everything was reasonably priced.
This has to be Saturday, because I'm watching the Penn State game streaming over the Big Ten Network app in our apartment.
Saturday night we ate here. Slow roasted piglet and baby lamb. Sounds so cruel but tastes so good!
Tasty little fellers!
They sat us downstairs in the caves.
Desert with a digestif. What was that stuff?
After dinner we found a famous "Bull Bar"
Lots of dead bull heads, dead pig legs, tapas and beer
Selfie number...I've lost count.
Dead bull head. Dead pig legs.
Lorri, very much alive! So is the bartender, I think.
Heading toward San Giné's for hot chocolate and churros
almost there
there and waiting...
getting closer...
And here they are! The chocolate was almost like hot pudding.
We met a couple nice young ladies from Taiwan. That is their, um, travel buddy and churros and chocolate. Sorry we didn't get a photo of them.
Later at El Corte Inglés, the department store that has everything. I bought some Cuban cigars here.
Lorri looking for a scarf.
The Spanish take gin and tonic to a whole new level! More later.
Looking down the Gran Via.
Looking up the Gran Via
Seriously, we do more than eat and drink, right?
I think this may be the Gran Via Plaza or the Plaza Red de San Luis
Paella Vallenciana. Somehow we never had a paella in Spain.
We had a bunch of other stuff though. Didn't miss the paella.
Oh yeah, they call tapas "pinchos" too.
Ginebra con tonica: fill glass with ice and swirl it until the glass is thoroughly chilled, strain any water out of the glass, pour about three shots of gin in the glass, garnish with lemon peel, fruit, etc. and serve with a small bottle of tonic.
Night time at Plaza de Santa Ana
The Sherry bar. No photos allowed inside! We tasted five different styles of sherry and they were all good!
Back to: