Madrid, Spain
We landed in Madrid the day before Thanksgiving. This wouldn’t be our first Thanksgiving away from family festivities, but it would be our first time celebrating the holiday in another country. Instead of the traditional turkey feast we found ramen at a spot called Chuka. Hands down the best ramen I had in Spain, and I have had A LOT of ramen. It’s a small unassuming spot with all sorts of delicious menu items, from boa buns to deconstructed prawn tacos. If you plan to go here, make a reservation, or be prepared to wait! But while you wait you watch all the cooks get down on their craft right in front of you, so it’s not so bad.
Since we were rounding out our road trip during the start of the holidays the whole mission (or at least my mission) was to eventually end in Madrid at the start of the European Christmas market season. I had dreams about the mulled wine, smell of pine and hand-crafted wooden stalls. I could feel my inner Buddy the Elf about to bubble over in maple syrup I was so excited!
The city was decked out in lights and slammed with tourists in puffy coats and mittens. It was freezing! When we finally arrived at Plaza Mayor for the Christmas market there were stalls after stalls just like I imagined, only every stall was the same. People were either selling nativity scene accessories to build your own or a bunch of silly, cheap toys. Turns out Spain’s Christmas markets are all pretty much like this… so if you’re going for the true, authentic experience head to Germany, Switzerland, France… unfortunately, anywhere but Spain.
Putting my scrooge attitude aside, there was so much more about Madrid that we loved! El Retiro Park- a UNESCO World Heritage Site- may have been my favorite park I visited in the country. It is huge and lined with orange, autumn trees (over 15,000!) and there is a huge pond to rent paddle boats and a gorgeous crystal palace. That park was also one of Winston’s favorites and he made sure to steer clear of the police on horseback on park patrol.
Most notably when people think of Madrid, many think of the Prado Museum. Room after room of notable art that when looking at in person makes you feel different inside than if you were to see it on the internet or in a book. We saw the famous Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez which we were particularly interested in after seeing Picasso’s Las Meninas series in Barcelona. I also got the flu at the museum, so I didn’t get to fully appreciate it the way our friends did who toured it for over six hours!
Nearby is the La Latina neighborhood with the iconic La Rasta Flea Market with over 700 vendors. It was the most packed market I have ever been to, and I have been to some markets. The loot is worth it if you can muster the patience and don’t mind being sardined in between pushy shoppers. In the surrounding streets there are also fun thrift shops and cafes to break up the mayhem.
As I write about our days in Madrid, I find myself repeating “my favorite this, my favorite that,” but one of the most local, fun experiences we had was a recommendation from our chef at the Cooking Clubhouse where we took a paella cooking class. His advice was to go to the Mercado de la Cebada, also in La Latina. Starting at 3pm only on Saturdays the fish markets cook and sell all their fresh fish to prepare for new shipments. It was packed with locals who seem to do this weekly. Grab a beer while you wait in line, be ready with your order in Spanish and enjoy! We had pulpo Galician style (octopus) that we ate with toothpicks, fresh oysters and lemon and ahi that was just seasoned with just olive oil and sea salt –it was so creamy! We went upstairs to view all the bustle from above and ended up meeting one of the vendors who I nicknamed Papa Noel because he looked like a Spanish Santa Clause. Tis’ the Season!
On our last day we had brunch in the boutique filled neighborhood of Malasaña at the HanSo Café and ended with a jazz concert by Silvia Marsó and Del Toro Blues Band at the famous Central Café.
Even with all the highlights and memorable adventures we had in the city of Madrid we also felt that it was just that: a big city. There are the business suits buzzing about in the Congress district, tourists on top of tourists and just that big city feel that didn’t feel like home but was great for a visit. And, since we both managed to get the flu it may not have been Madrid’s fault that our temperament craved a little more tranquility and personal space. Until next time…