MADRID AND GRANADA--A Magical Winter Week in Spain

Welcome back, eks! Does the Ritz still serve those wonderful home made potato chips with drinks in the evening?

Good start, looking forward to the rest of your report.

Marija: I did see those chips! But they were not on my own plate, as we had no time to relax over a drink. The public areas are glorious and the hotel just celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010! There was piano music from morning to night.

Here is the rest of the first day:



Not certain is we would last until dinnertime on that first Sunday of arrival in Madrid, we had opted to have our first meal at lunchtime, which in Madrid means anytime from 2 to 5pm.

I had asked the Ritz to book us a table at Marisqueria CASA RAFA, a traditional seafood restaurant located at Calle Narvaez, #68, east of Retiro Park. A big thank you to Maribel for recommending Casa Rafa, and this area in general on her newly updated Madrid dining guide.

The Retiro neighborhood, east of the Park itself, is an area rich with excellent restaurants and tapas bars that have yet to be discovered by tourist throngs. We asked the hotel to reserve the latest lunch booking, which in this case was 3pm (the kitchen remains open until 4:15pm). And so, we set out in the light drizzle (this would be the only day of less-than-ideal weather in the entire week) on a walk that would take us one block east from the hotel and through the commanding iron gates of el Parque del Buen Retiro, the park of good repose.

Is there any European city park as lovely as this one? We were absolutely astounded by the beauty of this green heart of Madrid and on each of several walks we would take that week, we discovered another corner of this grand space, originally the grounds of a royal palace.

Even in the light drizzle on this Sunday, the park was alive with families, couples, and solitary strollers and, we were assured by the concierge that it was safe to wander at any time of day or night. What we did not know, and would learn later that week, is that the park’s majestic gates are locked tight at 10pm during the winter months.


http://www.esmadrid.com/en/retiro-park





The walk to the restaurant took us about 25 minutes or so, and it was shortly before 3pm that I stopped dead in my tracks, bewitched by the lavish display of shellfish piled in the front window of Casa Rafa. Even at this late (for us) lunch hour, this well-regarded 52 year-old restaurant, founded by two brothers, was filled to the brim and it was several minutes before we were shown past the convivial front bar room to our table at the appointed hour of 3pm.

Casa Rafa is a serious, but not starchy, restaurant and the patrons appeared to be a mix of well-to-do neighborhood regulars judging from the greetings exchanged between diners and staff. There were quite a few family groups, with three generations represented.

The décor is simple; the focus here is on the food itself, not the external surroundings. Tables are neatly dressed in starched white linens and the waiters rush with determination up and down the stairs and through the dining room, natty in their black jackets and ties.

Although my Spanish is decent, I am not familiar with the names of all the myriad varieties of seafood: About 5 kinds of shrimp alone were on offer, from the tiny quisquillas and camarones del rio to the larger gambas and the colossal langostinos. Squid of various sizes; cockles, razor clams (navajas) and heart clams (berberechos); necora crab and centolla crab; lobster and crayfish; percebes (the much-lauded goose barnacles from the northern coast); oysters of several varieties; and the coveted and wildly expensive silvery white angulas. Our waiter told us that most of the year, they had many more varieties of shellfish on offer! (There is also an impressive lineup of meat and tartar steak and huge juicy-looking cuts of beef were also much in evidence.)

While we pored over the menu, we were offered complimentary croquetas (fried croquettes, impossible light and airy inside their battered shell) and a platter of green olives and rapeed carrots dressed with fruity olive oil.


Knowing that even one glass of wine would knock me out for the rest of the day, we drank only water and mosto, a light grape-based juice served in a tall glass, often with an orange slice.

I began the meal with Mediterranean red shrimp; as per custom, shellfish is priced per hundred grams. In response to my query, the waiter told me that each 100 grams would contain about 3 large shrimp. I ordered 200 grams which proved to be a very substantial portion. These were very salty, but delicious. My dining partner, who is not a shellfish eater, chose the Minestra de Verdura, thinking that this was a vegetable soup but which, instead, proved to be a tumble of vegetables that included artichokes, carrots and potatoes, bathed in a tiny amount of light broth.

For my main course, I chose chipirones, or baby squid, grilled and bathed in a light green sauce, while my partner—after learning that the wild turbot was no longer available, chose grilled sole. A less-than-exciting choice, perhaps, but it was supremely fresh.

The flaky, cream-filled house-made pastry, and coffee, closed the meal .


We had been warned that shellfish in Madrid was very pricey so we were prepared for the bill, which amounted to 137 Euro for both of us. It is possible to eat here for much less, of course; the 200 grams of shrimp at 40 euro accounted for a large portion of the total. Recommended very highly for a seafood splurge. Closed Monday evening.

Here are some photos from a local restaurant review site:

http://11870.com/pro/casa-rafa/media



After lunch, we retraced our steps through Retiro Park, taking many photos along the way, and headed for the Prado, which offers free admittance on Sundays from 5 to 7pm. There was no line at 5pm. Although we were very tired by then, we spent almost two hours beholding some of the works by Velasquez, El Greco, and the Italian painters, and would return later in the week with fresher eyes.

Great report so far! Takes me back to when I was there with my dad as a study abroad student. I agree about the overall stunning nature of Parque Retiro. My only is not renting a row boat. Looking forward to reading more.

traveltalesfromtheredheadedtraveler.blogspot.com/
(My travel writing blog!)

Thank you for your report. I am planning my first trip to Spain in Feb.

Waiting for the next section!

Before I return with the next installment, I just want to mention here that the people we met in both Madrid and Granada-- from hotel and restaurant staff to passers-by on the street and from bus drivers to bartenders to shopkeepers-- were exceedingly cordial and welcoming.

Over and over again, we were struck by the courtesy and charm extended to us by every single person with whom we came into contact.


Que vivan los Españoles!

Great start...looking forward to the rest of the report!

I'm loving your report.

Regarding your comment on the people you met, I think so often it also has to do with your demeanor and attitude. If you're suspicious, critical or looking for negatives then you'll definately "find" them. Negative thinking people tend to attract negativity for some reason But if you are as you say "cordial and welcoming" then you tend to meet similar people and others are drawn to you. That's my opinion as to why there are such varying comments about places and people in trip reports - it has as alot to do with the traveler.

Those of us who jealously read your frequent and wonderful reports can only exclaim:

Que viva ekscrunchy!

AHHHHH Scrunchy!! I am enthralled already. I love your reports.. People it was this woman's previos trip report that inspired me to go to Segovia in 07..

I am loving the food details as you well know, keep them coming..everything ...linesen table cloths I love when you describe them.

Also for the benefit of another poster who is going to Madrid on her honeymoon, how did you find you terrific hotel deal???

ekscrunchy is a woman?? all this time I've pictured a man tho I'm not sure why.

either way, am enjoying your report and anxiously awaiting more!

and oh yea...I share your experience regarding the Spanish people (and people tell me I'm a typically negative person...I say those people have seen more of my negative side than the positive...but I digress!). they are warm, courteous, generous. One short story...whilst in the Reina Sofia museum my 10 year old daughter got a bloody nose and was sitting on the floor. we had separated briefly and I found her sitting on the floor. One of the museum workers rushed right over and, speaking only Spanish, asked me if she needed a doctor and was quite concerned about her. I said not to worry, that she gets bloody noses all the time but if she could tell me where the bathroom was since I was out of kleenex, that's all I needed. Well, that very nice woman thought my daughter would be more comfy in her chair so we did that and waited for the nosebleed to stop. But, I was overwhelmed but the great concern of this Spanish woman. It left an indelible impression on me and I'll never forget it.

um, overwhelmed "by" not "but". I guess it's time for bed because I proofread that! ah....

You are all too kind! I meant to continue yesterday but found myself conking out by 4pm from jet lag. Will try to get moving later today...

Tobyo: Yes, a woman. A woman with a ridiculous screen monniker which by now has become permanently affixed.

The episode that you relate is just the sort of thing that I might imagine taking place. Not only were people kind and welcoming--leaving their post in a shop to walk us to the corner and point the way to our destination, etc--but there was a way that many had of looking me in the eye and giving us all their attention even when responding to a query about directions, or some other mundane tourist-related query.

I also found--here and elsewhere--that bringing up a food-related topic is often a good way to open a conversation. The vendor at the Mercado de la Paz, for example, seemed to be all business until I began asking her her advice on the differences between the same beans in two different colors. (Tolosa beans come in red and in black). This began a good, animated conversation about the merits of cooking with certain beans, etc etc.....

Ana, querida: The hotel's website has a couple of "special offers." By using their search engine, in the "special offer" category, I found a classic room with breakfast for 280 euro, including the tax. There were less expensive rooms for those willing to conform to the "advance booking" requirements. (I was afraid to do this). This is much (MUCH!) more than we would normally pay, especially in January, but I was certain that it was a very worthwhile splurge, and the stay there confirmed that that was, indeed, true.

As an aside, I wrote directly to the hotel to inquire if they had any other discounts that they could apply. The rate that the reservations person sent me was actually higher than the one on the website--turns out that she had miscalculated the room tax!

Hola ekscrunchy, many thanks for your well written report. Your description of walking through Retiro park brought me back there, one of my favorite pastimes in that great city!

This is great---can't wait for the Granada installment!

We turned in very early on that first night in Madrid and awoke feeling very refreshed. The first order of business was breakfast, which was included in our Classic Room rate. Like all of the hotels’ public areas, the Goya Restaurant combines palatial grandeur with a feeling of intimacy. The breakfast buffet is not over-the-top-lavish by today’s standards, but the offerings can be supplemented at no charge with dishes including eggs and hot cereals. I can attest to the fact that the French-style pastries, particularly the pan au chocolat, are divine, as is the coffee.

Service is nothing short of perfect. As an example: When we finished eating that morning, I asked one of the waiters for a recommendation of where to eat churros, a quintessential Madrileno offering. The next morning, we were presented with a plate of these sugary fried concoctions soon after being seated at the table.

After breakfast, we requested a room change, which was immediately granted with no questions asked. We especially liked the new room’s view of the Plaza de Lealtad from the Juliet balcony above the hotel's entrance. I was also pleased that the Carrara marble bathroom of #102, had both a shower stall and a hand-held brass shower fixture in the tub. One element that could use upgrading, in both rooms, were the bedside reading lights which I found rather dim.

The move complete, we were off, bound for the imposing Renaissance Plaza Mayor where the Madrid Tourism Center occupies well-staffed premises—with free internet-- on the north side of the square inside the Casa de la Panaderia, former home of the city’s bread guild and today distinguished by the polychrome allegorical frescoes added in the 1990s.



Here we signed up for the Essential Madrid Walking Tour, offered at this time of year from Mondays through Saturdays at noon for a moderate 3.90 Euro. (Tickets can be booked online, or in person)


http://www.esmadrid.com/descubremadrid_en/portal.do


The Plaza Mayor has witnessed bullfights, autos de fe, markets and public executions and, on this day, we were able to behold a procession of fairytale coaches and colorfully costumed riders on horseback, as each new ambassador to Spain was shuttled back and forth to the nearby Royal Palace to meet King Juan Carlos.


The Walking Tour itself provided a good introduction to the Spanish capital. There were about 6 others on the tour, which began in the Plaza Mayor and continued to the Plaza de la Villa, where a medley of architectural styles attest to the evolution of this former Moorish market square and the oldest plaza in Madrid. Our guide, Blanca Hernandez, was spirited and informative, and she is available for private tours in English or Spanish:

Blancayfede@yahoo.es.

The tour ended about 2pm at the imposing Palacio Real, which was closed on that day for the ambassadorial ceremonies:



http://www.patrimonionacional.es/Home/Palacios-Reales/Palacio-Real-de-Madrid.aspx



Our group had peeked inside the newly refurbished Mercado de San Miguel, a few steps west of the Plaza Mayor, and we returned on our own to wander the aisles of this frothy Beaux Arts iron-and-glass structure. I was certainly in my element here, and my eyes were just about popping out of my head with excitement as I beheld the lavish displays of Jamon, shellfish, cheeses, pastries, wines and beer, and fresh produce. Blanca had warned us that prices were high, and that many Madrilenos patronize the market more for tapas and snacks than anything else. I knew that I would be visiting at least one other market later that week, so I contented myself with taking photos.

The pull to begin food shopping was too strong, however, and on the way back to the hotel, we made a small detour to Calle Preciados, off the Plaza del Sol, where a large supermarket occupies the basement of one of the adjacent buildings of the venerable El Corte Ingles department store. (We estimated that one out of every three pedestrians in the center of the city carried the distinctive black, green, and white Corte Ingles shopping bags)


This first, quick shopping foray yielded the following:

Tin of La Chinata Pimenton la Vera Dulce (smoked, sweet Spanish paprika) (1.31 Euro)

Tin of La Chinata Pimenton la Vera Picante (smoked, hot Spanish paprika) (1.31 euro)

Several boxes of La Rosera La Mancha saffron threads (5 euro per .5 gr box) (store these in the freezer??)

Two packages membrillo (quince paste; served with cheese) 1.11 euro each

1 Package house-brand Tortas de Aceite (1.36 euro). These hand-made Andalucian crisp breads lightly dusted with sugar and imbued with a slight hint of anise immediately became my new favorite snack and we would devour quite a few boxes during the coming week. They are sold in the US but we had never tried them until that afternoon.

Addictive and dangerous!


http://www.idealcheese.com/tortadeaceite.aspx

Now laden with our very own Corte Ingles shopping bag, we staggered back to the hotel about 4:30pm and spent a few hours relaxing before heading back to the Retiro neighborhood east of the park for dinner.

ekscrunchy, if you can make tortas de aceite a regular snack , you must be doing some serious exercise!

I have yet to see the ambassadors carriage procession! I MUST make sure to do that one of these months! Great report.

Did you really skip dinner on day one?!

you know, those bags from El Corte Ingles are exactly the same as I remember them from 30 years ago! and, oh! I didn't know there was Spanish paprika!! I'm going to have to get some too, thanks for the tip!! absolutely love the basement grocery store in El Corte Ingles. and oh yea, gotta get some saffron too. I make a really good paella

Oh ekscrunchy - I want to pack my bags for a return to Madrid & Granada immediately! Thanks for your great post.

A friend and I had afternoon tea at the Ritz last year; what a glorious hotel! It was quite funny - we'd been to the Prado and when we came out were looking for a coffee. My Venezuelan friend asked (in Spanish) one of the guards to recommend a good local coffee bar and he started directing us to a nearby Starbucks! We looked at one another, barely containing our hoots of laughter and thanked him very much, saying that wasn't QUITE what we had in mind.

Turning around, there was The Ritz - so off we went and had a wonderful high tea in the gardens. It was the first day of my first trip to Madrid and "Tea for Two at the Ritz" was a wonderful start to my week there.

Looking forward to the rest of your week's ramble.

It was great luck that we stumbled onto the ambassador's procession! We could hardly believe our eyes when we saw the first rider enter the Plaza Mayor!



Marija: The first day (day of arrival; Sunday) we indeed skipped dinner! But remember that we had had that big lunch at Casa Rafa and did not leave there until close to 5pm. The fairly recent development (probably in the class of "Too Much Information") is that the travel partner has slimmed down quite a bit in the past year or two (as has yours truly) and has become, as a result of wanting to preserve his new svelte figure, a "two meals a day" person. Not only that, but I have yet to convert this person to the ecstasy of shellfish (known as "things with shells"), so he is able to walk past those shimmering piles of joy heaped on ice in the windows without even a glance of longing. "I will go to the restaurant with you but I am not ordering anything" is a recurrent phrase. So the result of all this is that I am now on the "European plan" or "half-board" when we travel together. More than a bit annoying, as you can imagine, but there it is..... But I did manage to sneak in a bocadillo de calamares (the joy of this will be revealed soon) and other lunchtime snacks (see "tortas de aceite, above) , so......


Speaking of snacks, sweet ones, here is another new discovery: Miguelanez Violet Candies, Inexpensive and delicious. If you are also a fan of violet-flavored candies, this adorable shop near Sol offers lots of artisanal treasures and the quality is probably much better than the Miguelanez brand:

http://www.lavioleta.es/index.html


There is just so much fabulous food shopping in Madrid! I could have spent the entire four days doing nothing else!

Tobyo: You have to try the pimenton, the smoked paprika from La Vera. It comes in three categories; I could not find the "agridulce" variety at El Corte Ingles, though. Here is more information:


http://www.tienda.com/food/products/pk-03-2.html?site=1


Also, we visited the La Vera Valley very briefly a few years ago; here is the report on what turned out to be an unforgettable trip (see posts around June 4th):


http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/pedraza-de-la-sierra-with-notes-on-toledo-caceres-jarandilla-la-vera-and-segovia.cfm

Loving this trip report, especially all the details around food! We head to Madrid soon for a week and I can't wait...just made a note about the grocery store as we have rented an apartment.

Ahhh! Now I know what we will bring home from Spain---Pimenton!! Madrid will be our last stop so I'll buy the tins there. I think we'll be closer to Mercado de San Miguel; wil they have it there or would be better advised to head up to El Corte Ingles?

They should have pimenton at Mercado de San Miguel. If not, you should be able to find it in most food shops. And keep in mind that there are many other covered markets in Madrid--it seems that every neighborhood has one. Same is true in Granada. On the last day I discovered that there was a market just around the corner from our (Granada) hotel on the Gran Via.

Did you know that there is a Corte Ingles in Granada with another large basement supermarket? It is a about a 10-minute walk from the Cathedral on Acera del Darro. We happened to be there just when the January sales had begun so shops in both cities were jammed.

escrunchy- What a wonderful trip report!!! I'm extremely excited since I will be traveling to Madrid and Granada in March.

I'll be looking forward to the rest of your report

great report, Ek. we spent 3 days in Madrid a few years ago and loved the Retiro park - have they still got the cloud-trimmed hedges?

we found a very nice restaurant to the west [i think] of the Prado just before you get to the park. we were able to eat lunch outside even though it was February.

I really liked Madrid - mroe than Barcelona i think.

I am glad you are all enjoying..I really fell for Madrid this time and I guess the report reflects this.


Ann: What are cloud-trimmed hedges???(!) The Park is so gorgeous, even in winter that I can't imagine how it must be when more plants are in bloom. Near the NW corner of the reservoir in the Park there are a couple of gorgeous trees sculpted in metal with an intentionally rusted finish. They actually move with the breeze, and are themselves moved at night to a spot just beside the Puerta del Alcala entrance. I wish I had more information about them..

I know there are many more delights inside the gates that I would like to explore sometime...

I'm enjoying this very much, this is about as close as I'll ever get to the Ritz,I'm sure!

Just to add a bit more info on the pimenton, the NYT had a very glowing article last year, right before I headed to Spain, so I brought back a lot of it and gifted it around to all my friends. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14power.html?_r=1&ref=poweringredients

One little thing to pay attention to is the way in which the can is opened -- most have little plastic things that flip up and down, and as I learned the hard way, some brands have sturdier flaps than others. I arrived home with a fair amount of pimenton sprinkled over my clothing.

I'm with you, ekscrunchy, Madrid is one of Europe's loveliest and most fun cities. Looking forward to more installments!

excellent! I'll definitely be getting some of that pimenton. thanks for the cool link too. I've saved it for future reference. and, looking forward to the rest of your report too. Madrid is very endearing isn't it?

Sounds like a wonderful visit.

The current Mercado de San Miguel is not a real market but a deli room. The largest market in Madrid, with real local atmosphere, is the Mercado de Maravillas, next to Metro Cuatro Caminos.
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/a-hidden-gem-in-madrid-the-mercado-de-maravillas.cfm

I certainly understand the comment about San Miguel market being a deli room. It is not where you would expect to find "regular" people doing their daily shopping.

I've never seen the pimenton cans with those openings..mine have only the metal circle set into the metal top of the can, and you just pry open the circle. Like the cans of McCann's Irish oatmeal. But that is a good heads up--I bet that color does not easily come out in the wash!


I will be back soon with more..sorry this is taking so long...

For our dinner on our first full day in Madrid, we had chosen another restaurant in the Retiro district east of the park. ARZABAL, a contemporary "neo-tasca" had received very good online reports and was highly recommended by Maribel in her wonderfully comprehensive 2010 Madrid dining guide. (I tried to select a mix of dining venues ranging from traditional to modern)

There are actually two Arzabals—the original, tiny restaurant/bar at #2, Dr. Castello, and the newer, slightly larger and slightly glossier place about two doors to the west on the corner facing Retiro Park. This was explained to us by one of the congenial owners, Ivan, who escorted us to the original address at which our booking had been made. No problem; the kitchen is the same and we actually preferred the more cozy dining space of the smaller and older location.

The welcome at Arzabal might have been the warmest of all the warm welcomes we received that week. The lovely young woman who waited on us not only guided us through the list of menu items (written on the blackboard and also on the written menu), but offered all kinds of tips and advice about Madrid, including where to sample one of the city’s beloved snacks, bocadillo de camarones! The miniscule contemporary room features a tiny bar in front, which became quite crowded as the night wore on, and no more than about 5 tables behind.

Although I understand Spanish and received the most gracious help, I fear that I did not put together a very sensible dinner. Quite a few of the items included shellfish or other items that feature on the taboo list of my travel partner. While I did my best to avoid these, I may have overdone it with the starch component. One really has to pay attention when compiling a meal at these “small plates” venues!


This is what we ate at Arzabal, accompanied by a crisp Soto Verde Rueda blended white wine.

Incredibly good bread, accompanied by a tall white bucket of good butter.


Alcahofas Fritas (13 euro). Baby artichokes cut paper-thin, fried to
crispy perfection and mounded high on the plate. Memorable!

Croquetas de hongos y de jamon Iberico. (6.50 ½ racion) Mixed order of croquettes, which were fast becoming the travel partner’s favorite find of the trip. Perfect crsipy and creamy renditions of this iconic Spanish dish.

Sarten de Huevos Truffados ( 10 euro 1/2 racion). This was a tangle of lightly sautéed lozenges of potato (I thought they were a tad undercooked) with a bit of fried egg and a generous amount of black truffle. It was tasty, but I would not order it again at dinnertime.

Salteado de arroz con hongos (12 euro 1/2 racion). I thought this was a tad pricey for half an order of a good enough “dry” rice and mushroom medley. Already we can see the starch piling up at the table, due to my mash-up with ordering.

Pochas con hongos (9 euro 1/2 racion) . This was the “cuchara del dia,” or "spoon of the day." Good quality small, white beans tossed with mushrooms. Very tasty.

Salmonetes (15 euro 1/2 racion). Delicious Mediterranean red mullet (small red-skinned fish with white flesh) sautéed and served with tomato cubes in escabeche, which might have been the best tomato dish of the year—impossibly tiny cubes of tomato in a sweet and sour vinaigrette. Outstanding. I need to figure out how to make this. In a situation like this, with so many other dishes, a half-order was a good size for both of us. I liked having the opportunity to order smaller servings of many dishes.



Together with the wine and water, and a 2 euro per person cover charge, the bill totalled 70 euro for two of us. Closed Sundays.

After dinner, we crossed the street to the park entrance and enjoyed a delightful nighttime stroll back to the hotel. (We were assured by the concierge that the Park was safe to walk, even at night, and even at the late hour, it was filled with strollers and runners).

I forgot to add the ARZABAL website:


http://www.arzabal.com/

Hi ek,

if you scroll down these pics of the retiro, you'll find a couple of examples of cloud pruning:

http://www.google.co.uk/images?rlz=1T4GGIC_enGB310&q=retiro+park+madrid&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=VsM5TaORM8m1hAezqoC-Cg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CCkQsAQwAQ&biw=1004&bih=462

they don't stand out terribly well, but you probably get the general idea.

we also went to the botanical garden which is the other side of the prado. although it was February it was quite interesting and the greenhouses were nice!

Checking in...

Thanks, Ann! I would have loved to see those pruned hedges! They may have been there, even in January, but most of our walking in the park was after dark and we were concerned more with finding the route to the eastern side than actual sightseeing. We really should have devoted more time just to exploring the wonders of the Park. Although we had four days (including the day of arrival which was pretty much a washout except for lunch and a short visit to the Prado) I feel that that amount of time was really the barest minimum and allowed us only to get a feel for the city in general, not to delve in any depth. I think that for some reason, Madrid does not receive its due respect as far as tourism goes. Barcelona seems to be much more popular these days, although Madrid has many more "sights" as far as I'm concerned.

To touch on another issue that arises here once in a while: I never felt the remotest bit unsafe while in the city. It is true that we stuck to the center and, since we were able to walk everywhere, we did not take the Metro, but even then, the only vaguely shady people we noticed were the ladies of the night that seem to congregate on Calle Montero south of the Gran Via.


Did you know that the only known statue depicting the devil is inside the park, at the Fountain of the Fallen Angel? (second photo in link below)


http://www.portalviajar.com/europa/espana/madrid/parque-del-retiro.php



I made an error above by referring to the reservoir, when I should have called this body of water an estanque, or artificial lake.

hi ek,

we were only in the park during the day, when mounted police were on patrol.

we never felt the need to ask for their help, I'm pleased to say. my recollection is that quite a lot of the hedges were "cloud pruned" but we were lucky enough to be there during daytime!

great article on the pimenton! did you pack it in your suitcase then? or carry it on the plane with you?

it's fun to come and read another episode each day so no worries from my perspective on your report. I kinda wish I had done mine that way. Instead, I spent many days that turned into several months before I finally posted my report of our two week adventure in Spain last May. either way is good methinks. can't wait to read more!

Tobyo thanks so much! I packed the pimenton with no problem. I use often; it is especially good with eggs or potatoes.

I also warm it in olive oil to make a topping for a sort of bruschetta-type concoction composed of toasted, good bread topped with sauteed bitter greens and melted smoked mozzarella (or regular mozzarella, or any scamorza-type cheese). (Put the greens on the toasted bread and then melt cheese over the top and drizzle the oil for the final touch; you can have a few of these with a good salad for a light dinner)



Here is a bit more:






We devoted the first part of the next day to the Barrio Salamanca. After breakfast, we set off from the hotel on a walk of about 15 minutes that brought us to the center of this upscale neighborhood. Salamanca is famous as a mecca for high-end shopping. We stopped into the Calle Serrano flagship of Loewe, for a quick browse. Although we probably did not look like standard bearers for this legendary Spanish leather house, we received a very warm welcome. I took a quick peek at the shoe collection which included a violet-hued pair draped with fur along the entire 5-inch span of the stiletto heel. My partner commented that the look was not really me (??!) so we moved on to admire some of the clothes including a caramel colored straight skirt with leather-covered buttons in a café au lait color. Now, we are talking! The handbag collection is divine as well.


The trouble is that with such a short time in the city, and with a partner who has zero interest in shopping for clothing, and even less for designer clothing, I could not devote any serious time to shopping. We did move on to the Serrano branch of contemporary Catalan shoemaker, Camper, where the sales in full swing. Yet another reason to visit Spain in January!

http://www.loewe.com/


http://www.camper.com/






Salamanca may be famous for designer shops but for me it was the architecture that was the real magnet. This grid of tree-lined blocks lined with glorious examples of 19th and 20th-century architecture was designated an upscale residential neighborhood by the Marquis of Salamanca, a former minister of finance who founded the precursor to the Bank of Spain. If you think that Salamanca is just about shopping, please take a walk through this beautiful area, just to admire the streetscape.


Salamanca is also home (each neighborhood has its own public market) the beautiful Mercado de la Paz, on Calle Ayala. The lacy iron-and-glass coverd market was designed in the late-19th Century by Gustave Eiffel (of Tower fame), and today individual stalls showcase an abundance of epicurean fare ranging from hams and cheeses to fresh fruit and vegetables to fresh meats and seafood. Next time we really should rent an apartment so that I can putter around in the kitchen with all these marvelous raw materials!

I could only leer at the fresh items, while confining my purchasing, with great difficulty, to dried staples. I bought a kilo of Bomba rice for a friend who has spent countless summer evenings in pursuit of paella perfection; from Murcia, Bomba rice is reputed to be the finest rice for paella. For myself, I bought a few bags of dried beans for at the same stall near the front entrance to the market. That stall offered two types of the famous beans from Tolosa, red and black, and the vendor offered that the red ones cooked up more creamy than the black. Not sure why I did not buy both varieties, but the scanty space in my suitcase was certainly a limiting factor!

For more information, see:

http://www.tienda.com/food/products/be-05.html



I am sorry that I forgot to purchase some of the tiny Pardina lentils. I have already begun a new shopping list!


From the Mercado de la Paz, we ambled along the leafy streets to the Salamanca branch of El Corte Ingles to browse the basement food section and to stock up on our supply of Tortas de Aceite for in-room snacks.

And then it was on, past the Plaza de Colon, where a nearby pair of the city’s tallest buildings, the Torres de Colon, with futuristic green crowns that look like electrical plugs have earned the name “el enchufe,” or “the plug.”


http://www.absolutmadrid.com/las-torres-de-colon/


We passed from Salamanca to the edge of trendy Chueca, and strolled south along Calle de Hortaleza to the corner of Calle Mejia Lequerza where a 19th Century building at #1 houses the Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero, a cozy shop where the shelves are lined of glass bottles and metal tins filled with more than a hundred prime examples of some of the finest Spanish oils from each of the olive-producing regions of the country from Extremadura to Andalucia. They take their oil very seriously here, so do not enter expecting a simple list of “the best,” any more than you could expect this at a wine shop.

http://www.pco.es/



The capable young man who waited on us more or less told us that it was futile for him to recommend one variety or another and that it depended on my own taste and that I really needed to buy a small amount of oil, use it at home, and then return with my comments and from there, we would proceed in a search to find the best oils for my table. Because I had not yet abandoned the idea of returning with carry-on luggage only (this would take another day or two), I ended up purchasing only a small a tin of Fuenroble from Jaen (7.30euro for a 250 ml tin) , which was recommended based on my taste for the Gata Hurdes oil that I often use in my kitchen at home. So my best advice is, if you want to buy here, bring along a list of olive oils that you have used before and enjoyed.

From there, we walked south and west, ambling through the part of Chueca and the edge of Malasansa, along Calle Fuencarral. This was an admittedly half-hearted stab at visiting both of these neighborhoods but the peek that we did get did not inspire me to spend much more time there, given our short visit to the city. I am sure we missed the more enticing parts of these areas and will return when I have more time in Madrid, which will hopefully not be too far in the future.


After all this walking, we felt in need of a small snack, so we continued south, crossing the Gran Via, along Calle Montrera, the continuation of Calle Fuencarral that appears to be a center of what my father would call the “hot-sheet trade.” The ladies of the night were out in full force here even in the early afternoon.

Our destination was Café San Gines, the more-than-a-century-old chocolateria spot which we thought was known to each and every Madrileno. Apparently there is at least one policeman who was late to learn about this legendary café because when we asked him to point the way, he looked blank and turned to his friend, who responded, “oh, I think that is that chocolate place.”

We finally found San Gines, near the church of the same name, tucked off a narrow passageway leading off the pedestrian Calle del Arenal a few steps from the Joy Eslava (Joy Slave) disco (!) The cream and forest green front room, sheathed with marble, mirrors, and ceramic tile and adorned with glossy photos of celebrity clientele, was virtually empty when we visited, save for a table or two of locals and another of Japanese tourists. Service was pleasant and swift, and within a few minutes we were dunking or hot churros into white cups of luscious molten chocolate. (7.80 euro for two cups of chocolate and one order of churros).

Delightful and well worth the price. Do not miss this place; it is open most of the day.


From there, we dragged ourselves back to the hotel and took a short rest before heading out to the Prado at 6pm to take advantage of the free entry offered between 6 and 8pm on weekdays. This time we concentrated on Goya, with forays to the Flemish masters and another visit to the Bosch room. We were there until closing, when we once again stopped briefly at the hotel before heading out on what had become a familiar walk, east through Retiro park, to our appointed restaurant of the evening, Taberna Laredo, at 14, Calle Menorca. This meal would prove to be one of the best of the week.

ekscrunchy - One question, how was the entry line during that free window period for el Prado during the week?

T

and she leaves us hangin' to read about that great meal! I love all the food descriptions. I may have to check out those handbags tho not sure how much shopping I'll be getting done for much the same reason. hubby and I have talked about separating for a bit here and there so we can do our own things. and yes, San Gines is a MUST!! we're staying fairly close to there and plan to stop in most likely more than once

Sumiko: We found that there was a short line (maybe 30 people, maximum) at 6pm on weekdays, when the free window begins. But by 6:10, there was no line at all. Entrance during the week at the free time is through the main entrance faces north toward the Ritz Hotel. But on Sundays, we had to secure (free) tickets at that entrance and then walk to the Velasquez entry, facing Paseo del Prado, to enter the building.

I do think that the line will be longer in the warmer months.

I will return soon with details of Tuesday's dinner!

Skcrunchy you are my absolute favorte reporter. I love it.

I am a BIG churros and chocolate girl. That said...I found there was plenty to share with one order at San Gines.

I wish I had know about that olive oil store sounds interesting and fun.

A terrific trip report. Estupendo. Ya tengo hambre. Thanks for posting.

Ana one of these days you and I are going to have some adventures in Spain!

Yes, one order of churros was plenty. Last night for dessert, I had one of the packaged alfajores that I bought on the trip...I had never tried these Argentinean concoctions before, but I did see them in a couple of Argentine pastry shops including one on (I think, Calle Ibiza, near Calle Narvaez).

Ok, here is the last dinner, and the "lost in the park" scene.





TABERNA LAREDO, on Calle Menorca, #14, is located on a quiet side street leading east from Retiro park. We were greeted by our host and led past the bustling bar scene (this would be a great place for tapas or raciones at the bar) to one of two small dining rooms to the left and rear of the bar area. Updated traditional is how I would describe the ambience. Starched white linens drape the tables, but food is plated on handsome slate tiles that showcase each dish.


While we perused the menu, we were given a plate of mejillones, or mussles, bathed in a spicy red sauce and still resting in their opened tin, along with fabulous bread.

( There is no negative connotation in serving seafood in the can in Spain, as there might be in the US, and we noticed tinned shellfish on many menus, even at the fairly high-end places at which we ate. Spain’s long tradition of preserving seafood means that tinned varsions are often more highly prized than the fresh version, and some examples sell for what seem like extraordinarily high prices to Americans whose only experience with these might be inexpensive canned tuna or sardines.
For people interested in food shopping, canned seafood presents a veritable ocean of delights in Spain! The menu designation “de lata” indicates that the item comes from a can.)


I had tried razor clams in Spanish and Chinese restaurants in New York and never been wowed. At Taberna Laredo, I was wowed by my started of grilled navajas (18 euro), which ranks with the best dishes of the entire week. About a dozen razor clams, browned to perfection along their slender lengths, rested on a slate tile along with halves of lemon. Outstanding!

My main course—Chuletas de Cordero Lechal—milk-fed chops from a suckling lamb-- was also fantastic. (18 euro) I had abandoned my Madrid search for roast baby lamb like that which had captivated me in Pedraza a few years ago, and while these were not quite as stupendous, they were exceptionally good. The tiny, milk-white chops were presented on a tile alongside cubes of roasted potatoes and a delicious grilled green pepper.

My partner passed on a starter and ordered Confit de Cochinillo con Patata Trufada, or confited suckling pig, a tender and delious portion of the baby animal served on a bed of pureed potatoes richly veined with black truffles. (21 euro)

With water, and glasses of Rueda and a red wine, the bill came to 67 euro—very well worth the price. Taberna Laredo will be on my list when I return to Madrid!

http://www.tabernalaredo.com/EN/index.html




We left the restaurant shortly before 10pm, entering the Park and walking west on the now familiar pathways. But when we reached the gate on the western side of the Park, nearest the Ritz Hotel, we discovered that it was locked! Strange, we thought! My partner mentioned that he had seen a sign saying “24h,” which he figured indicated that the park was always open. (He does not speak, or read, Spanish)

And so we walked north along the muddy minor pathways lining the the western edge of the park, until we reached the Puerta de Alcala . Also closed! We then turned east, walking along the northern edge along Calle de Alcala, until I spotted a lone man walking on the sidewalk outside the fence. This man told me that he had no idea how to exit the park and must have thought we were deranged.

Happily, after more walking (or dragging, by now) along the perimeter of the Park, we met a runner who stopped when I planted myself in his path with my arms frantically waving. Turns out that the park closes at 10pm in winter, but that one gate, at the exact other end to where we stood, remained guarded all night long, and we could exit from there.

By this time, my legs were splattered with mud and we were a little tired at the thought of having to hike all the way southwest to the Puerta de Atocha near Atocha station. Soon, a police car pulled up beside us, having no doubt been alerted by the runner about the hapless and confused foreigners roaming around in the darkness. They confirmed that we could exit at the Atocha gate, and sped off, leaving us to trudge on in the darkness.

The park was exquisitely beautiful at night, so there was nothing lost by this slight mishap. When we got to the gate, I realized that the sign my partner had seen mentioned that the park closes at 10pm, but that this one entrance was manned 24 hours a day. Indeed, a surprised sentry opened the massive wrought iron gates for us, and we continued on our way toward the hotel. One of the many benefits of staying at the Ritz meant that my shoes were shined to perfection by the housekeeping staff!

And so, our second full day in Madrid came to a close. Tomorrow would be our last day in the city, and we had much to accomplish!

Great adventures, eks. At least you returned early enough for the Ritz doors to still be open. We returned so late (early) one night from a flamenco show that the doors were locked tight. Fortunately we noticed a small button which woke up someone to let us in! I must be the only one who's not crazy about the hot chocolate at the legendary San Gines. I found it so thick that it was impossible to even sip.

Waiting to read more.

Better to be locked in the park than in the Joy Slave disco. I'm just saying.

ooh, ek, fancy the thought of spending the night in the Retiro! in january!

lovely meal though.

tt

..taking a small break to recover from a terrible cough/flu thing...be back soon!

Oh my dear rest! That is a terrible flu cold thing Mr Don has is too. Take care!

We'll be here...

Hope you feel better, eks. We're getting hungry...

eks, some hot chocolate with churros is the best against flu…

got a cold, bu no flu, thank goodness. well not yet.

get well soon, Ek.

Muchas gracias, everyone! If only we had a source for chocolate and churros here!

Ana: I do think it should be Don Don, not Mr. Don!

Here is just a tad more that I wrote before I got sick--let me post it here before it disappears; I will be back to finish up soon:



On the morning of Wednesday, our last full day in Madrid, we set out after breakfast along the Paseo del Prado, bound for the Caixa Forum, a social and cultural space designed by the Swiss team of Herzog and de Meuron, creators of the Tate Modern in London, who transformed a late-19th Century power station into a stunning contemporary structure that employs industrial materials including weathered and pierced metal in a dramatic addition to the Museum Mile. We had planned only on viewing t he exterior, with its 24-mter-high garden wall by Patrick Blanc, the genius behind the living wall of the Branly Museum in Paris. But we f ound the photographs of children around the world by Madrid resident Isabel Munoz, organized by UNICEF and displayed in the sheltered outdoor entrance area, to be so compelling that we entered to view the rest of this exhibit. (That exhibit has now ended). Entrance to the Forum is free and the forum is open daily from 10am to 8pm.


http://obrasocial.lacaixa.es/nuestroscentros/caixaforummadrid/infancia_es.html



From the Caixa Forum, we continued to another reconfigured space, the Centro de Reina Sofia, a former hospital with an extension designed by Jean Nouvel that has transformed this into one of the world’s most important repositories of contemporary art. The museum is located just across the street from Atocha Station, and across the plaza from El Brillante, a workingman’s bar celebrated for its rendition of that classic Madrileno snack, the bocadillo de calamari, or fried calamari sandwich, which awaited us after our visit to the museum.



http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index.html

If only we had a source for chocolate and churros here! >>

one of the things I always try to buy to squeeze into the luggage to bring home is a packet or two of chocolate drink mix from italy or spain. it is loads better than what we can here, even the most expensive stuff, and weighs very little. so even if you can't get the churros, you can have the chocolate.

now, if only I had a source of friend calamari sandwich here!

Ann: I am going to follow your advice next time!

Here is a bit more; I hope to pick up the pace as soon as I feel a little better:



We spent about two and a half hours inside the Reina Sofia and I thought that that amount of time gave us a decent glimpse into the riches contained within this treasure trove of contemporary art. Guernica draws the big crowds, but many rooms were all but empty during the time of our visit, although we did see a number of school groups at various spots. We watched a few short films, too, as there are several media rooms interspersed among the galleries. A temporary exhibit of the work of Hans Peter Feldman drew our attention, too. This included one large white room ringed with the actual front pages of newspapers from around the world dated September 12, 2001. Another room held multi-colored pairs of women’s stiletto heels radiating out to form a circle on the floor.


From the museum, we wandered diagonally across the plaza to El Brillante. This is a no frills bar with low prices and a clientele that ranged on that day from children on an organized trip to local businessmen. There are two entrances—one facing the museum and the other facing Atocha Station across the street. Although there is a long and varied menu, the reason to come here is, as I mentioned above, the bocadillo de calamares. Fried calamari sandwich, you think? This may not sound all too tempting but the combination of the crisp, relatively greaseless calamari rings and tentacles and the well-textured roll make this a sandwich that I still long for, weeks later.

The bar also serves chocolate con churros (!!) and would be a good spot for breakfast if you are coming or going from the station at that time. There is seating along the bar and at a narrow counter opposite. I ordered a mini-bocadillo, which made a perfect snack at 4 euro. A glass of mosto brought the total to 5.30 euro.

Here are a few photos:



http://11870.com/pro/el-brillante/media

A few doors north of El Brillante is a branch of the chain Cerveceria 100 Montaditos, which sells 100 varieties of tiny bocadillos for 1 euro apiece. This might be a good spot to keep in mind if you are on a limited budget but the glimpse we got did not draw me inside:

http://www.100montaditos.com/conocenos/productos.cfm






After the calamari stop, we walked back to the hotel for a short break and set out once again, bound for Salamanca where we ambled along the streets, admiring the architecture for another two hours or so. We passed two upscale hotels--the Wellington and the Adler--and my guess is that either of these would make an excellent base if one wanted to stay in this neighborhood.

The National Archeology Museum, hung with a banner proclaiming a current exhibit: Tesoro! (“treasure”), drew us with the offer of free admission. We entered, but only a few minutes later, turned to one another and with one look, decided that we were just too tired to proceed. This museum is undergoing renovation and should be a jewel when work is complete. Right now, however, it is not well lit and we just could not muster the enthusiasm for a tour.

http://man.mcu.es/exposiciones/exposicion_permanente.html





It was about 6pm by the time we finally made it back to the hotel, so we had a rest of about two hours before our planned night of tapeando in La Latina.

I'm lucky. I can visit all those places again just tomorrow

Yes, you are very lucky! Very, very lucky to be living in such a beautiful, animated city! With such fabulous food!

we too ate at El Brillante after visiting the Reina Sofia. and I think their tortilla espanola was the best I had the entire trip. yum, yum, yum.....and, oh yay! we're planning on tapeando in La Latina as well looking forward to reading more. hope you're back to normal soon, it's no fun being sick.

Scrunchy you are pretty lucky to live in NYC ....that is no Hooterville. (As in Pettycoat Junction)
Don Don (DD) & I are going in Feb to see Flamenco HOY!

Just a tip for tortilla española after the Reina Sofía; head to a humble small bar called 'la Rosa' at Ronda de Atocha 30.

t

Before I conclude the Madrid chapter, I want to mention the fantastic resource that Maribel has provided with her Madrid Dining guide. After spending four days in the city I left with a feeling that I could not even scratch the thinnest surface layer of the riches that Madrid offers, and I have a new appreciation for the enormous effort that she must have poured into this comprehensive overview:

http://maribelsguides.com/mg_madriddining.pdf


After all the anticipation that led up to our evening of tapeando, I am embarrassed to reveal that our crawl turned out to be quite an abbreviated one!







Rather than make dinner reservations for our lat night in Madrid, I decided that we would devote that evening to a tapas crawl through the celebrated La Latina area, one of the city’s lushest eating neighborhoods.


We knew ahead of time that we would not be viewing the scene at its most frenetic; things do not really get going until at least 9:30 or 10pm at the very earliest, we were told. But that was okay with us—I was a bit intimidated by the thought of fighting the crowds to place my order. And then: how to maneuver the plates of food and utensils while standing in a dense crowd?

Well, I needn’t have worried even one iota. We set out from the hotel just before 8pm along the now familiar route to the Plaza Mayor, where we descended the staircase leading from the southwest corner of the Plaza to Calle Cuchilleros. Along Cuchilleros just south of the plaza, there are some tapas places but we had been advised to continue further south, past the super-touristy Restaurant Sobrino de Botin at #17, to where Cuchilleros turns into Cava Baja, the heart of tapas territory.


A side note: Botin, reputed to be the oldest restaurant in the world, dating from 1725, was the site of my very first restaurant meal in Europe. My girlfriend and I stopped one night in Madrid en route to our summer study program in Valencia. We had been told by someone, now long forgotten, that we should head for Botin. I don’t remember the meal, but I do remember, as the fading photos in my album—depicting two sheltered schoolgirls surrounded by handsome Spanish men-- attest, that we ate (and drank wine!) well into the night, and that no bill ever materialized.

A parade of restaurants and bars lines both sides of Cava Baja, and we quickly spotted all of the names that had become so familiar to me through my pre-trip research. I had my doubts as to how long this expedition would be allowed to continue, so we decided to begin with Casa Lucas, at #30, which was at the top of my list. This neat, tiny and tidy “gastro bar” was all but empty when we entered shortly after 8pm. There are a few tables at the rear, but we opted for two seats at the bar where we could have a good view of the blackboard menu.


http://www.casalucas.es/


The friendly barman presented us with a (free) a plate of sliced chorizo on toast while we contemplated the offerings. I ordered a Martin Codax Albarino and my partner, a mosto. Next, we sampled a half ration of Croquetas de Jamon Serrano (6 euro). These were very good, but did not reach the heights of those at Arzabal, which were made with jamon Iberico.

The highlight of our visit to Casa Lucas, and of the entire evening, was the next dish: A half-ration of Foie de Pato (Mi Cuit) al Oporto, con Frutas Caramelizadas (10 euro) or duck foie with carmelized apples and raisins. I would not be suffering if I had to eat this dish every day of my life, as it is right up there in the ranks of the best foie dishes I’ve ever tasted. We debated whether or not to order more but, as my partner pointed out, we were supposed to be on a tapas crawl. When we left the restaurant just after 9pm, the crowds had already begun to descend.

We continued walking south, to Calle Humilladero, where the traditional Galician seafood bar, Xentes, awaited behind a hunter green façade at #13. Here, a tv was blaring and a group of local workingmen chatted over beers at the long bar. Like at other Galician bars of this type that can be found all over Spain, Xentes specializes in seafood. I continued with another type of Albarino, while my partner switched to a cana, or small draft beer. The free tapa here was a mound of ensalada Russa, cubes of potatoes and carrots bound with mayonnaise. Leaving this to my enthusiastic partner, I ordered a plate of razor clams, or navajas (10.50 euro). These were excellent, but they lacked the slight char from the grill that had elevated those at Taberna Laredo to transcendent heights. The total bill here was 14.90 euro.

Txirimiri, across the street and a bit to the north at Humidallero, #6, was destined to be the next stop. Maribel had warned in her marvelous guide that “you’ll usually find it packed to the rafters,” and packed to the rafters it was on that evening around 9pm. As much as I wanted to sample the vaunted Basque-style fare in this much-lauded bar, we just could not bring ourselves to fight the crowds inside, so Txirimiri remains at the top of the list for the next visit to Madrid.

What we wanted more than anything else at that shamefully early hour of the night were some sweets. And so, en route back to the hotel, through streets that were teeming with shoppers, bar hoppers, and theatre goers, we made a stop at the venerable Madrid institution, Lhardy, which has occupied elegantly burnished premises behind the wood-paneled facade at Carerra de San Jeronimo, #8 since 1839. The shop was just about to close, but we were able to scoop up an assortment of sugary confections, including yemas, or yolks, and mazapan, to take back to the hotel.

http://www.lhardy.com/


We finished the final packing that night, in anticipation of our morning train journey to Granada.

eks, have you found some resemblances between Madrid and New York?

Statue of Liberty
http://rarurl.com/Ate
http://rarurl.com/8AiuLI

Cybele
http://rarurl.com/IABOE
http://rarurl.com/CSvUA

Columbus
http://rarurl.com/HNN8
http://rarurl.com/DIg7ab

Egyptian temple
http://rarurl.com/T8hr
http://rarurl.com/9hOelw

Boating pond
http://rarurl.com/8lqnBG
http://rarurl.com/n5qoS

Hot dogs
http://rarurl.com/o23izy
http://rarurl.com/wpL8HZ

Lively avenue
http://rarurl.com/n8SQEy
http://rarurl.com/v97D1

Video
http://rarurl.com/VYf

Welcome back! Sounds like a fabulous trip - looking forward to more! And I'm going to sprinkle some pimenton in my olive oil tonight. Great idea.

Incredible! But you know very well that Madrid is much more beautiful than New York!!!



So here is a bit more, moving on (sadly) from Madrid to Granada:


The following morning, Thursday, we had just enough time for a last breakfast at the Ritz before setting off in a taxi (7.10 euro) for the 5 minute ride to Atocha Station. (The walk would have taken about 20 minutes or less, as we knew from walking it the previous day, but we opted for the taxi due to the luggage we were carrying).

I had been a bit leery about the train station, having heard all kinds of comments about pickpockets and shady characters. My advice is to forget all of that: The station is clean, well-laid out and well signed. We took the escalator from street level down to the departure floor, admiring the interior space, with abundant greenery, as we descended.

I had gone through the usual mayhem with the RENFE site when I attempted to purchase the train tickets. After repeated attempts, which included phoning the credit card company and reading every tutorial I could get my hands on, including the excellent one in Maribel’s Guide, I conceded defeat.

Fortunately, the Ritz Hotel proved its worth when they agreed to secure the discounted web fare for me in advance of our arrival in Spain.
We paid about 27 euro each, plus a service charge of several euro, for the second-class Web Fare for the 4.5 hour ride from Madrid to Granada.

The train was spick and span and very comfortable, and the ride was incredibly smooth. In fact we enjoyed the train so much that I was sorry that the ride was so short, as I loved just gazing out the window as the plains of La Mancha flew past and the snow-capped peaks of the Andalucian sierra rose into view. The scenic highlight came toward the end of the journey, but the entire ride was just a delight and it whetted my appetite for future Spanish train journeys. If only I could manage to master the RENFE website!


From the Granada train station, we took another quick taxi ride costing a few euro to our hotel, the AC Palacio Santa Paula, on the Gran Via in downtown Granada.


http://www.ac-hotels.com/125-AC_PALACIO_DE_SANTA_PAULA.html



Here again, I had vacillated back and forth between a hotel in the downtown area, convenient to the better restaurants and tapas bars, or one in the more atmospheric, and hilly, Albaicin neighborhood. (I did not consider staying at the top of the Alhambra hill because I considered that too cut off from the nighttime life of the city). Now that I’ve returned from the city, my opinion is that there is no single “right” place to stay, but our decision worked out very well, although the hotel did not score a spot at the top of my all-time favorite list.

The AC Palacio Santa Paula is a sensitively wrought renovation of a former convent and an adjacent Moorish residence into a 5-star business hotel. I had requested Room #121 in the original section of the hotel, where the rooms encircle the original 16th-Century courtyard cloister of the Santa Paula convent. This room is one of several in the hotel to retain the original elaborate coffered wood ceiling which looked to me to be at least 15-feet high. The king-sized bed in this room is set into a niche sheathed in mottled blue Venetian plaster bounded with arched brick. The room itself was not large, but it did have a small seating area and a contemporary tiled bathroom. The furnishings do not live up to the architecture and are what one might expect from a chain hotel with boutique pretentions. There is a free computer in the lobby and the youthful front desk staff are unfailingly helpful and polite. We found the location to be excellent; there is a bus stop right in front of the hotel and the buses run very frequently. However, Granada is small enough that we were able to walk almost everywhere and we took only a couple of bus rides during the three days of our stay. It IS true, though, that staying in the downtown area of Granada is much like staying in the downtown area of any small city..you will not be immersed in the magic of the city while you are in the hotel or its immediate surroundings.

The first of our bus rides came just after we checked in when, so excited to see the Albaicin-bound bus #31 at the stop outside the hotel, we dashed inside without much thought, and were off on our first sightseeing tour of Granada. The buses are so comfortable, and they run so often, that you could just ride around and around looking out the window! On that afternoon, we headed for the Mirador San Nicolas in the picturesque, whitewashed Albaicin neighborhood. A short climb from the bus stop took us to the San Nicolas plaza, and it was from there that we got our first glimpse of the wonder that is the Alhambra.

After an hour or so of gazing in wonder, we set off for a wander through he cobbled Albaicin lanes, past the north African tea houses and shops, and back to the downtown area. While waiting for the Capilla Real, or Royal Chapel, to open again at 4pm, we had our first encounter with one of the gypsy women who attempt to foist sprigs of rosemary (good luck!!) on unsuspecting visitors. But one shake of the head and a “no!” was all it took for them to turn away and we were not bothered again for the duration of our stay by either these ladies or their compatriots who seem to cluster around the Cathedral and Capilla Real.

The Capilla Real, the burial place of Ferdinand and Isabella, is an essential stop on a Granada tour. I will not go into the details of any of the sights we saw in Granada since they are so well documented in countless guidebooks and by Maribel herself in her Granada guide.

http://www.capillarealgranada.com/index.en.html


There are many shops clustered in the narrow lanes around the Cathedral, but we saw nothing to lure us inside any of them, so we made our way back to the hotel for a short rest before our first Granada tapas excursion.

We set off shortly before 8am, knowing full well that this was very early for tapas, especially in southern Spain, but wanting to get an idea of the location of various bars we had read about. From the hotel, a walk of about 10 minutes took us to the lovely Plaza de Carmen, which lies near the center of the downtown tapas territory. Here we found the Town Hall, or Ayuntamiento, where the Tourist Office offers free computers as well as a plentiful assortment of leaflets and maps.

Just across the plaza, we noticed that one of the names on my tapas list was open and welcoming diners at this early hour, so we made a beeline for the glossy wine-bar/restaurant Puerta del Carmen, which remains open daily without interruption from 1pm to 1am. The space is absolutely gorgeous, and there is ample seating at both the bar and at cozy tables along the large windows. We took two seats at the bar and were immediately offered a plate of jamon iberico to snack on with our wines.


Ham is one of the specialties here and they offer not only various jamones iberico, but also Serrano hams including the revered hams from the nearby village of Trevelez in Granada province, which are reputed to be the sweetest of Spanish mountain hams due to the low amount of salt used in the curing process which is aided by the north wind coming from the Sierra Nevada.

To accompany our wine, I ordered a racion of Alcachofas con Jamon, which was a braise of artichoke hearts tossed with strips of jamon Iberico (12.50 euro). Excellent! Certainly a good place to keep in mind, both for tapas and for a meal, especially if you want to eat before the local dinner hour.


http://www.puertadelcarmenrestaurante.com/



From the Plaza de Carmen it is only a few steps to the beginning of Calle Navas, one of the principal bar streets in Granada. Here, at #28 we found a very different type of tapas scene. If Puerta del Carmen is a beautiful and elegant wine bar with refined takes on local classics, Los Diamantes, which has two outposts on Calle Navas, is a no frills free-for-all fry bar, or what some less kind soul might describe as a zoo!

We elbowed our way from the street, through the tiny sardine-packed room to the bar area and placed our order for one beer and one wine. The free tapa, was a plate with a few slices of fried potato. My partner was devastated to learn that they were out of their famous fried calamari, so he settled for a plate of fried chipirones (1.2 ration, 9 euro) Fried seafood is the specialty here, but I opted for a plate of chopitos a la plancha, grilled baby squid in a delightfully oily and garlicky parsley-flecked sauce ( the origin of all those indifferent “green sauces” turned out by mediocre Spanish restaurants in the US). This dish was a knockout! (1/2 ration, 9 euro)

Here is a photo (not mine):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/encantadisimo/4200954368/in/set-72157623037670252/



While we ate, we were enthralled by how just two barmen were able to serve the heaving crowd pressing against the bar and filling the entire room—without seeming the least bit frazzled or appearing to break a sweat. The total here came to 23 euro with one beer, one wine, and the chopitos. Although the din eventually drove us out into the street, I would certainly keep Los Diamantes on the list for a Granada tapas crawl!

Once again, our tolerance was pathetically small and by this time we were ready to head back to the hotel, but before we did, we stopped into Pasteleria Lopez Mesquita at Reyes Catolicios, #39, near the intersection of Reyes Catolicos and Gran Via, reputed to be one of the better bakeries in town. I would have to agree with that statement, based on the tiny and unscientific sampling of several cookies and a good-sized slice of their almond-rich Pastel Gallego that we toted back to our hotel room on that night. This turned out to be but the first of several visits to this address.

I loved the Spanish trains too, ekscrunchy. Clean, fast, on time. I had Santa Paula on my short list for hotels, but ended up staying at an absolutely delightful B & B just off the footslopes of the Alhambra. http://www.alcubilladelcaracol.com/index_en.htm

From there, it was about 10 mins walk down to the centre. And about the same to the Alhambra entrance.

I'm really enjoying your trip report - thanks very much.

There's nothing like an early morning tapas crawl! Enjoying your report.

Glad you are enjoying! I agree that one does not fully get an idea of the grandeur that is Granada from a base in the Centro. I had originally booked the Casa Morisca, but changed hotels when I decided to opt for one closer to the tapas bars.




The next morning we opted to skip the expensive (about 20 euro per person) buffet breakfast at the hotel which is served, by the way, in their handsome main restaurant, El Claustro. Pasteleria Lopez Mesquita, where we had purchased our dessert on the previous evening begins serving breakfast at 9am on weekdays, so we headed south on Gran Via and right on Reyes Catolicos at #39, a walk of about 10 minutes. The bakery section is in the front of the store, facing Calle Reyes Catolicos; towards the rear, a long counter and a couple of tables accommodate diners. (You can also enter at the rear, from the parallel pedestrian street, calle Zacatin). This proved to be the perfect breakfast spot: You can order one of the elaborate pastries in the front showcases to be served to you at the counter, or table, or choose from the simpler offerings lining the counter—bocadillos, croissants, toast, etc. For 5.10 euro, we enjoyed toast made from excellent bread and served with butter and jam, a croissant, and two coffees with milk at the counter.

Our next stop was at the La Caixa Bank, on the Gran Via a few blocks south of the hotel, where we used the automatic ticket machine inside the bank itself to retrieve both our tickets for the Alhambra afternoon session and out tickets for the Conquest of Water Tour, to be held the following day. Be sure to bring the credit card that you used to book the tickets; you will need to use this card in the ticket machine. While I failed to gain results from the machines located outside the bank, the one inside worked like a charm.


Our visit to the Alhambra was not scheduled until that afternoon, so on that morning we had a few hours to wander and wander we did. First we headed for El Corte Ingles on Acera del Darro, one of the main arteries cutting through the Centro. Here we made our way to the basement supermarket, a replica of the one we had visited in Madrid. I bought a package of chorizo made from jamon Iberico (15.90 euro per kilo) not wanting to invest in the actual jamon for fear that it would not make the trip home, along with a bottle of a favorite Andalucian olive oil, Venta de Baron (6.71 euro) http://www.mueloliva.es/en/venta-del-baron.php, and a bottle of Pedro Jimenez vinegar from Paez Morilla (4 euro; 250 ml) http://www.paezmorilla.com/quienesingles.htm, which was a new product for me. And of course, we replenished our stock of Tortas de Aceite, which was dwindling rapidly.

After this quick shopping trip, we wandered through the adjacent Realejo neighborhood, making a note to return here when we had more time, before heading back to the hotel to drop off our purchases. By this time, it was mid-day, so we decided to set out again in the direction of the Alhambra. We were booked for a 3pm entry at the Nasrid Palaces, and we wanted to be at the entrance gate by 2pm, the earliest entry time allowed by our tickets. So we set off from the hotel about 12:30, intending to walk to the Plaza Nueva and then take the red Alhambra-minibus up the Alhambra Hill.

When we reached the Plaza Nueva, however, which is about a 15 minute walk from the hotel, we learned that the minibus’ circular route would take us to the Albaicin first, followed by the Centro and only then would reach the Alhambra. So while we could have reached the Alhambra in about 15 minutes from the hotel, from the Plaza Nueva the ride would take about 30 minutes. Learning this, we decided to set off on foot along the well-marked route which passes guitar workshops and other small shops as it begins the ascent up the hill. After a few blocks, we left the street behind, passed through the Gate of the Pomegranates, and entered the Alameda de la Alhambra, the grove of towering English elms donated by the Duke of Wellington in 1812. It was here that all those references to the “steep path” began to make sense, for the walk is, indeed, quite steep and we passed several entrance gates to the complex itself before reaching the main Entrance Pavillion. Here we rented two audio guides (6 euro each, plus a total deposit of 10 euro), and spent some time in the lovely gift shop while waiting for the afternoon session to begin at 2pm.
I was gratified to see that there were very few tourists waiting along with us at that time of day.



This is a map of the routes to the Alhambra; we followed the one marked in red:

http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/fileadmin/contenidos/ficheros/mapa_accesosA4.pdf




http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/index.php/Admission/324+M5d637b1e38d/0/

Ekscrunchy:Many thanks for your wonderful report.
We have enjoyed inmensely the one about Pedraza,Segovia etc(and in june 2010 we had lunch at José María,invited by friends,going later to Pedraza; a day not to forget).
You liked argentinean "alfajores"?.. wait to taste the uruguayans-Punta Ballena brand is the best).
An finally: Are you sure with your translation for Joy Eslava?for us,spanish speakers a eslavo is someone from estern europe,not a esclavo(a esclavo is a slave).Once again tahanks you for a most excellent report.

Joy Eslava is the former Teatro Eslava, a name dedicated to Hilarión Eslava, one Spanish musician.

Gracias Revulgo,ya sabemos algo más!!!

I was surprised that we were allowed to enter a full 15 minutes before t he appointed 2pm time. I was also surprised, and gratified, to see how few tourists were on the grounds at that afternoon. I will not go into the details of our visit to the Alhambra except to remark that we were swept away by the beauty and the craftsmanship displayed within. And I was very glad that I had chosen 3pm as t he time of entry to the Nasrid Palaces. Before our entry into the Palaces, we had time to visit the Alcazaba, where I found the famous plaque in the Jardin de los Adarves, near the Torre de la Vela, inscribed with the words of Poet Francisco de Icaza:

“Dale limosna, mujer, que no hay en la vida nada, como la pena de ser ciego en Granada.” (“Give him alms, woman, for there is nothing worse in life than the pain of being blind in Granada”)


http://www.alhambradegranada.org/es/info/lugaresyrincones/jardinesdelosadarves.asp


We also took in the Matisse and the Alhambra exhibit inside the Palacio de Carlos V; this runs until the end of this month.

http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/index.php/Exposicion/719+M5194a77928c/0/?&cHash=b60f7496b8





Once inside the Nasrid Palaces, we were again gratified that we had chosen the afternoon session, because there were moments that we were all but alone in the various courtyards and the light was excellent for photo taking. We were quite pleased with the audio guides, especially since I had had less than satisfactory experiences with these gadgets at other locations.

After the Nasrid Palaces, we continued our tour at the Generalife, where we would return on our tour the following day.

It was about 5:30pm when we finally exited the grounds after spending 3.5 hours within. We caught the #32 bus just in front of the main admission gate, where we had had to return in order to hand in the audio guides and about 15 minutes later, we were back at the hotel where we had a quick rest before setting out again for dinner at Restaurant Oliver, a seafood restaurant on the Plaza de Pescaderia, just off the larger Plaza Bib Rambla and about a 10-minute walk from the AC Palacio de Santa Paula.

http://www.restauranteoliver.com/OLI/HOME.html

Oliver sits next door to the most famous fish restaurant in Granada, Cunini, which we would sample the following night. We had noticed that both places draw a lively crowd for tapas in their respective front rooms, and Oliver also has a couple of tables outside, warmed by heat lamps.


If I were to give out an award for the best waiter of the week, the winner would be the courtly gentleman who attended us on that evening. Our booking was for 8:30, so we walked past the throng of happy tapas devourers at the bar (which opens at 8pm) into an empty dining room. But we hardly cared, so attentive and so kind was the waiter we had that night. He took care to explain the difference between the various shrimp dishes on the menu, and seemed genuinely despairing when the wine we ordered was out of stock. The man who I presumed to be the owner of the restaurant was also exceptionally welcoming.

I began my dinner with the Almejas Salteadas, tiny clams which were fresh and tender but which I felt needed lots of salt. Happily, there was a saltshaker on the table and I made good use of it that night. (12 euro)

My partner began with the sopa de albondigas, meatball soup (5 euro).

He continued with a racion of fried calamari; comprised of rings, not tentacles, these were not as crispy as we would have liked. I have to remark that the calamari at El Brillante in Madrid were actually a lot better.

The highlight of the evening, though, were my Gambas Rojas, from nearby Motril. These were large red shrimp which were grilled and salted to perfection. I ordered 200 grams and received about 7 shrimp (24 euro; quite a bit less than the price had been in Madrid, which is a lot further from the source!)

We drank a bottle of Barbadillo white wine; with water, and the bread charge, the bill totalled 65 euro. Recommended. I wish I had gotten the name of the waiter!

YUMMM. Isn;t it amazing how you get get somuch good shrimo in Spain even inland??? It is indeed the best tasting I have ever had.

Sounds like you had a great time and ample opportunities to compare shrip alone!

Oh, so you noticed how many times I ordered shrimp!! It was just spectacular in Spain--you know, I never make it here because almost all we get are those bags of frozen shrimp from south America or Asia.

Although no more than 5 minutes ago, I was thinking about trying the tiny Maine shrimp that show up in the markets here for a few weeks in winter. But how can I disguise them in a dish so the hater of "things with shells" does not notice them(??!!)

Don Don is a lucky man to be cooking that paella outdoors on the Weber! And you--even luckier, to be enjoying! It sounds like so much fun! I did bring home some Bomba rice for a friend who has been trying to perfect his paella for years...we will see if it makes a difference. But he always cooks it inside the house...I will have to change that this summer..see if we can get our hands on a Weber...

I make my paella in a wrought iron skillet and it works great for me. I had purchased a paellera in Spain over 30 years ago and, well, it's not in great shape any more. I'll need to invest in another, nicer one methinks.

I didn't know there was a plaque at the Alhambra with that quote. I heard that quote many many years ago, probably when I was in college getting my degree in Spanish. very fun that there's a plaque! wish I knew about it but I guess I'll have to go back and find it huh?

and oh yea, still loving to read all the wonderful food you had!

Yes, you have to return and find the plaque! I had almost given up when I came across it, tucked away at the edge of the garden. And to buy another paellera!




On the morning of Saturday, our last full day in Granada, we had to be at the Alhambra at 9:30am, in time for our conquest of Water Tour. Since our favorite bakery, Lopez Mesquita, did not open until 9am, we decided to have breakfast at the hotel, planning to choose from the a la carte menu, rather than the 20-euro plus-per person buffet. We had a surprise when we entered the empty dining room, only to be told that unless we wanted the full buffet breakfast, we had to sit outside on a sofa in the drafty library area. When I questioned this, I was told that it would cost the hotel too much for the linens and service if we wanted only a small breakfast. I must say that this struck me as fairly inhospitable, especially since there was not one other diner in the room at the time. But due to the advancing hour, we complied and took our seats on a sofa in the cold and drafty library area. We were told that there was no option of ordering from a menu, but that we could select items from the buffet and we would be charged accordingly. I think the charge worked out to about 10 euro per person for coffee, toast with butter and jam, and one (not good at all) croissant.


Whatever annoyance we felt at breakfast was soon forgotten, however.


We took the now-familiar mini-bus to the Alhambra main entrance, and wandered around the gift shop while waiting for 9:30, when we were to meet our group at the Alhambra models for the start of the tour. As it turns out, we were incredibly lucky, for no one else had signed up that morning and, therefore, we had not only a guide but an official Alhambra escort, for the duration of the five-and-a-half hour tour. These tours are a fairly new innovation, I believe, and five different itineraries are followed on different days of the week. The Conquest of Water tour is offered on Thursdays and on Saturdays, beginning at 9:30am. The price for all of the tours is 31 euro per person; booking can be made online and the tickets can be retrieved at the ServiCaixa machines. The booking includes entrance into the Alhambra and the Generalife.



http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/index.php/Tour-of-the-Landscape-and-Urban-Environment/191+M5d637b1e38d/0/







The Conquest of Water, explains the methods used to harness water that allowed the development of both the city of Granada and the Alhambra. I strongly recommend taking one of these tours if time allows.

Route: The conquest of water. The landscape of water in Moorish and Christian Spain.
0. ROUTE

0.
. Entrance to the Acequia Real de la Alhambra (Royal Canal of the Alhambra), the Patio de la Sultana (the Soultana´s Court)
. El Mirador Romántico (Romantic Observation Point), Entrance to the ditch Acequia del Tercio
. The hydraulic system of the Pools
. The Orchards of the Generalife, the aqueduct and the Torre del Agua (Water Tower)
. The Calle Real (Royal Street) and Baño de Muhammad III (Muhammad III´s Baths)
. The Carrera del Darro
. The gate Puerta de los Tableros and the Coracha (wall descending to the river for water supply)
. El Bañuelo (Baths)





The guide for our tour, Jaen Native Juan Cobo, was superlative. He also works as a private guide and I would highly recommend him to anyone wishing a private tour in the Granada area. His English is perfect. Not only did he give us an excellent tour, but he was more than willing to discuss local food and offered us quite a few tips for tapas, along with recipes, and lengthy discourses about Andalucian food in general. Juan can be reached at:

juanco@guiasgranada.com



http://www.guiasgranada.com/eng/index.asp?secc=/inicio


The tour took us through various points within the Alhambra and Generalife, including several areas not open to the general public. We ended at the 11th-Century Moorish baths on the Carrera del Darro, facing the Darro River, just off the Plaza Nueva. (closed Sunday and Monday).



After the tour, we wandered in the area of the Plaza Nueva for a few minutes, before making our way to a bar that Juan had recommended for ham: Bodegas Castaneda, Calle Almericeros, 1-3. (Do not confuse this with another nearby bar of the same name, on Calle Elvira). The place was jam-packed at 2:30pm on a Saturday, but with persistence we snagged a spot at the bar and placed our order for one cana, with tilde over the “n,” or small beer, and one glass of the enchantingly named “moscatel de naranja,” a sweet white Muscat-based wine. With our drinks, we were given two generously sized servings of a meat-spiked paella that my partner thought was just terrific.



http://www.granadainfo.com/elvirag/castanedas/


En route back to the hotel, we stopped at Pasteleria Lopez Mesquita for a large slice of their famous Pastel Moruna, a flaky sugar-dusted pastry stuffed with shredded chicken and studded with cinammon that is a close relative of the famous bisteeya of Morocco. Superlative! With one bite, I quickly settled on my meal for the flight the next day.

http://www.directoalpaladar.com/recetas-de-carnes-y-aves/receta-de-bastila-o-pastela-moruna



http://anitacocinitas.blogspot.com/2010/07/pastela-moruna.html


http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/3471/bisteeya+moroccan+chicken+almond+filo+pie


I also took home a hefty slice of their Torta de Santiago, an almond cake layered with berry jam which is among my favorites, for dessert after dinner.


After a short rest, we continued our exploration of Granada with a walk through the atmospheric Realejo, the former Jewish quarter, where we stopped to admire the early 16thCentury Casa de los Tiros, with five armored soldiers figures embellishing a Mudejar façade.



http://www.granada.org/inet/wfotos.nsf/wwtod7/DCFE0047E48B6805C1256E2F007BAC6D?Opendocument&tipo=1


We managed to get a bit lost in the labyrinthine, hilly streets of this largely unvarnished neighborhood, but finally made our way back to the Plaza Nueva, and from there back to the hotel where we had time for some last-minute packing before setting out for another evening round of tapas.

OMG you CAN"T leave us hanging on the edge of the tapas???

Scrunchy all I have her now is a day cake I bought at Pavillions today..How I yearn for that Pastel you describe similar to the Morrocan cake...do you have some sort of recipe?????

Anyway yes the shrimp in Spain is great most anywhere compared to the SSS (sad state of shrimp in the US) where we have to soak them in Kosher salt to aquire a briny taste that is long gone....boohoo...

Hope you are felling better btw...

oH SORRY i SEE YOU DID INCLUDE THE RECIPE THANK YOU!

I clearly did not spend enough time in Granada! oh my, love the sound of the Conquest of Water tour. I am going to need to go back to Granada definitely. thanks again for taking the time to write this all out. it's giving me ideas and making me more and more anxious for my own upcoming trip to Spain.

there is a place here in uptown Minneapolis that has a gzillion sizes of paelleras. I plan to look for one in Spain (maybe have it shipped) and if I don't buy one there, it's definitely back to that nice kitchen shop in Minneapolis.

We really lucked out with that Conquest of Water Tour since we had Juan as a private guide. I don't think that many foreigners, and maybe few Spaniards, know about these tours; I found out about them on this forum. I had debated back and forth about getting a private guide for the Alhambra, but we decided against paying the high price. I thought that the audio guides were excellent and I was glad that we took the tour to give us more insight. If I were to return (maybe a trip concentrating on that part of Andalucia, visiting Ubeda, Jaen, etc??) I would try to take at least one of the other tours in that series.

I have two older friends who just returned from a trip of about 10 days that included Cordoba, GRanada, and then the Cabo de Gata area along the coast near Almeria. I had never heard of that area, but they loved the walking, the scenery, etc. They are giving us a slide show next week...

I never attempted paella at home. But I have a friend who has been experimenting for years and every summer, he invites us once or twice. Each time he uses a different rice and a slightly different recipe and the results are good, but we agree that he needs improvement before we can pronounce the dish perfect.

This time I bought him a bag of Bomba rice from MAdrid. But curiously, ann article last fall in the Wall Street Journal seems to debunk the idea of using imported rice. I know it is only one person's opinion, but it makes interesting reading; let me know if you have a problem with the link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703556604575502153341300166.html

Before the Paella is served, it must "sweat". The proper way to allow the Paella to rest, sweat or perspire is to lay two branches across the Paella dish and then cover the dish with a clean towel. After a few minutes, the Paella is uncovered and can than be decorated with lemon wedges.
If you are an expert Paella cook, your Paella will have a bottom layer of rice yields a golden caramelized crust, called "socarrat" in Valencian.

If you are an expert Paella cook, your Paella will have a bottom layer of rice yields a golden caramelized crust, called "socarrat" in Valencian.>>

no burnt bits then? my local deli sells both paella rice and a spanish paella spice mix, so I occasionally have a go, with varying degrees of success. I didn't know about the sweating of the paella - that's usually me.

Did you know that we have a restaurant in New York specializing in paella, that is named Socorrat, after that burned crust?

http://socarratpaellabar.com/

Hi Ek,

well, I'm better at cooking paella than i thought. Next time - more burnt bits.

Does that count with toast too?

a New Yorker socarrat! really? Valencians love the socarrat but as I'm not Valencian, prefer the grains above the bottom.

Well ... if you find a good socarrat, you don´t need to come from Valencia to appreciate it ... It is quite a treat.
We go every Wednesday to a very simple place where they prepare a good rice, and when we "behave", we get the socarrat ...

Bye, Cova

This is great, ekscrunchy. I'm taking notes (and getting ready to book the Alhambra and Conquest of Water tour).

Enzian I owe you a special thanks since it was you who alerted me to that tour. If you have any questions that I did not cover here, just ask...

I will finish up soon..

No questions---I'm just glad to know the Conquest of Water is a good tour!

I've been waiting for May tickets to open up, so after reading this I checked---and now they are available. So I've booked (1) a night visit to the palace the day we arrive in Granada; (20 the Conquest of Water tour on Thursday, and (3) a general day visit for Friday, our last day in Granada. Whew! It's a good think I did it today as some of the morning time slots for May 6 were already sold out.

And I've got the Oliver on our "must do" list for dinner.

eksscrunchy, it is so good to read this. last we talked, we were planning our trip to paris and you helped me with my dining selections (que sorpresa!). my mom just agreed to watch our kids for a week in may next year and we are trying to narrow down our listof destinations. the safe bet is paris but we have gone there 4 times in the last 8 years. we love paris so much that i am afraid we may be disappointed with another major european city) but you have convinced me on madrid. i studied in madrid for my junior year in college (quite a while ago!)and remember it being a lovely city. your report was entertaining, food focused and full of useful information. how do i obtain the maribel information? thanks

Plambers: With pleasure, here are the links.

I look forward to many discussions about food in Madrid!

http://maribelsguides.com/mg_madriddining.pdf


http://maribelsguides.com/mg_madrid-06-09.pdf

Also, see if you can get your hands on Penelope Casas' book, Discovering Spain.

http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Spain-Uncommon-Guide-Updated/dp/0679765697

Thanks for the report. Does the Ritz still employ those pimply-faced kids in "doorman" uniforms to try to intimidate people deemed to be less than desirable from walking into the lobby?

Your trip sounded wonderful ekscrunchy!

I'll be in Barcelona and Granada next month. We'll be staying at the Casa Morisca. What three absolutely must hit food destinations in Granada (could be bfast / lunch / dinner) would you recommend?

Thanks!

Dukey: I think one of them did have pimples, come to think of it!! But they were really friendly--just kids like you said!

Not like the (clear-skinned) doorman at the Hassler who sneered at me when I tried to peek into the lobby. I think it was cause I was carrying a bag filled with blood oranges.
(Back in the days when I traveled with my own electric juicer, but you do not want to hear about that!)




JP: Breakfast: Lopez Mesquita
Lunch/Dinner if you like seafood: Cunini or Oliver, for either tapas or a sit-down dinner.

Anytime: Any bar with hanging ham, so you can sample jamon Iberico. There is one on Plaza Nueva that our guide recommended...on the Alhambra side of the plaza, not the Albaicin side. A more elegant place would be Puerta del Carmen.


But I was only there for 3 nights so am hardly the expert!

Here is the last bit:

About 7:30, we returned to the Bodegas Castaneda because my partner had been so enamored of their paella tapa in the afternoon. We were hoping that they would offer a tapa of migas, which our guide, Juan, had recommended. Having first sampled migas in Extremadura several years before, we are big fans of this dish, which is often derided as just “bread crumbs,” but in actuality is so much more. I even make a migas-inspired dish at home that is always well received. This is really not migas, but it is vaguely inspired by migas; I use kale instead of spinach. We eat this as a main course; take care not to let the breadcrumbs burn when the pan is under the broiler! I speak from experience!



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/dining/24mini.html?_r=1&ref=dining


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/dining/24minirex.html






We arrived at Bodegas Castaneda to find the bar in full swing, even at that early hour. So keep this in mind if you want to eat unfashionably early, as we do! Unfortuntely, there were no free migas tapas on that evening. They presented us, instead, with a tapa of mussels topped by a chopped salad, with olives in the side. Tasty enough. We also ordered a racion of croquetas, along with one fino sherry and one small beer, or “cana,” with tilde over the “n.” The cana seems to be the most popular bar drink in these parts, but there are giant barrels of sherry, various wines, and vermouth piled behind the bar, in addition to a full bar menu. Bar-goers stand under a row of hanging hams, each with a little red plastic cup attached to catch the dripping fat. Atmospheric to the n-th degree!

About 8:15, we moved on to Cunini on Plaza de Pescaderia, next to Restaurant Oliver. Oliver opens for tapas at 8pm and Cunini at 8:30, so we were among the first to enter the bar area, but the room was filled when we departed an hour later. Cunini is famed for seafood and I was sorry we did not have time to have a full meal here because the seafood I had at the bar was superb. They offered a generously sized and delicious tapa of Merluza en Salsa de Cebolla, or hake in onion sauce. I followed this with a half racion of grilled chopitos. These are baby squid, known as choquitos in other regions of the country, and they were scrumptious, grilled with olive oil, garlic and parsley. If you want to eat seafood, this place, along with its neighbor Oliver, are clearly the places to visit.

After these two tapas stops, we were sated, so we decided to call it an evening. But before heading to the hotel, we stopped at Pasterleria Olympica, near our hotel on Gran Via (Pasteleria Lopen Mesquita was already closed) for a few roscos, a light pastry made with egg whites.


The next morning, we headed out for an early breakfast. Our favorite, Lopez Mesquita, does not open until 10am on Sundays, so we took a table at Pasterleria Olympica and had a combination breakfast that included fresh orange juice, eggs and bacon, and coffee. It was all right, but not inexpensive. There is at least one other cafe-type place on this stretch of Gran Via.

I like several cups of coffee in the morning, which can add up outside a hotel where you are charged for each cup. (I can drink four cups at breakfast time at home) For my second cup here, I ordered a coffee drink served in a glass that I noticed at a neighboring table. I asked the waiter for the name but did not write it down; I believe it is known as a “manchado,” and it is coffee with lots of milk served in a tall glass. Stupendous! This will be my new favorite coffee drink in Spain. I hope someone here who is Spanish can tell me if this is, indeed, the name of the coffee preparation, and if this is the same name that is used in other cities..

We had originally planned to taxi to the airport in time for our flight to Madrid at 1:30pm. But when we discovered that the airport bus stopped on Gran Via, just a couple of blocks south of the AC Santa Paula, we opted for that alternative, which cost 3 euro per person. (Buy the ticket from the driver.) The buses leave every hour on the hour.

But before we left town, I did make a quick trip to Lopez Mesquita for our airplane meal: Two hefty slices of Pastel Moruna and two equally large slices of Pastel Santiago. They wrapped these for me with meticulous care, in a box neatly tied with string. Lovely products, lovely service. Thank you to Maribel for recommending this bakery.

The airport bus arrived promptly on time; the ride took about 45 minutes since there was no traffic on this Sunday morning. A word of caution: Suitcases are stored beneath the bus; keep en eye on the luggage compartment at all of the bus stops while you are inside the bus.

We arrived at the small and pleasant Granada airport with lots of time to spare; for those without their own food, there is a cafeteria with a wide range of hot and cold dishes, snacks and drinks inside the terminal. The flight back to Madrid, and the connecting flight on to New York, on Iberia was just fine (food not good; no tv at the seats but that did not bother me much, as we had food and books) and we arrived home with luscious memories and a desire to return someday very soon!

yep, that's the thing about Spain huh? it leaves one with the desire to return....again and again. great report! thanks so much

I really enjoyed your report, and I love your travel-style. Thanks for all of the wonderful details!

delicious report, eks! We just returned from 3 weeks in Madrid/Seville/Granada and loved re-living the trip through your report.

Was the coffee-in-a-glass drink perhaps a "cortado?" That was always my coffee drink of choice - about half coffee/half hot milk.

oops - that would be a cafe con leche. A cortado is what my husband ordered - mostly coffee with a "drop" of milk.

Thanks, everyone!

Linda: Many thanks! The name of the coffee drink definitely began with an "M." (Although I cannot tell you how many times I've insisted that a certain word began with a certain letter, only to be dead wrong!) But I am almost sure it was an "M." For certain, NOT a cortado, at least in that restaurant..

But I suspect that these drinks have different names in different cities.... It had lots of milk and was served in a glass....

Hola Eks! Tagging for wishful reading later...

The Café Central of Málaga is the creator of a unique way of ordering coffee that characterizes the people of Malaga, which has become so popular, that it has spread throughout the region.
http://www.cafecentralmalaga.com/

'nube' (cloud) aka 'manchado' (stained) in Granada and Madrid.

Hola Marigross! I still remember your wonderful northern Spain report!

Revulgo: This is a GREAT link! Very helpful.

One more question, though: What are the "nubes:" called in Valencia and Barcelona?

eks,
nubes are clouds
I really don't know. If coffee, manchado? If candy, jelly balls?

Soooo, ekscrunchy, did you think the Conquest of Water tour duplicated what you had seen/heard earlier during your audio tour of the Alhambra? We have our Alhambra tix already but are considering adding the Conquest of Water tour for the next day. We are going in November.

BTW, we are also staying at the AC Palacio Santa Paula. Got a good rate for the room for two nights- euro 118 each night and are using Marriott points for the third night. DH has platinum status at Marriott so we may get a room upgrade, and we do get free breakfast and included internet. It didn't look like we could do much better at some of the other area hotels.

Hello, Happy!

I am sitting in a hotel in Maratea, Italy right now, using their computer after days of being off line. So noticed your question. The Conquest of Water tour does not replicate the audio guide at all. We were the only ones on the tour, so we veered off the topic often. The actual, planned lecture is very detailed and might even be too detailed for some visitors. It is fascianting but if you have the luck to have the guide to yourselves, you can really discuss anything you like, as we did (in my case, we talked a lot about olive oil!)

So I would certainly recommend, provided you have a keen interest. I gather that the tours are not well subscribed, so the chance of having the guide alone is probably pretty good. No duplication at all.

Hope this answer makes sense..I will check in again to see if you ahve more questions. I hope you find GRanada as magical as we did.

a nube may be a cortado if what you are getting is an expresso with a large or small dash of milk. sorry for my tardy reply!

ttt

Thanks eks! My timing was very good. Thanks so much for taking time away from your current trip to respond to me, it is most appreciated.

My DH would really be into that tour. He loves the mechanics of things and watches "How It's Made" without fail.