9 Days: Madrid, Segovia, Grenada and hiking
 

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Even the goats enjoyed our AirBnB view in Granada

This trip report covers a one-week trip to Madrid, Segovia and Granada (with a day hiking in Alpujarras)But first a gripe: Feel free to skip this rant.:) Flew from JFK to Madrid. It’s amazing the byzantine hierarchy American Airlines has created. There is Business Class, Extra Leg Room Economy, Economy, Citi AA Advantage Boarding, AA Platinum, One World Emerald, One World Sapphire, One World Ruby, Basic Economy, and then the Dregs called last to board basic economy. I didn’t realize this when we grabbed our seats. After the royalty got snuggled in their compartments with fleece blankets and a glass of champagne, the courtiers took their seats stretching out their legs fully, then on to the merchant class until finally we could board: the hoi polloi. By then, all the overhead bins were taken and my meticulously packed and edited down to the bare bones wardrobe in an international regulation size carry-on was snatched away and checked. Meanwhile, it seemed more than one passenger was hauling freighter trunks of a size last seen at the turn of the century. Once wedged into our seats (with the help of a crowbar), I noticed that not all basic economy seats were the same. Even here, we were pitted against each other in a microcosm of class warfare: those with 10 extra inches of space over those adults trying to sit in an elementary school desk. Entertainment (using the word lightly here) included three bad movies and the old tired offering of Friends. When will we be able to finally stop watching Friends?

Finally, the “meal” was served (a slop of beige chicken over some bland white balls referred to as cous cous). I think the flight attendants have seen happier days (and I don’t mean anything ageist here). The eye rolling was visible and even the sighs audible over the roar of the engines. Part of my meal was dropped on the floor by the flight attendant and unceremoniously picked up and handed to me. (Apparently American Airlines has the 2-second rule for last to board basic economy). Because these seats were so diminutive, they came with equally diminutive tray tables. My food tray barely fit on it and every time I tried to open the doll-sized cheese to spread on a mouse-sized cracker I elbowed my husband. The only way to effectively open any of the food was to emulate a squirrel and carefully lift up the packages near my mouth, hold them tightly to my chest and nibble furiously. OK, all of this rant to say we did not CHOOSE American Airlines but were plopped onto it by British Airways. NEVER Again. Gripe Over.


Needless to say, we did not sleep and so got to our AirBnB and took a 3-hour nap before heading out even though our AirBnb overlooks a busy café where people seem to have A LOT to talk about (particularly one woman—wish I spoke Spanish to know how she had that much to say and so late into the night.

Afternoon: No real plans. Our AirBnB is in Barrio de las Letras “home to writers of the Golden Age” and lots of cafes and non-stop partying of thirty-somethings and probably not a lot of writing happening. (Feels a bit like the West Village in NY on a Saturday night). This is not a neighborhood I would recommend as your home base for anyone over 25 (or recommend for anyone recently out of rehab—with men on Saturday night asking repeatedly “wanna get drunk?”). It was loud and not in a good way. But it is convenient and there are a lot of tapas there. It was interesting to see the street cleaning though on Sunday morning after a night of revelry: a truck with a guy walking in front with a high-powered hose washing away plastic cups, napkins, and other leftovers from the evening of drinking and eating at cafes.

We continued to wander jet lagged down lots of side streets until we did end up in Plaza Santa Ana, a big tourist attraction but also for Spanish tourists. We had tapas sitting outside in a café and Clara (beer with lemonade which became our drink of choice) and it was very satisfying. We then stopped into a Carrefour Express for some groceries and stopped at a place to pick up some Jamon cut-off-the-bone, and manchego cheese to go with a loaf of French bread that we picked up from the bakery. Determined not to go to sleep too early we headed out after dinner to Chocolateria San Gines, another popular spot with tourists. But how satisfying to have a churro with chocolate before bed. The walk there and home was like Times Square on a Saturday night—I cannot imagine traveling here during the peak tourist season. And thank god for double-paned windows because this neighborhood is loud (and I live in New York City).

Sunday we were glad we had bought stuff for breakfast at Brown Bear bakery the night before so we were able to get a leisurely start at our AirBnB before walking over to the Prado. Even with our pre-paid tickets we had to wait in a long line. We used the guide on our phones and some of the insight was pretty good. Definitely one of the best museums I have ever been. For me, this collection is better than the Louvre and as an artist, I found myself awestruck a few times and genuinely surprised by works I had never known about or did not know the real scale or color because I had only seen in reproduction. The colors of Bosch were more beautiful than I knew and how surprising to see court dwarf and “buffoon” paintings by Velazquez painted with more humanity than his royal portraits or those royals on magnificent horses with incredible fabrics, and finally to the black paintings of Goya. Written in the painting of the Deaf Man (which many consider a self-portrait) is something to the effect of “I am still learning.” It seems without having to please a patron, he found a voice free of constraints. Before heading to the massive Goya rooms, I was glad we found the little espresso café off the hallway after the El Greco’s, and recommend it as a stop to fortify yourself for more amazing art. We paced ourselves and any room that wasn’t amazing to us we skimmed or skipped. I don’t advise rushing through the Prado or cramming two museums into one day. Not all the work is top tier but there are surprises everywhere. Even skimming works that didn’t interest us, we were there five hours. We popped into the gift shop where my husband ran into a work colleague! Small world. By the time we left, it was 3:00 and we were beat and hungry.

We walked over to Mercado Anton Martin for lunch and surprise! Closed on Sunday. We started to wander about and found Los Chanquetes which was a happening little diner with all locals at the time. We had the lunch special $13.95 with our Clara (included peppers stuffed with cod and pork cheeks) and left ready for a Siesta.

When the evening light became golden my husband wanted to photograph the glass conservatory in Retiro Park which was inspired by London’s crystal palace. The park by this time was filled with families and young couples and dog walkers. If you have children, definitely a good place for them to burn off steam. It is not as beautiful as Prospect or Central Park in NYC but it is big. While my husband photographed the conservatory, I walked over and watched the black swans and turtles. In particular one turtle on a pile of rocks whose path back to the water was blocked by another turtle. You could see the turtle’s indecision—“do I jump from up here or try to walk past this guy?” After hemming and hawing… stepping forward… stepping back, he inadvertently misstepped and tumbled down the rocks and splashed into the water. Kind of like this trip—sometimes the decisions were ust made for us after some missteps. As we left, we wanted to see the Fountain of the Fallen Angel which is one of the only public monuments to Lucifer. The sparrows seemed more than happy to build nests behind the demons and serpents. If you want to walk among locals and families and dog walkers and away from drunk college kids and tourists, the park is a nice slice of Spanish life.

We forgot to pick up something for dinner and ended up back at Santa Ana and thought we just would grab a quick bite. In the evening, the vibe was different and not such a great experience. We tried Tinto de Vera which would have been good on a hot day and a few small things. The waitstaff seemed irritated and I was glad to be done and go back to our loud apartment. I would really not recommend Santa Ana personally for an evening bite despite the guidebooks suggesting it. It felt incredibly touristy.

Day Trip to Segovia

Due to severe insomnia from noise, we got a late start and hadn’t really planned super well to begin with.Bus or train?— bus or train to Segovia?… we decided bus since it would drop us in the “city center.” We took the subway to Moncloa and it was so CLEAN and efficient -- I thought sadly about our own subway in NYC and then I remembered, in the US people continually gripe about paying taxes (maybe because we don’t see the results in our infrastructure enough). Once we left the subway though it became an escape the room challenge: could we buy a ticket and find the bus without getting a divorce? It was unclear where the bus was docked and there was not a ticket counter. Finally, I just used Omio and booked a one-way and then with limited to no Spanish asked someone on the street who responded with limited to no English and we found our way. One hour later we were in Segovia. The guidebooks could do a better job as it seems a pretty popular day trip and not super clear.

The aqueduct is impressive if not as big as Pont du Gard but it was nice to get away from the crowds of Madrid. Although built in the 1st century CE when Rome was using the area as a military headquarters, it continued to supply water to the city into the 20th century. We then headed to the late gothic style Catedral de Segovia. It’s a beautiful building that is light and soaring but without much great art. In fact, the basement exhibit was borderline shopping network quality.

After the previous evening’s dinner in Santa Ana, we really wanted to avoid a tourist trap despite the lovely square by the cathedral and so we wandered around looking for a place off the beaten path. We did find a nice little place on a side street where I got to eat Fabada (a delicious stew with large beans) the other food Segovia is famous for. I couldn’t bring myself to eat the roast suckling pig popularized in the region by the Romans!

The Alcazar De Segovia frankly, for me was a bit of a disappointment. It began as an Arab fortress in the 13th century and then was renovated into more of a gothic-style palace for 22 monarchs and finally a state prison. We did not see anything like the beautiful photos of interiors I see on the website. When the tour guide ahead of us said to his group at the entrance of this enormous palace: “meet me back here in 30 minutes” I thought, “How can they possibly tour this in 30 minutes?” Well… those who love military history and a few dreary dark rooms should be in and out in a jiffy. Others even faster.

To get to the bus station we decided to take the hike below and along the city’s stone walls. NOT clearly marked. We headed down the stairs (to the right if facing the castle) near the souvenir shop. Once there, I am not sure we did this correctly but we crossed the street… over the bridge, and down someone’s driveway where we saw a bike path along the river. We followed that for a while and it gets tricky because you need to switch back around (cross another bridge) to follow the circle of the city walls. There are maps online but we didn’t have one. It’s a lovely walk, especially for bird enthusiasts. For April we saw many birds we don’t have in the US. I recommend it for those who don’t mind taking the initial steep stairs down. We loved it. The Segovia bus station has a very nice ticket agent so getting back to Madrid was easy. Fell asleep and then picked up some empanadas to go from across the street. Having a kitchen does save money and the exhaustion of eating out every single meal.

We did have a great time but our neighborhood was not the right choice for us. Live and learn. We return to Madrid for two days after Granada to fly out.

Next up Granada

Hi RubyTwins,
I remember when you were planning your trip. Even though you have some disappointments, I hope in the end you had an enjoyable trip. We visited Madrid and Andalucia in September 2017, and I don't remember Madrid (or at least where we stayed) being such a party place. I don't know where Barrio las Letras is compared to where we stayed. We stayed at Mercure Madrid Centro on Calle Lope de Vega 49. It was about a 5 to 10-minute walk to the Prado. Our hotel was quiet and we never heard any partying at night and were able to get a good night's rest. I think we did have drinks in the afternoon at Plaza Santa Ana, and enjoyed it very much, but we did not have dinner there in the evening.

Your flight on American Airlines sounds horrendous, but you do a funny job writing about it.:) I was laughing, but I am sure you weren't.

And I agree with you about the Prado Museum. It's one of my favorites, and I do like it better than the Louvre. We spent about 4.5 hours there, including lunch in their cafe. And you give good advice; don't do 2 big museums in one day. After the Prado, we wandered around Retiro Park and had drinks by the pond. It was lovely and nice to be outdoors.

Looking forward to the rest of your trip!

Thank you. YES, we had a great time. I would have done few things differently but I planned this fairly last minute and working full time. I think I would have started by choosing a different neighborhood to stay in since Madrid is so walkable (hoping to help others get a full night's sleep or else great earplugs).
NOW we are laughing about the American Airlines flight.... :)

Granda
 

GRANADA: I know my reports are a bit on the long side. I try to highlight with links the places we went to. Granada tips: Get the PideTaxi app. The Renfe site seems to like paypal. The Albayzin is a great place to stay if you want more of a neighborhood and it seemed as though Realejo would also be a good location. There is NO luggage storage at the train station and the luggage storage NEAR the train station closes from 1-4. AND if you want to rent a car and get an early start, rent it from the night before.

Took the Ave comfort class to Granada (was not much more than regular tickets if you book ahead). American Airlines can take a few tips on customer service from Ave. Silverware not plastic! Good food. Nice train attendant. Tip: The Renfe site is a nightmare to navigate but we found it was rejecting our credit cards but not Paypal.

Our AirBnB is in the Albayzin (at the very top). We personally loved the location as downtown Granada felt extremely touristy with a lot of schlock souvenir shops and bad food. The other place I would stay in seems to be Realejo. I am not going to say our location was central but once we discovered the PideTaxi app, we found it very easy to walk to where we wanted to go and book a cab back up for $5.00 on the app (versus the ridiculous cost of Uber). I loved the view and the birds and the wonderful restaurants in the Albayzin and town squares. I felt COMPLETELY safe here and am not sure what Rick Steve means by “edgy.” If you drive, there is even parking. And one morning the goats all came by for a visit. If you are not comfortable walking on a dirt road or cobblestones, do not book this place.


We walked around and I made a reservation for a nice outdoor café near us for dinner at 8:00 Ristorante Torcurato. Fantastic fried sardines and relaxed vibe. I did not find the food overall fantastic in Madrid, so this was a welcome dinner with a salad and perfectly steamed clams. It’s funny to me that the food we have been eating in Spain is all the food that the US FDA has advised against: drinking wine/beer, processed meats, limited vegetables etc. And yet when I looked up life expectancy, Spanish people have a longer life expectancy (76 vs. 83) and lower rate of Alzheimer’s than the US . Not sure what they are doing right (Mediterranean diet) and what we are doing wrong besides processed sugar and chemicals?


We knew we had to get up early and over to the Alahambra as we had 8:30 tickets for the Palacio Nazaries. Alhambra as you know is big and also has the Alcazaba military base (the oldest part built probably before the Muslims arrived) and of course the Palace of Charles V and the Gardens of Generalife. Seems Charles V loved the location so much he had to mark it as his own and plop a McMansion on the property—which is ugly and in a bad location and never finished. Sounds kind of familiar to people I know today.

Advice: Obviously book way in advance and BOOK first morning tickets before the school groups and even many of the tour groups arrive. Also, it is end of April and it was 86 degrees and I was glad that we got to enjoy the cool morning.

Because this was before we knew about the PideTaxi app, we walked the LONG LONG walk UP to the entrance of Palacio Nazaries. If it’s hot, you will be walking a lot and may want to hop in cab up there. Seriously what else can be said about this place? It is amazing and breathtaking. I was glad to not be jam packed with crowds. Even so, it was a lot to look at and take in. The theme of my week in Spain is a reminder of how religion uses power and power uses religion— there were a lot of visual reminders of how intricately they are entwined whether Muslim or Christian. I did download the app to know what room I was looking at.
OK so after the Palacios Nazaries we headed over to Alcazaba and were cut off by a large school tour group. We decided good time for a morning café. And there, right in front of the entrance was a pop-up café. We ordered … took our drinks under a tree with silverware not plastic and glass not paper. A very civilized Café con Leche. The US can take note and stop the single-use plastic! With that, we were ready to hit the Alcazaba which is a stark military base but interesting in its scale and defensive structure. I am not one for views but it’s worth the climb to see palm trees with a back drop of snow-covered mountains. Hard to believe anyone could ever breach this fort.

By now it was hot and crowded (reason to get MORNING TICKETS) and we popped into Charles V’s palace briefly where I did find a gift in their nice gift shop. I prefer to get presents from artisans or museum gift shops vs. tourist shops if I can. Worth checking out.

Next: Generalife Gardens. Even walking to the gardens, the amount of water, fountains and reflecting pools is amazing and the sound is refreshing. In fact, when the Catholics took over the palace they dismantled the lion fountain to try to understand how it worked and it was recently restored to run. But by now it was hot and getting crowded and I was getting a bit hangry AND the flowers were sort of scorched from the recent heat wave. Still, it’s impressive. We didn’t have a guide book so I do think we missed a few things. But my eyes were full.


Stumbling out of the gardens we decided to eat at Restaurant Jardines Alberto… because it was 1:00 we were there before the full crowd arrived and they were able to seat us without a reservation out on the lovely deck. Boy were people disappointed who came after us… some stomping down the steps.


Travel Tip: The Daily Lunch Specials are a great deal and many of the locals go that route too. Appetizer, main course, drink, and dessert. Then you can just have Tapa for dinner later. Money saver. Which is exactly what we did… walked down from our AirBnb to Bar AIXA, sat at the bar and had some wine and tapa and called it a night. It’s a busy frantic place. I am sorry to say I did read reviews of racist behavior on the part of the waiters.

We did have one quest…to go to the small ceramic factory store Fajalauza. The older owner does not speak English but could not be nicer and his friend there was charming and funny. If we weren’t on American Airlines with seats designed for toddlers, we would have bought a platter or vase… but no way could we figure out how to carry it. But we found a gift and a souvenir of two smaller serving dishes and the prices were better than in town and the quality was better AND we supported a nice guy.

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Alhambra is a wonder to behold.

Always enjoy your reports - the flight saga, though, ugh.

I love the griping, made me laugh out loud

If you speak Spanish (500 million) why would you learn English as a second language (1500 million) you are already a pretty large language group? Then in Spain there are 5 languages so a lot of people already speak Basque and Castilian (what we call Spanish), or Catalonian and Castilian. Then there is French, German which makes nore sense in Europe.

Your prologue is priceless, I just had to share with a few friends. You definitely have a way with words and I am very much looking forward to the rest of your report (and wondering how we missed so much although we were there much longer). We couldn't seem to get away from the noise in Spain, although our Madrid apartment was ideally located and a heck of a lot quieter than yours, thank gawd (walking distance from Plaza España and the palace, and fortunately not party central).

I followed your planning thread and look foward to seeing how it all panned out.

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Thank you And of course! It just seems often you travel and it's surprising how many people DO speak English and how many Americans walk in STARTING off in English assuming everyone will understand them.

Yes, I sent DH the flight story too, prepping him for ours, ha!

We went form Granada to Cordoba in the Summertime. Granada is at a higher elevation, while Cordoba and Seville are in the lowlands. It was quite pleasant in Granada and then Cordoba (which we loved) was like walking on the sun.

Our flight back was much better than going over so finger crossed for you.

Hiking Barranco de Poqueira
 

The next morning before we got our car, a gypsy/Roma goat herder came by with his goats. My son loves goats so it was my duty to get a photo of them. I had a pet goat, Heidi, as a kid and know they can be aggressive and fast (Heidi ended up killing the sheriff's dog--which didn't end well for Heidi). So I had to tiptoe around the billy goat who was following me around like an undercover cop in a department store -- a few paces behind and not too subtle. Was I going to be one of those stories? A woman attempting to get an Instagram photo for her son is gored by crazed goat.

We got our Fiat car from Avis/Budget at the train station and were off--well not quite off... Avis opens at 9:00 and we were off by 10:00. My husband is 6'4" so he had to fold himself into the passenger seat like a piece of origami. If we had planned better, we would have rented the car the night before so we could get an early start (remember our AirBnB has parking). We got to Capileira (the highest of the villages of the Barranco de Poqueira route) where we dropped off the car at the free lot. We planned to hike to Bubion and then on to quiet Pampaneira and catch a cab back up to our car (although I was dubious about this cab idea that I had read on a travel board).

This trip up is a drive for people who LOVE to drive (not me, but my husband). Manual with nonstop curves and as a guide book said “very James Bond”. I was white-knuckled part of the ride as you just never knew who was coming around that next blind curve. The Sierra Nevada mountains are a geologically new mountain range formed 6 million years ago at the same time as the Alps when two tectonic plates collided and they are pretty darn steep and pretty darn dry.

It was 87 degrees and it took us a while to find the trailhead. After some wrong turns, we started down. It was a lovely hike. By the time we got to Bubion it was hot and I was getting a bit concerned about hiking back up. So my mottos in travel are “seize the day” and “be flexible,” which in this case was lunch at Restaurant Teide with an ice-cold clara.YES, very good pivot! Best gazpacho I ever had. And a Great salad—something green! Nice waiter, a nice view, and a wake-up call…. THERE ARE NO CABS (so much for the internet tip). We were finishing our lunch when our waiter told us there was a bus coming in 10 minutes (not another one for two hours later). We swilled our espresso and ran to the stop (again a bit James Bond--jumping in as the doors slammed shut on us). If you do the hike—start early and know the bus schedule. Of course, there are many serious hikers up there--we are more of the lazy type who planned a downhill hike.


From there we walked about and took photos but there is not a lot going on in these towns. Beautiful and I am sure it’s a lovely place to stay but it didn’t feel really “open for the season” yet. Soportujar was recommended to us (the “witch” village). After the expulsion of the Moors, Felipe II needed to repopulate the town and did so with families from the north of Spain. And the legend (which I found hokey) is that the villagers welcomed nighttime meetings of witches. I think families would enjoy this town with witches and a Hansel and Gretel House. We drove to see the waterfalls but by then we agreed we were too hot and tired to walk anymore. Overall it was a nice drive and beautiful (very dry) scenery and a good day trip. Got back to our place and watched the sunset and ate the empanadas we had bought.

Last day in Granada. First of all— despite what Google and our AirBnB owner told us THERE IS NOT luggage storage at the train station. Try asking at the Information desk in the station: first, the cell phone will be put down very very slowly, and her eyes will languidly look up, followed by a definitive No—and a quick return to texting with an oh-so-subtle eye roll (message = conversation over. I have been asked this a million times). This was a problem because our train was at 3:30. After spending A LOT of time online looking and booking a place at City Locker (and locating its very diminutive sign inside a coffee shop) when we arrived we found out they are closed from 1-4 and our train was 3:30 back to Madrid. But they do have ANOTHER location not near the train station but in Realejo. Cabbed it over (thank you PideApp) and explored this lovely neighborhood.


The last stop on our sightseeing was the Granada Cathedral. The Cathedral was ordered in 1501 by none other than our friends of intolerance, Isabelle and Ferdinand to be built on the site of the Great Mosque of La Alcazaba —it sent a not-so-subtle message that Christianity won and you will be erased. The church is over-the-top gaudy and a hodgepodge mix of visions and styles that don’t harmonize well. Maybe it’s those effigies of Isabelle and Ferdinand within the church that curse the place with its lack of peace and harmony. Everything is gold. There is even a Jesus wearing gold lame. Worth seeing for its ostentatious baroque style.

Another cab ride BACK to our luggage and a quick very good lunch at Los Manuels near the luggage storage and on the train back to Madrid. Wow, those meatballs were good. Back to Madrid for another two nights and guess which neighborhood?

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Thank you. Madrid is a great city but wow there are a lot of tourists. Which of course we added two more to the mix.

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Back to Madrid: Palacio and Reina Sofia
 

Our next place in Madrid was unfortunately also in Las Letteras and this time through Sonder—a rental company. Very comfortable place (small) and well thought out. Thankfully our room faced INSIDE because again the noise from revelers in this neighborhood is over the top.



That night we weren’t really hungry but wanted maybe a wine bar… we wandered around and spotted one that seemed pretty nice—Casa Gonzales. Really great charcuterie and wine (great good wine and so inexpensive). We were happy and lo and behold, who was sitting behind us but Rick Steves! After two glasses of wine, I was curious if he was wearing a money belt since his book seemed to mention pick pocketing and money belts a lot. He and his dinner partner were quite pleasant. Turns out, this place is in his book but he did not reveal whether or not he was wearing a money belt. A mystery only solved I suppose if I tackled him and lifted his shirt. But I didn’t drink that much wine.



The next morning we knew we had to be able to get our American Airlines seats and after the nightmare flight over I learned you pay by the inch and I was going to shell out for some inches. So we ran out to Tallera Puntera as my husband really needed a belt and I needed a wallet that fit my credit cards better. This is a wonderful store and the artisan women were there working on bags and wallets and belts. Once my husband chose a belt, she measured it and punched the holes in for him. From there a mad dash back to the apartment to book seats… which turned out to be a little buggy since we booked via British Airways and were dumped off to AA. Got our seats with extra leg room and felt bad for the people we saw the next day at the airport who were not able to get the app to work and didn’t get a seat choice or seats together. Honestly, unless you are rich, flying has gotten a bit miserable.



We had 12:15 tickets for the Kitchen Tour at the Palacio Royale. When I bought the tickets online, nowhere did it say the tour was only in Spanish. This was a disappointment as I am sure the details were much better than the minimal info found on the downloaded app. Still thought it was interesting. Down the stairs were originally located three kitchens for the household, the court, and the King (or Queen) themselves. These are the supposedly the oldest well-preserved kitchens of all the royal palaces in Europe and we were only able to see a tiny fraction of them. But the kitchens we were able to tour are located in a restricted area of the Palace and we were followed closely by guards (as if I am going to pop a large copper paella pan into my purse). The kitchens of course were guarded when they were in use to prevent sabotage and poisoning. There was one person whose job was to maintain the copper pots to ensure they didn’t become poisonous (I missed how they did this since it was in Spanish). It is interesting to me to see how many people worked to support the ridiculousness of royalty while also remaining invisible traveling through secret doors and behind walls and sleeping next to the King at night “just in case” he might need something. But God decreed it so….must be done.



From there we toured the palace. And like the Prado, no photographs allowed. I could live without taking photos of the Palace but as an artist, it stung not to be able to photograph some of the more esoteric paintings in the Prado. Many will and do love this—but room after room of gold I found frankly boring. It would have been more interesting to see a couple of rooms as they once were actually furnished. But I realize some of these rooms are even in use today by the royal family who looked somewhat miserable in their official portrait (particularly the daughter). It was endless and I regretted that we had not returned to the Prado instead. I was seriously hangry -- even though on the brink of feinting I refused to go to a tourist trap for lunch. So, we started to wander and wander and wander. Finally I spotted Arroceria D’stapa but my husband swears he is not a paella fan… I started to do my languishing act (effective technique) and voila, we stopped for lunch (and managed to beat the crowds, AGAIN). OK even my paella disliking husband really liked the food--ALOT. I mean A LOT. Good food. Good price.



Back to the apartment for a short nap but we were NOT done yet. We decided to go to the free night at Reina Sofia. Many will love this museum but for me, living in NYC with MOMA, the MET, the Frick, and the Whitney, this was ok. I am not a Picasso fan. I am not a cubism fan. Not a fan of architectural drawings. And seeing Guernica was crowded and I didn’t feel a powerful connection. But there were some wonderful photographs of refugees and of Spain pre-civil war as well as graphics. I wish the photographs were all in one area instead of spread out but I realize the museum is putting things in historical context.


We were still not hungry after that Paella so we got some Nuts and beer at Carrefour and called it a night. Next day we flew home. Easily caught a cab from our place (but first had to navigate all the trash from the night before). Don’t waste money on an Uber… the cabs are 30 Euros from anywhere in the city center to the airport.

Enjoyed your funny report and your photos! How cool to meet Rick Steves! And I wonder what the King's needs might have been in the middle of the night:)

I wonder if Madrid (and everywhere else) has become extremely crowded (more than usual) because people weren't able to travel for a couple years. We visited Madrid and Andalucia in 2017 and I don't remember Madrid being extremely crowded. Or maybe we just have a higher tolerance for crowds.

I think it was the neighborhood we were in. It is like the West Village in NY on a Saturday night.
Perhaps pent-up travel demand too. Many tour groups.

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When I bought the tickets online, nowhere did it say the tour was only in Spanish. This was a disappointment as I am sure the details were much better than the minimal info found on the downloaded app

I'm curious if you found Spain a bit...short on reliable info for tourists...especially considering how many visitors it attracts?

I ask because I found Spain rather frustrating in that regard.

Love that churro shot.

“wonder if Madrid (and everywhere else) has become extremely crowded (more than usual) because people weren't able to travel for a couple years. We visited Madrid and Andalucia in 2017 and I don't remember Madrid being extremely crowded. Or maybe we just have a higher tolerance for crowds.”

We are in Madrid right now. We always stay in non touristy neighborhood…north of Retiro.
On Thursday , my friend wanted to see Mercado San Miguel ( I am not a fan) It was so crowded we stayed for a few minutes. How touristy and crowded the city appears to be, often depends on one’s location .
Where we are the restaurants are full in the evening, but it is mostly the locals.