We had bought tickets to the Opera Y Flamenco from the apt office. On certain days, they perform at the Palau de la Musica which is where I really wanted to see them but unfortunately, that day they were performing at a smaller venue on Las Ramblas. I did not realize that we had to exchange the online passes for actual tickets with seat numbers. Had I known, we could have done that on our last visit to Las Ramblas and saved some time that evening.

We thoroughly enjoyed the performance, the speed of the dancers was amazing, especially at the end. It was a lively performance though again I wished I understood Spanish!

I had made 10pm reservations earlier in the evening at Barceloneta, a restaurant with a waterview. We lost our way, as usual but ended up passing the Palau de la Musica which was nice to see, even if it was just from the outside.
At the restaurant, we still had to wait over 20 minutes for a table but it was a nice table by the window with a view of the bay. We had a couple of appetizers and DH and I shared the seafood paella and the kids shared the chicken paella for the main course. The portions were large so there was plenty of food and both dishes were really good. Paella was on my 'must have' list so I was glad that it did not disappoint! Service was good too.

Did not want to call it a night yet, it being our last night in Barcelona and all, so we went looking for icecream. I wanted waffles with ice cream ,which I had seen a lot of people having at the ice cream place across the apt that was open until 1. We took a cab back and made it there by 1 but alas, they had icecream but were out of waffles! Wandered around some more and then decided to call it a night.

Madrid tomorrow, finally!

Kimhe, I just looked at your nightlife links, thanks! Wish I had asked you about this before we left!

Oh don't we wish we were with you. Thanks for ideas for Spain-Portugal reading/films for upcoming October trip. Have added Volver on Netflix list. Anything more about contemporary Spain appreciated. Is there a journal maybe in English but maybe in Spanish?

For contemporary Spain try El Pais in English.

http://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html

Great to see you're back! I know it's a lot of work and I'm appreciating the time you're taking to share your experiences.

Took the train around 10.30am train to Madrid from Sant station in Barcelona. I had bought the tickets from the Renfe website about a month earlier. Please make sure you get there in good time because we were shocked by the crazy long line to go through security - (I didn't even know train stations had security checks)! I was really panicking thinking we were going to miss the train for sure! Luckily the line moved quickly and we got to the platform with about 7-10 minutes to spare. I was very impressed by the punctuality of the train, I happened to be watching the clock on the station and the second the minute hand moved into the 6 position, the compartment doors closed!
This was not the express train so we got to Madrid a little past 1. I called the apt just before we pulled into the Atocha station to let them know that we would be there soon. A quick cab ride (maybe 5 minutes) and we were at the apt. I had booked this through Booking.com since most agencies had a 3 night minimum and we were only there for 2 nights. Madrid4Rentals Barrio de las Letras

The rep, martin, was waiting outside the apt bldg, which looked nice. I managed to squeeze in with the luggage in the tiny glass elevator, The others took the stairs to the 3rd floor. From a short hallway, we entered into an open area that had the dining table and kitchen. The living room and the other bedrooms were off this area. The living room was very modern looking and a good size with the narrow balcony again. The master bedroom had an attached bathroom, both were on the smallish side but perfectly fine, well appointed. The 2nd bedroom however was a bit of a shock! It was TINY with only one bed. When asked, Martin said there was another bed underneath. I asked him to pull it out since I could not see how another bed could fit! He did but now there was just barely enough room to walk by on one side while the other side of the bed was against the wall. No question of putting anything else in the room and no closet either so the bags had to stay outside the room in the dining area. I was a little displeased but the kids didn't care (DS said "Are YOU sleeping here or are we?) and it was only 2 nights anyway so it was all good.
We were happy to see that the weather in Madrid was warmer so we set out to find an outdoor restaurant for lunch. Walking towards Retiro Park, we came upon a bunch of restaurants next to each other. We picked La Taperia and enjoyed some tapas with a jug of sangria which was really good. The Prado Museum was just across the main road.

I'm enjoying your report, and taking good notes for our upcoming trip to Barcelona. Looking forward to reading more!

After our late lunch we proceeded towards Plaza Mayor. The plan was to visit the Royal Palace that evening. We made our way through the streets, enjoying the hustle and bustle, marveling at some building or the other until we reached Plaza Mayor, not without stopping for ice cream, of course! Plaza Mayor was a huge square with restaurants along the buildings that lined the square. It was very crowded with many interesting sights/people attractions. A stage was being set up for an evening concert. We stopped for some cafe con leche at one of the cafes while watching everything that was going on simultaneously in different parts of the square. Very entertaining! As we were leaving, DS checked the directions to the palace on google and saw that it closes at 6pm. I was pretty sure it closes at 8 but given this new information, we decided not to proceed to the Palace since it was 5.30 already. (Found out the next day that he was wrong!)We made our way back to the apt passing through Puerta del Sol with the famous clock. That area was also very crowded and lively so we wandered around for a while before proceeding to the apt. We passed some interesting stores on the way, DD and I made note of the street for a future visit!

After a quick rest at the apt, we proceeded to Retiro Park which was very close by. It was a huge, beautiful park with a lake in the middle with people boating and music playing. Bought some popcorn and found a spot to sit and people watch for a long time, it was a really nice sunset too!

Finally forced ourselves to get going and walked around a little before making our way back to the apt. We came to Plaza Plateria where we had had lunch and decided to try one of the other restaurants for dinner (DS had called a couple that he would have preferred but they were all full). I had the paella again and though it was very different from the one we had in Barcelona, it was pretty good.

After dinner we took a cab to visit an old friend we knew in Madrid. It was a fun, relaxed day. We had done a great deal of wandering through Madrid and felt we now know the lay of the land!

Not sure if anyone is still reading this so I will go through our 2nd day in Madrid and then see if anyone is interested in the rest!

We headed for the Royal Palace the next morning. We decided to stop at Mercado San Miguel for a bite (or rather, many bites!) on the way. This is a market with many food stalls inside mainly selling wine and many different tapas which are all displayed. It was fun sampling so many different types of tapas, its easy to get carried away but they add up quickly! I especially liked the place with all different kinds of cheese. On the way out we had some churros and chocolate.

Finally made our way to the Palace. It was really quite, quite impressive. We went into the cathedral first and then went around the block to find the entry to the palace. Took some pictures in the compound. The entry fee was 7 euros each, not very expensive and well worth it. The palace was beautiful! Each room was amazing, with rich tapestries and furniture. Every room was decorated in a different color. Some of the tapestries and drapes looked quite freshly redone, very opulent and grand but tasteful. Each room had descriptions in English. I would have gone picture crazy here but photography is not allowed, bought some postcards from the gift shop on the way out.
I wanted to try the cod fritters at Casa Revuelta since I had heard so much about it. It is a small place, easy to miss and very crowded. There were no tables available so I stood at the bar and just pointed and ordered! Got beer and some fritters (huge!)that we shared standing outside. While we were there, we saw a fairly long line of women outside a store across the street. Curious, I went up and asked them what the line was for. "Traditional shoes" I was told. I'm still not sure what that was about so if anyone knows, please enlighten me!

Had more chocolate con churros at a place near Plaza Mayor that our friends had recommended the night before. These were amazing, far better than the ones we had earlier! DS drank the chocolate from the cup, it was so good! Wish I could have them NOW :) Unfortunately I do not remember the name.

DS and DH decided to head back to the apt while DD and I explored the stores we had seem the day before. They were interesting but I was looking for something different, something that I would not find in the US and I didn't really see anything like that. DD bought a dress.

We had arranged to meet the guys at the Prado Museum at 6pm since there is free entry from 6-8pm. Each person had to stand in line and get their ticket even though we didn't have to pay anything. It wasn't a very long line and moved fast. We were inside by 6.15 and bought audio guides for all but since there was a write-up for each painting, we did not really find the audio guide necessary. Of course, it was good if someone wanted a more detailed description.
By closing time, we were in awe but it was also a bit of a sensory overload. Definitely was not enough time to see everything, the collection was huge! But it was good enough to get a sampling of what this world renowned art museum had to offer.

Hey EC, I'm still reading and reliving past trips. Know there are many more readers than responders.

You're doing a great job, carry on.......

Yes, keep going please!

Still reading as well. Looking forward to your Seville report.

I read every word! Please continue...enjoying your TR.

http://www.madridtandt.com/blog/espadrilles/
The shoe line was for espadrilles! It's amazing how the locals line up every year before their summer vacation to buy these shoes!
I also stand in line there to buy great souvenirs key chains t (1 euro) and always a hit!You need to ask for them because none are displayed!

Wow, thanks so much chapla, that explains it!

Sorry for the delay, here is the next installment!
We took a cab to an Italian restaurant that DH had found since we had had tapas for the last 3 meals. Food was good, will have to look for the name again! We walked back through Puerta del Sol to Gran Via, passed through Plaza Santa Ana which was still quite lively. There were several hotels there, one with DD's name (Roommate Alicia) so of course she had to take a pic in front of it! Even though staying in the hotels right around the square would have probably been too noisy, I think I would have preferred a location closer to that area or Puerta del Sol on one of the side streets. Our location, though very convenient to Retiro Park and the Prado, kinda felt like on one end.

We continued walking, wondering how we were going to charge 4 phones and 2 tablets with only 1 adaptor (we left 2 in the Barcelona apt since we had got them from there and I could not for the life of me remember where I had packed the 3rd!)We stopped at a tiny convenient store to pick up milk and DD thought of asking if they had adaptors and amazingly they did! For one euro! That was lucky, just mentioning it because I would never have thought they would have them!
We stopped for dessert and coffee at a small restaurant close to our apt. They were closing but were nice enough to seat us when we said we were only there for dessert & coffee. I had some kind of flaming coffee with brandy, it was really good! Got to the apt way past midnight and we still had to pack!

After everyone went to bed, I got on the Ipad, trying to buy tickets for the Patio Festival in Cordoba where we were headed the next day. I was disappointed to see that the main zones that people had recommended were sold out. In any case, we did not have a printer there so I decided to wait till we got there. We had a 10am train to Cordoba and the kids were going to take a bus to the airport from the Atocha station around the same time since there was no direct train to the airport.

<I had some kind of flaming coffee with brandy>

You had a good old carajillo, never a day in Spain without one of these very popular and very affordable heart-warmers:
http://www.vindulgeblog.com/2013/08/...ish-carajillo/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carajillo

Thanks kimhe, yes, it was surprisingly good!