Madrid’s Gran ViaAs major European cities go, we both like Madrid. Not as a place to live (too big), but certainly as a place to visit. Touristy but easy to escape the tourist crowds, with some amazing architecture and lots of green space for a big city. A very walkable city with an excellent Metro system. We found the prices quite reasonable, even considering that we were in a hotel, so no kitchen, therefore we had to eat more meals out than is usual for us.

At the beginning of June, we took a train from Almeria to Madrid and needed to stay overnight for our flight to Dubrovnik the following day. We decided to use our Marriott one-night free certificate (awarded annually with the Marriott credit card) and stayed at the Courtyard Madrid Princesa. We wanted to check it out to see if it would work for us for five days at the end of our time in Europe as our flight back to the US left from Madrid.

Why five days? A few reasons: we prefer to plan to be in the city where our flight back to the US originates a few days ahead of time; we wanted to explore Madrid; and most importantly we had another Marriott certificate good for five nights! This conveniently located hotel had a great breakfast buffet, the room had a small frig, and there was a huge supermarket with prepared foods right next door. We would definitely stay here again if we return to Madrid.

Arrival in Madrid

Spain has an extensive train system. We took a local bus from our Airbnb in Santander, then a train to Madrid, then a Metro to our hotel. One of the benefits of traveling light.

How We Spent Our Time in Madrid

As usual, we did a lot of walking. But whenever we didn’t feel like walking, we took the Metro. Ian had been to Madrid about twenty years ago, but Ann had not been before other than that one overnight. So we walked to and around the major tourist sights. We walked along the Gran Via to Plaza San Francisco and on to Plaza Mayor. We walked past the Royal Palace, and we visited the Mercado San Miguel. One day we took the Metro to visit The Prado National Museum, which we can recommend highly, way busier than what Ian remembers from 20 years ago.

Another day we took a long stroll through the amazing El Retiro Park. This park covers over 125 hectares (that’s over 300 acres!)  of wide and narrow paths, filled with trees, landscaped gardens, sculptures, fountains, monuments, a boating lake, and more. And did we mention trees?! Right in the heart of the city. Okay, it’s less than half the size of Central Park in New York City, be we found it a lot less crowded.

Eating in Madrid

Madrid definitely has a lot to offer foodies (hint: we’re not). A little not well-known fact: Did you know that Madrid, right smack in the middle of Spain, has the biggest fish market in Europe and second biggest in the world? Who would have thought? Madrid is known to have quality restaurants for just about any type of food. But we stuck with Spanish food.

Some of our favorite dishes included gambas al ajillo (shrimp in garlic), and patatas bravas (potatoes in a spicy red sauce). And of course, all sorts of other tapas. And oh, the yummy potato chips made fresh daily, packed to order, in the supermarket below our hotel – much harder to eat just one than Lays.

Not far from our hotel , we discovered the charming barrio called Malasaña. It has narrow streets, numerous restaurant choices, and lots of people out and about at all hours of the day and night (not that we know what really happened after 11pm, we are old after all). We liked the area so much we were even out more than one evening (gasp!). At one place, we were just finishing our tapas around 10 PM, when a young couple entered with a child in a stroller. Guess Spaniards never learned “early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”. Although they do seem to have more fun that most Americans, thanks Ben Franklin.

Sweet Treats

We went more than once to the famous pastelería, La Mallorquina (always so crowded it’s hard to get in the door), for Ian’s favorite, napolitana de chocolate. And of course, the amazing chocolate con churros at San Gines . Both establishments have been around since 1894…hmmm…what was going on that year? Research yielded the opening of a special theatre performance and the demolition of the Royal Armory.

All in all, we enjoyed our time in Madrid, we like this city and would consider spending a few days again if we happen to be passing through.

Spain Wrap-Up

We started our 5-month stay in Europe in Barcelona and ended in Madrid. Why? Our east-bound transatlantic cruise ended in Barcelona, and our flight back to the US left from Madrid.

During our five months in Europe, we spent most of May and most of September in Spain. As mentioned earlier, Ian had been to Spain before, but Ann had not. We visited nine different cities, several of which we would consider going back to for an extended stay.

Spain has a temperate climate (remember the weather diva in our midst) although summers in the center and south can be beastly hot. It’s a well-known fact that we are beach people, and Spain offers quite a variety of good beaches, both in the north and south. And on the Canary Islands.

Most places we went, we found the people to be friendly, more in some places than others. Although many people outside tourist areas do not speak English, thanks to attending Spanish language school for a month in Guatemala in October 2017, we can get by. We were expecting to find differences and challenges with Castilian Spanish but found that not to be the case. What we did find a bit challenging, however, is that every autonomous community (several provinces make up an autonomous community) has its own language. And sometimes signs are in the local language.

Oh, and we love the food! Tapas and pinchos and fish and paella and yummy bread and…and…! And inexpensive local wine! Okay, the eating hours can be a bit of a challenge, but we figured out how to work our way around that. Get up late and stay up late?.

Bottom line: we both really like Spain and hope to return. Top of the list: Las Palmas , A Coruña , and Valencia – maybe we just like to be by the coast.

Next up: 2018 review and 2019 plans