Recently I went on a trip to Spain. I was very excited about this because there are not may places in Europe I have not had the opportunity to visit but Spain, with exception of the Canary Islands, was one of them. What I like about city breaks in Europe is that there is so much to explore, so much to do and everything is new. I like the hustle and bustle of a city and one that I’m unfamiliar with is even better. My first impression of Madrid was very positive. The airport was small, clean and not overly crowded and a fresh breeze, blue sky dotted with clouds and a warm sun welcomed me to the sunny city of Madrid. We decided to give a Spanish brand of hotels a go and booked a 5* Silken Puerta América Madrid hotel. Our hotel offered a free scheduled shuttle service but we decided to hop onto the bus 200 instead, as it was a direct journey that cost a mere €1.50 so really no reason to have to wait (the hotel and airport both are also accessible directly by metro as an alternative but I didn’t want to explore a new city underground on the first day). Once we arrived at the hotel we were given a room on the 7th floor, which we were told is normally only available for a supplement of €20. The hotel was nice and offered pretty much any facility you could imagine, indoor pool and fitness room on the top floor right next to the club and bar, fully equipped with scary (!) glass floors (of course) ^_^;; It was modern and every floor is designed by another designer, interesting but not quite my cup of tea since I prefer old school classic, however it was quite remarkable indeed and made me feel like in a 70’s futuristic sci-fi movie. Our room was equipped with electronic blinds and the TV was a projector which also would descend electronically with the click of a button. Just a tip for booking this hotel, they offer the best rate guaranteed on their own website and reservations made directly include a free drink in the bar, 14h check out, free parking and your choice of design and floor. When supply allows you are offered the choice at check in as well however this cannot always be guaranteed as they sometimes can be very busy. If there’s one thing I must give the hotel credit for (other than all the other things I’ve already mentioned), it would have to be the breakfast which was an excellent variety, frequently replenished and complete with a Prosecco to give your day a light, bubbly start.

Location, Climate and Architecture

Madrid, being the capital of Spain, is pretty much located dead in the middle of the country. It enjoys warm, Mediterranean-type climate and I was able to enjoy three days on pretty much non-stop sunshine in the end of March as a result. My first observation was the variety of different styles of architecture, most remarkably the futuristic 70’s style buildings that pop out every here and there (the building on the left reminds me of something from a futuristic 80’s cartoon called the Jetsons ^_^;;). I like how the city was able to maintain an original European city feel but still add a random modern building here and there without disfiguring it. Many historic buildings were built during the reigns of the Habsburg, their facades reminding us a little of those found in cities like Vienna or even Paris and Charles the III of Spain, who was very interested in beautifying the city, ensured for many of the lovely buildings that Madrid is able to enjoy today. Sculptures are scattered throughout the city, making it almost an outdoor type of museum and even an Egyptian Temple has been brought and rebuilt from 15km south of Aswan, Southern Egypt. This was donated to the city of Madrid from the State of Egypt as a sign of gratitude for their part in the construction of the great Dam of Aswan, which consequently posed a threat to a total of 22 monuments. These were preserved by moving these to other locations, including Madrid, Leiden and New York. Others, such as the Buhen Fort haven been flooded by today’s Lake Nasser.

First evening in Madrid

After we arrived at the hotel we decided to check out the hotel and had a look around the facilities before hitting the town and explore the city. As we waited in reception we overheard a family ask the receptionist for a suggestion on where they could go to eat since it was around 6pm, which a lot of people would consider a normal time to have dinner. Well, in countries like Italy and Spain it is not normal to eat at 6pm. I remember back in college my friends from Italy could not adjust to the Austrian custom of having dinner at 6pm and often would opt out and invite us all for pasta at around 10pm instead. In Spain it is no different and the receptionist explained that in Spain the kitchens usually do not open until 9pm. I found this amazing as the city was alive like none I had experienced before at night. We took the subway straight to Sol by suggestion of the receptionist and it was a busy as ever. We exited straight into a grocery shop, where we grabbed a Desperado and cold-cut meat for later on and proceeded into the busy streets. People were walking, chatting, hand in hand, going to dinner or whatever as late as 10pm, this in fact was the prime time and best time to grab a bite. Cars were driving, the streets were full of life and I loved it. Obviously everyone knows that the Spanish charcuterie board is one of the most popular thing and cured meats are a frequent thing. Something I found amusing were the cured meat shops on the main street which reminded me of those in Brussels, only difference is they are filled with different meats instead of the sweets so popular in Belgium.We walked around and decided it was time for dinner (since it was already around 10pm) however didn’t want to dine in a touristy place, which I recognized from the St. Michel area of Paris. After checking a couple of places out we decided on a restaurant which looked as local as possible (meaning most of the customers seemed to be from the city) and had a seat. It was a bit difficult to get a table on a Saturday night without a reservation but the waiter was very friendly and arranged for a table to be prepared as we waited in the bar area. Once seated a bottle of Rioja was quickly ordered, which was served with a small plate of hummus and dry bread to keep us going as we had a look at the menu. I ordered veal meatballs with fois and garlic (yummy) and glanced around the picnic style restaurant to observe the crowd.

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Food & Drink

I read online that it is not necessary to go to a Tapas restaurant to have tapas. Tapas are normal in Spain so obviously a Tapas restaurant will be catered to tourists, my motto is that if you want to experience something authentic you have to do as the locals. Obviously you’ll want to eat like the locals, right (well, I do)? Anyway, it is custom in Madrid as well as some other places in Spain to receive a free Tapas with a drink in Spain so the best way to enjoy a local bite is to simply have a drink in a local bar. Because dinner is served so late in Spain, it is normal to go bar hopping and have tapas after work and before dinner which is why this is such a big thing in Spain, it is a part of their every day life. I tested this in a bar located near the Cathedral and can confirm that I was offered a delicious tapas with my Vermouth ;D~

In terms of restaurants it seems Madrid is just as modern as some of their buildings. I asked the receptionist to suggest a restaurant but specified  that I didn’t want it to be Chinese, Italian or a Touristy Tapas place (we have enough of that at home) and asked her to suggest a place that she herself would go. She told me of this restaurant located nearby that she actually had attempted to go to twice but always was too busy and gave them a call to ask if they had place. We chose a good time and day (Monday) to go and she confirmed they had some space and directed us where to go and asked us to tell her how it was as she had tried to go there twice but had a waiting time of an hour and therefore still hasn’t been and said she was jealous that we got to go. This restaurant was called La Gabinoteca and turned out to be a quirky fusion restaurant with all kinds of neat things. The furniture was random and included things like a PC recliner seat and ski chair-lift and the menu was just as crazy to include things like boneless chicken wings injected with salsa and a steak tartar (as in raw meat steak common in France) burger.  The dishes are small but again with the Tapas culture in mind the waiter explained that the idea was to try and share many dishes rather than having one each.

What to do during the day

There are many many things you can do on a visit to Madrid, shopping, bar-hopping, watch a Flamenco (Spanish folk music and dance) or even a Bull fight (if you’re into that, which I’m not), visit the museums and monuments or, if you’re like me you’ll check out the hotels and take advantage of the hop-on hop-off bus (easiest way to see everything at once and have the freedom to move around). One thing I simply must mention, which to me is amazing is the remarkable amount of green space in the Parks. According to Wikipedia, Madrid is the European city with the highest number of trees and green surface per inhabitant and the second highest number of aligned trees in the world, after Tokyo. I like to visit the park from my Paris days, in which I would enjoy the breeze through the trees of Jardins de Luxembourg and made a point to pay the Parque del Buen Retiro a visit. This park is filled with sculptures and monuments, I especially enjoyed a visit to the Palacio de Cristal which is a quiet place equipped with rocking chairs to allow the visitor to relax in the glass panelled and high ceiling main hall when not in use to display an art exhibition. Originally constructed in 1887 to exhibit exotic plants from the Philippines, it was inspired by the Crystal Palace in London. The Palacio de Cristal is constructed in a way that can be re-erected in another location and is done in the shape of a Greek cross. I also found the Puerta de Alcalá very interesting as it naturally reminded me of the Arc de Triomphe of Paris which actually was built after (1836) the one in Spain (1778). Other places of interest of course include the Cathedral and Royal Palace amongst numerous other sights which can be visited directly from the terrace of the rooftop bus.

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