Madrid

In a preemptory celebration of our one year wedding anniversary Matt and I ventured off to Madrid for the weekend. We had decided to make Madrid our destination of choice as,though I've never been there, it seemed like a place I would like. Matt had visited it as a student while studying abroad in Florence, and had dubbed the Prado as one of his favorite museums ever. Coincidentally, the weekend before our actual anniversary, Matt had a business trip that would take him to Paris and then on to Madrid for the end of the week. It seemed silly for him to fly back just to fly out there again a week later, so instead I booked tickets to out there to meet him, and we would spend the weekend there.

I arrived pretty late on Thursday night, leaving frantically to the airport straight from work. It should be noted that whilst at the airport, Dutch people cut me in line on 2 separate occassions. Boarding was on time, but we were delayed - we apparently sat on the tarmac for a long time, but as per my usual MO on flights, I completely conked out as soon as the airplane doors shut. I tend to do this, then wake up a few minutes after we've reached our altitude, and spend the entire rest of the flight trying to sleep and not being able to. But I digress.

When I finally arrived at our hotel, Hotel De Las Letras on Gran Vía, just before 11, Matt was still out boozing and shmoozing at dinner with work people so I got room service and watched one of my favorite Buffy the Vampire slayer episodes dubbed in Español until he arrived, rather hammered, convincing me out of my pj's and onto the rooftop terrace to meet his buds. As he was talking to me, he lost his voice - it didn't come back all weekend. I played dutiful wife and got some heels on and was my charming self - the rooftop terrace at De Las Letras was indeed a happening place, and the guys (who are basically his competitors and were all on the same property tour) were very nice and we had a particularly boisterous debate about what is actually stated in the American Bill of Rights. When Matt’s eyes started crossing – and he still didn’t have his voice – we wisely called it a night. On Friday Matt had more tours to do, so I had some one-on-one with the city – I walked around with my giant map (Madrid is big), had some café at Plaza Mayor, bought a fedora and some macadamia nuts, spent leisurely hours at the Reina Sofia museum, ate a chorizo sammy and headed back to the hotel to await the hubby and chat with mom on the phone. I was officially smitten – the city is spectacular. That night we had a typically Spanish late dinner and stopped at one of the indoor markets, Mercado San Miguel off the Plaza Mayro, for churros and chocolate for dessert.



On Saturday we hit the pavement, exploring that great city. It was another gorgeous day, so we took to the park – El Parque del Buen Retiro – for a leisurely stroll and a coffee. Eventually we meandered over to a neighborhood called Salamanca – a colleague of mine has a friend that lives in Madrid, and this guy recommended a place in this neighborhood that he and all his friends agree is THE best tapas place in all of Madrid. We decided to give it a shot, and it’s probably safe to say that he is most likely right in this assumption. We arrived at 1:30, which was perfect timing because we were able to grab the second to last table before it was jam-packed with poshly dressed Spaniards looking for a beer and a bite. We overdid it a bit (as usual) with our order, but the fried anchovies were spectacular, and the waiters were totally on top of that chaos.




We headed back to the hotel with a bit of time for a brief siesta before meeting Gavin, one of the guys Matt did the property tour with, and his girlfriend who were also spending the weekend. We had decided on Thursday night to all go to the Real Madrid game. Unfortunately by that point there were no 4 seats together so we had to split up. We took the metro over to the stadium (the Madrid metro is awesome – so convenient, clean and easy!) then had the confusing task of figuring out where to pick up our tickets. Of course all eyes were on me since I speak un poco Español – eventually we worked it out. The game was awesome – Madrid was playing Tenerife, and Tenerife actually gave Madrid a run for their money in the first half. But Kaká came in the second half (to my great cheery glee) and Madrid ended up beating them 3-0. The stadium was absolutely packed. And strangely enough, there aren’t too many occasions to buy, buy, buy – as there are in the American stadiums. You’re hard pressed to even find a soda vendor inside the stadium. Some people brought their own snacks and drinks, but mostly it seemed like people just pop in for the game then head out for dinner. Soccer games are great because they are short enough that it’s not such a big commitment to attend one.

Saturday night we found a little spot looking out on a palace to have dinner. Madrid is a very picturesque city, with beautiful, majestic architecture and a lot of greenery. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how Spain once ruled the Western world, but being in Madrid you definitely get a sense of the grandeur.


On Sunday we hit up the Prado – which of course took up most of the morning. There are some great pieces in there, and conveniently enough they provide a brochure with their most famous works and which room it’s in, so we were able to just zip in and out and see the best things. It was again beautiful and warm out, so it was hard getting in that cab to drive to the airport in the early afternoon. A short flight later, we were at home, watching the Giants game.


Madrid is now on my list of top 5 cities in the world – in fact, it has replaced Paris for my number 3 spot. Though both cities are equally beautiful, Madrid just has this openness that Paris is lacking. In Paris I feel a bit like an outsider – sometimes I think that the Parisians do that on purpose. Maybe it is a factor that I understand the language, so it is easier for me in Madrid. Whatever it is, there is now a very real love affair between me and Madrid. It is definitely a place we will visit again.