The Real Madrid

We set out for Madrid and were running right on schedule to meet our host until we learned that the metro line we needed was closed all month just one stop before our transfer. With a quick detour, we made it to Legazpi, an area in southern Madrid that used to be a bit sketchy but has been improved in the past couple of years (according to a nice man we met on the metro). We met Lorenzo, who took us to the apartment that was less than a block away from the metro stop and had air conditioning. It was in the upper 80's our entire stay so having A/C was a major plus, even if there wasn't WiFi in the place. We headed straight to the grocery store and bought fixings for some loaded chicken burritos that Joe made while I collapsed onto the bed where I provided moral support.

Our burrito feast

Stomachs full, we headed into the city to find a radio tower that had incredible views from the top. We successfully found it, but it was completely closed off. The barrier was covered in graffiti, which we discovered was the case with most of Madrid. Had we done proper research ahead of time, we would have learned that the tower was closed due to funding and had been for over a year. Womp womp. We wandered aimlessly around the university in a very disappointing part of the city. Once we had a map, we located the park we were looking for and walked over to the Royal Palace, where the atmosphere was much livelier, as in there were actually people there. The gardens surrounding the palace are neat but most of it was closed off for construction. Every bench that was there, however, was occupied by a couple sucking face, sometimes literally - the PDA in Madrid is borderline obscene. We stopped in the Real Basilica de San Francisco, a huge cathedral that was very colorful on the inside despite having a pretty drab exterior. From there, we headed back towards the park to see the Templo de Debod at sunset, a set of stone structures sitting in a reflection pond. We decided to grab some ice cream and find a bench to chill in the park for a bit before we went home and sat by a group of dogs at an impromptu play date.

In front of the Royal Palace and covered in bug bites

The next morning we stopped by one of the two Crystal Palaces (Palicio de Cristal) in Madrid. This one was close to our place and was a giant greenhouse divided into four different climate zones. Then we headed over to the Botanic Gardens in the center of the city where we wandered through a rose garden, fruit and vegetable garden, and an impressive dahlia collection. Just down the street was the Caixaforum, a modern art museum that was 'free.' The building features an entire exterior wall covered in plants of different varieties. It turned out that entry into the cool looking building was free but you had to pay to get into the exhibits, so we looked around the store before making our way onward to one of Ernest Hemingway's favorite bars, Museo Chicote near the Prado.

Despite our research, the bar did not open for another five hours. Unsuccessful plans would be the theme of our time spent in Madrid. We walked back to the Prado Museum, where we had planned on going during the free hours in the evening and contemplated buying tickets until we saw the price. Free hours it would be! With both of us growing increasingly frustrated, we decided we needed WiFi to make any proper plans and headed to the Starbucks on the corner - not like either of us were disappointed to get coffee, either. Armed with directions to two free museums nearby, we again took off, only to find that the first free museum had closed an hour earlier and the second free museum was closed for renovations. We still had over an hour until the bar opened so we found a square, some shade, and a place to sit down to wait it out.

Stopping to smell the roses...

...then stopping to drink some Starbucks

When we finally made it to Museo Chicote, it was clear that people usually do not show up immediately as we were the only people in there for the duration of our visit. The prices on the cocktails were steep so we only had one each, although they were both delicious (and strong, too). We enjoyed the free potato chips and the Lady Gaga album blasting in the old bar and ventured back to the Prado for another attempt. After a quick wait for our free tickets, we got into the museum and completed the first floor during the two hour allotment. The Goyas were the favorite for both of us, and his black paintings were both impressive and disturbing. Even though 'Saturn' is unsettling, you can't seem to look away.

Our itinerary exhausted, we made it back to our 'hood and picked up pizza a few doors down before walking over to the Matadero, a cultural space in an abandoned slaughterhouse that has a number of restaurants, exhibition spaces, and a cinema. This was one of our favorite places in all of Madrid, and we would later return a few times. We caught a free documentary, screened in a crazy movie theater made whose backlit walls looked woven out of thick black cable, about the 1956 Hungarian-USSR Olympic water polo match, explained in the context of the Hungarian Revolution. A fun tidbit about the film: it's narrated by Mark Spitz, whose swim coach growing up was one of the players on the Hungarian team.

The Papa Doble and the Sazerac

Third Time's the Charm...?

After two days of mostly failed plans, we woke up with renewed hope of a better day in Madrid. We started at Las Ventas, the main bullfighting arena, where we took a tour of the stadium. Unfortunately, bullfights are held on Sundays and we were leaving for Valencia on Sunday so we wouldn't be able to see an actual fight. Only one bull's life has ever been pardoned at Las Ventas and it went on to live a nice life in the meadows according to our audio guide. We then headed to Museo ABC, a free museum that houses prints from the magazine Blanco y Negra, as well as a huge collection of 80's posters and prints. The museum wasn't recommended on any travel sites but is very underrated—we enjoyed the exhibitions and special artist installations thoroughly, and the architecture is cool too.

Learning the rules of bullfighting at Las Ventas

Museo ABC's 80's exhibit

We then walked to Plaza Puerta del Sol to find a nearby convent with famous almond cookies made by the nuns. However, we were informed when we arrived that they were all sold out for the day. We made plans to return in the morning and walked back to the Palace to visit the Alumeda Cathedral, a recently completed building that is very white inside, with an impressive multicolored ceiling and modern stained glass. The suggested donation is mandatory to enter the church, which may ease some of their Catholic guilt to advertise, even though the fee is certainly not optional. Same goes with the Crypt below the church so we skipped it and headed to find tapas at Calles Cava Baja and Cava Alta. A lot of the restaurants didn't open until much later and we were fairly hungry so we found a reasonably priced menu and ordered pork with cheese sauce, duck and oranges, meatballs, and roasted red pepper with cheese and Bearnaise sauce with some wine and cava on the side, naturally. The owner even made us a little dessert of strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate shavings that came with our bill. Not totally full, we went to the next block over for a very cheap bucket of beer and not one but two orders of patatas bravas (this was all Joe). Now stuffed, we dragged ourselves back to the apartment to gather our computers and headed back over to the Matadero, where we sat outside and drank a delicious concoction of red wine and lemon soda that I couldn't resist, and caught a bit of the jazz band playing in the courtyard before calling it a night. 

So many tapas. Dessert not pictured.

Madrid 2020

First things first, we went straight to the monastery to find our nun cookies, only to discover that they were closed until Monday. We would never have the cookies! At least until we return to Madrid. From there, we walked to Plaza Chamberi, where you can tour Station 0, ghost metro station that was deserted after they built new lines in the 60's. It isn't super exciting but it is definitely neat to see a station empty like that without any people or trains, with the original advertising peeling off the white tile walls. We then went on to look for a restaurant that my mom had recommended that was nearby, but wandered around unsuccessfully for nearly an hour before I was about to lose it and requested a coffee shop stop. Toma Cafe was small, trendy and had not only iced espresso but also cold brew! We were in heaven. Got our caffeine fix, loaded a map with WiFi, and saw that the restaurant was one block off the park we had been circling. We ordered two portions of the eggplant 'French toast,' although we could have done with one, and some grilled asparagus. The eggplant was lightly battered and fried then drizzled with honey, and was very tasty. We were upset to see that they had charged us for the bread that they gave us without us ordering it but my mom was nice enough to cover the cost after I pointed out it was partly her fault - thanks Mom!

Mmm eggplant

At Retiro Park

We walked over to Retiro Park, a huge park in the heart of the city. We stumbled upon the main stage for the Olympic bidding party, which we quickly learned was that night. The streets were slowly being closed from traffic and people were gradually gathering around the speakers and screens. We toured Retiro and stopped in an extension of the Reina Sofia museum filled with contemporary art from a Spanish artist. By the time we left the park, the celebration was in full swing, so I got one of the balloons they were handing out and we watched part of the speech for Madrid's candidacy before going back for another free two hours at the Prado. The announcement wasn't until nine, so after the museum we headed to another one of Hemingway's favorite bars, Cerveceria Alemania. The interior was vintage and the waiters all wore jackets, seemingly unchanged since the days of Papa Ernesto. After some beers and a bocadillo, we made our way back to the festivities, walking down the middle of Gran Via, one of the busiest roads in Madrid. We stood next to the fountain in the middle of the roundabout, which would be impossible under normal circumstances, and heard the announcement that Madrid was eliminated as a candidate. Bummer. Mostly because there was a huge fireworks display planned for later and we could only imagine the party that the city would have turned into had it won. Somewhat disheartened, we returned to the apartment to pack up our things and prepare for Valencia in the morning. 

Channeling Hemingway's drinking spirit (was there any other?)

Pobre Madrid