Beautiful Madrid, Spain

Arriving in Madrid in late October where the weather was beautiful and the temperatures comfortable. We wasted no time visiting several popular spots on day one. Our hotel was in the Grand Via area with easy access to the rail system which allowed us to visit several areas of the city. Embrajadores was stunning peppered with different colored buildings and balconies decorated with plants or flowers. Found a nice little restaurant called “Taberna Mas Al Sur” where we enjoyed our first of many Spanish sangrias. In Embrajadores, there were several museums and of course the Royal Palace was not far off. It was easy to walk 15-20K steps daily as there was so much to see.

In Grand Via, we found a wonderful coffee shop near our hotel, where we enjoyed cappuccinos and chocolate croissants. We took the train towards the Royal Palace and walked through several parks and sites one of which was the Temple of Debod. An ancient Egyptian architecture with beautiful scenery surrounding. The Temple of Debod serves as a nice backdrop to beautifully colored buildings but at night the lighting is exquisite.

The Royal Palace was already sold out for the day, so we found ourselves enjoying more sangria at a cute little place near “Almudena Cathedral” on the Royal Palace grounds. From there we took a hop on/off bus around the city taking in the beautiful architecture of Madrid. One stop we enjoyed was a large park area with different sections. We found many visitors strolling around listening to various musicians throughout the parks. Walking through Parque de El Retiro where we found Plaza de Nicaragua and the central part of the park “Centro Deportivo Municpal Estanque del Retiro”. You could rent a row boat and wander around the water taking in the beautiful weather and nature.

Finished the day with a wonderful meal with friends. Tinto Y Tapas II was a nice surprise and highly recommend. The food was fabulous. The service and ambiance was by far, the best on our entire trip to Spain. After dinner, we walked to the market “Madrid – Palacio” was so much fun to browse the many vendors, both food and merchandise. Ordered a glass of wine and walked along the entire market enjoying the Spanish culture, food and wine. Taking in the fantastic aromas and colorful displays of food. The olive bar was stunning and I could have stayed there with a glass of wine the entire time. Lastly, we found a chocolateria in Cortes called “Chocolateria San Gines” and that was the best chocolate I’ve had in my life.

Next up – our day in Toledo, Spain. Stay tuned.

Mal