It was sad saying goodbye to Emma and Jeremy in Silicy. Our flight to Madrid was 3 hours and once we arrived we took the metro from the airport to Anton Martin station.
Tapas for lunch was a great choice, Spanish food is simple and delicious. After quite an early start we thought it was best to now embrace the Spanish tradition and had a siesta in our Airbnb.
James has a friend who lives in Madrid and took us on a little tour. Sam (also known as Macca) took us to: Plaza de Jacinto benavente, Plaza mayor, Plaza de San miguel, Puerta del sol (pride parade concert), Picilagartos Sky bar (view of the city). Our last stop was a very very traditional and old school Spanish bar, quite a shock to the system seeing chicken bones on the floor but apparently thats a sign of a good place…… It was so much fun walking around the city and trying all of the tapas, it was also the Pride weekend and it was absolutely packed! A huge concert decorated the main square with many different stages dotted around the city. I honestly have never experienced such a vibrant place!
Sunday
After our very late/early morning first night in Spain we had a slow morning. We went for a walk back towards sol square and had brunch at la rollerie. It turned out to be a massive walking day (nearly 20kms) which started with me wandering through the shops in Salamanca while James and Macca went on a little explore. We then all walked through parque de retiro and found a spot of shade. This would be the ideal picnic spot! We were headed towards some tapas and walked past the prado museum which was packed! We had a break at Maceiras and ordered my Spanish fav which is pimientos de padron. These are small peppers cooked over a high heat. One in 6 are hot, so be careful!
We relaxed in the afternoon before going for a walk before dinner. We decided on Mercado de San Miguel for dinner. This is a market/stall place with a variety of traditional Spanish food. Wow it was good! The perfect meal to end our short stay in Madrid.
Top Tips:
Adjust to the siesta time as most places to close. You also need the nap to stay up late into the early morning!
