Madrid... with a bump!

First day

Wake-up at dawn after about 5 hours of sleep: to make the most of these four days, we booked the 7:25 flight from Linate. Once through the metal detector, we treat ourselves to one last Italian coffee and board, discovering that we're 20 passengers in total plus the crew!!

Landed right on time, we immediately buy our Tourist Pass (19 Euros each for 5 days): they tell us Madrid is easy to explore on foot, but considering the bump, I want to be able to take any transport we want, even if only for a few stops!

And we head off to the hotel, very well served by the Metro. The room won't be ready until the afternoon, but we drop off our luggage and start our tour.

Obviously we start from Sol, the crowded and lively centre of Madrid, famous for the statue that is the symbol of the city: the bear rubbing its nose against a strawberry tree.

From there we pass the famous La Mallorquina pastry shop and walk along some picturesque little streets, until we reach Plaza Mayor, full of tourists and little tables where you can enjoy a tapa. We treat ourselves to a break, but in the middle of the square, without letting ourselves be tempted by gluttony.

Back on our way, we come across a very nice little grocery shop and take the opportunity to buy some saffron, which in Spain is generally better than the kind we find in Italy.

From there to the Mercado de San Miguel it's a short step: a nice indoor gathering place in a structure of glass and wrought iron, used by tourists and locals to do their shopping or grab a bite. We join in the tradition with a jamon sandwich. Continuing our tour, we pass by Sobrino de Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world: the photos and the menu would make us want to try it...the prices a little less!!!

Anyway, it's still too early for lunch so we head towards Playa de Villa, seat of the Town Hall, and then towards the cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Almudena and the Palacio Real. For today we only admire them from the outside, in their imposing whiteness. We then head back towards Plaza Mayor, thinking of having lunch at the Museo del Jamon, but the service and the selection seem poor to us, so we leave.

We then opt for a place in Cava Baja (they say the best spots for tapas are there): Bodegas Galliena. The atmosphere is nice and the food not bad, but the prices seem a bit outrageous to us.

Since tiredness and the dawn wake-up call are making themselves felt, we go back to the hotel to take possession of the room (number 509, named after Gregory XIII) and take a nap. We discover that the rooms are clean and very spacious, furnished in retro style and bright. If we want to find a fault, they're not particularly soundproofed towards the corridor.

After the siesta, we take the metro again (with all its stairs) towards the Temple of Debod, transported here from Egypt after the construction of the dam on Lake Nasser. The surrounding park is definitely well kept and offers a great glimpse of Madrid life, as well as a nice view of the cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Almudena. The temple itself doesn't impress us that much: we'll come back after dinner, to see it lit up.

We continue towards Plaza de España and say hello to the statue of Cervantes and his characters (Don Quixote, Rocinante and Sancho Panza). We take the bus to cross Gran Via almost to the end.

But before continuing our tour, we have dinner at La Paella de la Reina, a Valencian restaurant where you can enjoy a good paella. While waiting (20 minutes, as for good risottos) we let ourselves be tempted by croquetas and solomillo, but the paella portions are generous on their own and in the end we almost struggle to finish everything. In any case, recommended (better to book or show up at opening, as we did.

When we come out it's obviously dark, ideal for photographing the beautiful buildings of Plaza de la Cibeles and Gran Via. The plan would have us join the "struscio" along the whole of Gran Via, but tiredness and the bump are starting to make themselves felt. We take the bus again to Plaza de España and walk back up to the Temple of Debod: lit up it's truly beautiful and fascinating.

With the image of the Egyptian temple reflected in the surrounding pools, our first day in Madrid comes to an end.

The verdict is definitely positive, but maybe we overdid it a bit: the 25 weeks of pregnancy really make themselves felt!!!

Second day

Our second day in Madrid begins in perfect Spanish style: veryyyyyy calmly! We wake up late, take a shower and... have breakfast at La Mallorquina (Sol) with a selection of their treats.

We walk down Calle Mayor and queue up to enter the Palacio Real (10 euros plus 4 for the audio guide). If you don't have a detailed tour guide, it might be worth opting for the audio guide, because the information in the individual rooms is rather scant. Photography is not allowed in the palace rooms, only in the large front courtyard.

We immediately visit the Real Farmacia, where you can admire collections of alembics and containers of herbs and medicinal substances, solvents and vials used over the centuries to treat members of the royal family.

We then move into the central body, to admire the approximately 50 rooms of the palace open to the public, including the pompous throne room, strangely accessible from the side, while the throne faces the only wall with windows.

We end the visit with the rooms of the Armeria Real (explanations in Spanish only): weapons and armor of the various Spanish sovereigns.

Along the route there are very few places to sit (unless you "commandeer" the security staff's seats): pregnant women, the elderly and the disabled don't have it easy, unfortunately!

We leave the palace and approach the cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Almudena, only to discover that it's closed for works (and to think it's a rather recent construction!!!). Luckily the neo-Romanesque crypt is accessible (2 euros): bright and splendid, it welcomes us with its colonnades and beautiful capitals. The calm and peace that reign there indeed invite a moment of prayer and reflection.

It's now (Spanish) lunchtime and we decide to follow local habits with a couple of tapas. The first stop is behind Plaza Mayor, at La Revuelta, where we taste their famous bacalao (fried cod), obviously standing at "la barra". And then we find a table with a stool (just one, but that's already a victory) at Goyo, on Cava Baja, excellent (though a bit pricey) for a plate of jamon y queso. The little street, almost deserted yesterday, today is teeming with madrileños gathering in the individual venues for a round of tapas and some chat. The phenomenon actually fizzles out quickly: before 3 pm the places are still closed, by around 4:30 they're already emptying, but in that hour or so it becomes hard to find a spot to stand!

We decide to go back to the hotel for a siesta, passing though by Plaza Mayor (where some street artists entertain the many tourists) and by La Mallorquina, for a sweet tapa.

The choice to take a break at the hotel turns out to be a good one, also because the weather unfortunately has turned a bit and some big raindrops are falling from the sky.

After the siesta we go out in the rain, but to celebrate Sunday evening we've decided to have dinner at the Hard Rock Café, by now a traditional stop on our trips and a regret that we don't have one in Milan (too un-touristy a city?).

After finishing dinner (hamburger and a huge steak) and satisfying our purchases (drumsticks for my husband and a t-shirt for me) we go for a stroll to Plaza de la Cibeles, discovering that in the meantime it has stopped raining.

We can't resist taking a few more photos of the surroundings, changing perspective compared to yesterday. We then continue toward the lively Plaza Santa Ana: unfortunately the downpour and the uncertain weather don't allow for outdoor dinners and evenings, but the many venues are buzzing with life and fun. Many restaurants and beer halls would deserve a photo just for the beautiful murals (often in ceramic) or the wooden style of the typical furnishings. But there isn't enough light: we'll come back tomorrow, maybe for another lunch based on tapas.

Unfortunately I'm too tired to keep exploring Madrid: we head to Sol and, after saying hello to the bear and its beloved strawberry tree, we take the metro again and go back to the hotel.

Third day

We wake up to a decidedly different sky: patches of clear sky are progressively driving away the dark clouds and the weather forecast confirms that the temperature is improving (last night we were around 11°C).

And to continue with good local traditions, we go for breakfast at the Chocolateria San Gines (Sol), obviously with hot chocolate (dark) and churros (7 euros for two). At 10 on Monday morning there are a few free tables, but they'll fill up soon: there's usually a queue night and day!

Monday is closing day for most museums (monasteries included) and so we opt to make the most of the sunny day and outdoor routes. We could also have opted (as many do) for a day trip to Toledo (excellently served by trains departing from Atocha station), but we were afraid it would be too much of a slog for me.

Madrileños usually do it on Sunday, but we're tourists and we storm the Parque del Buen Retiro on Monday morning!!! When we arrive, the park is waking up: the first open stalls (food and drinks, fortune tellers and musicians), the first boats setting sail on the artificial lake (not too clean), the mounted guards getting the animals down from the trucks...

Strolling through the park (kept very well), we admire the monumental Mausoleum of Alfonso XII and the light Palacio de Cristal. And while my husband photographs everything from different angles, I take the opportunity to rest and maybe get a bit of sun, comfortably seated on one of the many available benches. We continue toward one of the few statues in the world that depicts the devil, in the Glorieta del Angel Caido. Then, skirting the area of the park dedicated to the victims of March 11, 2004, we leave this green area and reach Atocha station.

We head back up along calle Atocha (alas, an uphill street!) until we reach Plaza de Santa Ana and decide to have lunch at the Cerveceria Alemana (outdoor table, given the beautiful sunny day that has come out).

After finishing lunch, we walk toward Sol: having heard so much about it, I want to take a look at El Corte Ingles, a chain of multi-brand department stores (very widespread in Spain and much used by Spaniards) that however disappoints me a bit (in fact it turns out to be a huge showcase of designer brands, very international in style and with...high prices).

After a stop at Sol, we stroll to Plaza Isabel II and then take the metro to go see the Puerta de Toledo and the bridge of the same name: according to the guidebook, the most elegant bridge in the city. Indeed the structure and the statues are quite refined, too bad that the Manzanares river is so small that it makes any elevation excessive!!!

My belly and my husband's allergy (in Spain the grasses bloom earlier and we weren't prepared) are making themselves felt: it's time to go back to the hotel for a break!

It's almost dinnertime. We follow the advice of the guidebook and of our friends from "Ci Sono Stato" and reach La Finca di Susana (metro Sevilla): a nice little place, almost elegant, where you can treat yourself to large portions at a low price (famous is the Fideua Ali-Oli). At 8:30 it seems deserted, but when we finish dinner it's completely full!

And to digest, we go hunting for the last nighttime shots: this is our last evening in Madrid, unfortunately! We head back up toward Sol, Plaza Mayor, the cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Almudena, the Palacio Real, Plaza de Oriente and Plaza de España, where we take the metro again to go back to the hotel.

Fourth day

Madrid bids us farewell with a beautiful sunny day. The plane doesn't leave before eight this evening: so we leave the room, but deposit our luggage at reception, to be free to wander.

Last breakfast at La Mallorquina: San Gines got us hooked and delighted us, but here there's more choice for a morning feast.

And we need it, given the queue waiting for us to enter the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales! Unfortunately in the end we have to give up: the first available visit is at 4, too late for us.

Somewhat grudgingly, we turn on our heels and take the metro, fishing out from our list of monuments the Plaza de Castilla and the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

The two leaning buildings of the Puerta de Europa leave us rather baffled: between them and the golden needle in the center, we don't understand the architect's idea, especially since right in front there's the stylized statue of a man with his hands in his hair (irony of fate?).

The Bernabeu Stadium (setting of the legendary Italy – West Germany final in 1982) reminds us a bit of our San Siro, with the circular staircases on the sides and all the stalls selling scarves and shirts (but these are maybe only there in view of tonight's match: Madrid - Tottenham, for the Champions League)... Except that the Bernabeu is nestled among several buildings, residential and otherwise, while the Meazza is much more isolated. And it hurts to think of the four pains in the neck who every year obstruct the handful of concerts organized at San Siro, when these madrileños are a stone's throw from every Real match...

At this point we're only missing the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas. We don't try to enter, because we're told that the one in Ronda is much more beautiful (though smaller) and we've already seen it a few years ago. Anyway, from the outside it's truly imposing and elegant at the same time. Too bad we don't have another evening to see it in its nighttime version!

We take the metro again and for lunch we opt for the Mercado de San Miguel. Don't hope to easily find a stool, nor to soften other patrons by showing big bellies or advanced age: it's such a rare commodity that it's defended tooth and nail and hardly ever given up. In the end though I manage to secure a stool and a piece of table and so we divide up the tasks: I stay on defense and my husband goes on the attack of the various stands to fetch assorted bites, water and...cerveza! To be a bit health-conscious, we also get a tub of fruit. In the end you eat as you do at our aperitifs, though the overall cost is decidedly higher, but perhaps also a bit the quality of the food, which is often prepared on the spot. The variety of choice can certainly satisfy every palate...except perhaps vegetarians, who in Spain don't exactly have it easy.

We decide to take our siesta at Plaza Mayor and take the opportunity to get a bit of color, but it's invaded by English fans (a bit drunk too) rehearsing stadium chants and psyching themselves up for tonight's match. So we fall back on Sol, but it's really too hot and so we go for a bit of window shopping along the Gran Via, all the way to Plaza de España (and we even manage not to buy anything!!!). We rest for a moment and, with the image of tourists and locals sprawled out in the sun, we say goodbye to Madrid and go collect our luggage: it's time to head to the airport.

The metro connection is very fast, but you have to consider that the airport is really big and you have to do quite a bit of walking to get through all the procedures and reach the gate.

Thus ends another beautiful Spanish vacation that will stay in our hearts.