Christmas in Madrid

Madrid at Christmas... a thousand colours... lots of people... venues always open. Little cold (thank goodness!) in short... ideal. 24 Dec. Departure with Vueling, a cheap but effective and fairly safe flight, even though the services are reduced to a minimum. Arrival at the destination and first exploration. 25 Dec. The city wakes up late. It is 9:30 and everything is still closed!!! It feels like 7 in the morning... oh well, it will be Christmas... in the afternoon a visit to the Almudena cathedral, the Royal Palace, a walk along Calle Mayor. In the evening a dinner based on paella (absolutely avoid the Maison du Jamon) and late at night we plunge into the CHUECA. 26 Dec. We try again. Wake-up at 9:00. We go out for breakfast... but everything's closed! It is really a Madrid habit. Everything is slow...

time flows calmly and Madrileños do nothing but live at night (from 02:00 to 07:00). Behold the era of the re-movida! A day wandering from one shop to another, Plaza de Cibeles, the Gran Vía, Puerta del Sol and surroundings. An excellent dinner based on toro in one of the trendiest places of the moment, La Viuda Blanca. 27 Dec. A bit of culture... a visit to the Prado and the Reina Sofía. The works of Velázquez, Goya, El Greco, Ribeira are stunning, not to mention Picasso's Guernica and Dalí's futurist works. 28 Dec. More museums: this time the private collection of Thyssen-Bornemisza, a collection worth seeing, made up of unique and rare pieces by various authors and arranged in chronological order. There really is everything. Beautiful, in some ways better than the Prado.

Afternoon: a stop at the Santiago Bernabéu and the Plaza de Toros Monumental: two real bullfights! Evening: an experience at Spanish Bingo: fun listening to the numbers, but it costs too much! 2 euros a card! Just long enough to lose 40 euros and we leave. Alternative shopping at the Funcharral market: my friend, on the other hand, threw himself into buying Andalusian fans and shawls. 29 Dec. A compulsory stop at the LA MALLORQUINA pastry shop in the centre of Sol... then departure. The metro from the centre connects the city directly to the airport. ADIOS