A weekend in Madrid

A weekend in a city I had never visited and had long wanted to see... unfortunately it was the classic 'quick dash', with very little time available... for that very reason, though, we had accepted that we couldn't see everything and focused on just a few things, trying to make the most of the trip. Madrid struck me right away as a wonderfully happy blend of modernity and tradition; a city enormously advanced in many ways and proud of its own quirks... vibrant, colourful (and not only in the broad sense — I mean real colours: the greens and the reds of the old wooden shopfronts that fill the little streets of the centre). For the record, we had booked a room at HostalCruzSol on Plaza de la Cruz, practically a few steps from Plaza Mayor, Plaza del Sol, the centre and the nightlife! It's a two-star place but clean, convenient and cheap.

For me, discovering and getting to know Madrid means having visited the Prado... an intensely moving experience; having strolled along relaxed, enjoying the sun in the Parque del Buen Retiro; having wandered aimlessly in the evening among the people and the bars; having browsed the Rastro market stalls on a Sunday morning and then gone for a cold beer in Chueca to discover another side of the city... more down-to-earth, perhaps more authentic.. As for the food, we experimented and were generally happy almost everywhere, but in my opinion these deserve special mention: 'la tia cebolla' (calle Mayor) and 'en busca del tiempo' (calle Barcelona), plus definitely a little stop in one of the many jamón museums; the bocadillos with fried calamari, on the other hand, turned out to be a big disappointment, despite everyone saying they're a delight... but that's the beauty of travelling too!