EASTER WEEKEND IN MADRID

I get it now. I get why so many people are in love with Madrid. Three weeks ago, Chris and I had a long weekend and we decided it was about time to head to the capital, for the first time. I didn’t expect to love it so much – I mean, what could beat Barcelona? – but I can’t help but say this city has its own charm as well.  

DAY 1: FANCY TRAIN RIDE, SIGHT SEEING AND EASTER PROCESSION

We were a bit late with booking and the train tickets were more expensive, so we decided to go one way by train and the way back by bus. The train station was extremely weird, almost like an airport: first our bags were scanned (which I think is utterly strange for a 2,5 hour train ride within the same country), then we had to wait in line for our tickets to be checked. When we arrived in Madrid, people were waiting for the ‘arrivals’ in the entrance hall as if we just got off the plane.

Since we were so late with booking, one of the cheaper options was ‘Tourist Plus’ which is like first class, with big comfy seats, enough leg space and electricity, so you can watch a movie on your laptop while going 300 km/h, travelling half across the country!

First thing we did in Madrid was try a famous bocadillo de calamares at El Brillante (Plaza Emperador Carlos V), which is very close to the Atocha train station and at the same plaza as the Reina Sofia museum.  It was so delicious… I want another one right now!

These calamares… so soft, perfectly fried…mmmm

We stayed in Hostal Tijcal right in the middle of the center, literally 20 meters from Plaza Mayor. Of course it was a bit overpriced for a hostel (though we had our own room and bathroom, it was more like a teeny tiny hotel), the location was more than perfect: we could do everything by foot. The rooms were clean, it had everything we needed, free wifi and there wasn’t much noise from outside at all (just when the neighbors took a shower, the sound was louder than if the shower would be right in our room). All in all a very decent hostel in the heart of Madrid.

After settling in we decided to check out the center, passing through Plaza Mayor, walking along Gran Vía to Plaza de España. We continued to see the Egyptian Debod Temple, the Palacio Real, and the Catedral de la Almudena.

At Plaza del Callao

Cervantes monument

Templo de Debod

Palacio Real de Madrid

Catedral de la Almudena

After that walk, it was time for a well-deserved beer and an awesome view!

“Trompe-l'oeil” street art in Madrid

On our way back, we stumbled upon on one of the traditional processions that are taking place every year during Semana Santa. We were quite surprised to suddenly see a silent group of people wearing long, black, pointy hats, covering their faces (no, this was not a KKK parade).  These hats, called capirotes, find their origins in the time of the Spanish Inquisition, when convicts had to wear a similar hat, usually with pictures drawn on them alluding to the crime or punishment. As a sign of penance, brotherhoods from Sevilla started wearing them in the 17^th century, and this tradition spread to other parts of Spain (source).

Before we met our friend who we hadn’t seen in almost 2 years (!) to finally catch up, we decided to grab a burger at Mad Café (C/Cava Alta, 13), a little American restaurant with great burgers and homemade fries on the menu (check out the menu here). The Goat Cheese burger looked mouth-watering, as well as the Falafel burger, but as usual I couldn’t resist the queso de cabra.

Epic Goat Cheese Burger at American burger place Mad Café, close to La Latina metro station.

However, there was a little misunderstanding (or just plain stupidity from our side): Chris ordered his burger al punto, and I quickly asked: is that well done? Chris just said yes so we ordered our burgers. I figured if it didn’t mean “well done”, the waiter would have said something (I mean, we are in an American café). Unfortunately we were wrong: I took one bite of the burger and the blood was running down my hands… it was basically raw inside (not exactly my favorite way to eat a burger). It was such a pity because I was so hungry, and it looked SO GOOD. I can still recommend the place though, the prices are fair and everything else was delicious.

DAY 2: MERCADO DE SAN MIGUEL, EL RETIRO PARK, EL TIGRE AND RUSSIAN BEERS

Day 2 started with the discovery of 2 amazing places, where we went to every day the rest of the trip. First of all, La Rollerie: bakery and breakfast/brunch/coffee place, close to Plaza Mayor.

La Rollerie, Calle de Atocha, 20.

This place has the perfect breakfast and brunch menu. I’m not a fan of eggs, but for anyone else, the brunch menu must sound amazing (think: eggs benedict, smoked salmon, fresh juice or wine and a basket of rolls), but we were a fan of the American Breakfast: a cinnamon roll with warm apple sauce and a café con leche. We never tried any other breakfast places, this place was just perfect.

Can I go back, please?

Amazing discovery number two: fresh fruit juices at Origen (Calle Toledo 6, right at Plaza Mayor). The concept is simple: choose your fruit, say if you want a juice or a smoothie and you can add more like ice/sugar/soy milk and it is made for you on the spot. If you just choose 1 fruit for a juice, it is only a euro (and the cup is big), fresh orange juice for a euro is a steal! Some fruits are understandably more expensive, like blueberries, but it is still really cheap and fun to choose.  Every day I couldn’t wait to try a new juice again. Favorite: mandarin and carrot (bright orange and just sweet enough), not so good: pear and guanabana (a bit sour).

Our daily fresh fruit juice at Origen. In the picture: mango + blueberries.

After this lovely breakfast and juice, we went to the Mercado de San Miguel. It was a little early to try all the delicious tapas they had there, right after breakfast, but we did have 2 delicious olive pinchos, one with anchovy and pimiento and the other with feta and salmon (exactly those I had in the restaurant in Granollers, ooooh how good!). There were a lot of different tapas for 1 or 2 euros there, I wish I could have tried them all.

Mercado de San Miguel

After the market, we walked through the city, crossing Puerta del Sol. Again it was a beautiful sunny day, we were so lucky!

Palacio de Comunicaciones

We spent most of our day in El Retiro, a huge park not far from the city center, with little lakes, fountains, statues, the Palacio de Cristal and large, beautiful trees.

All day Chris was looking forward to go with a little boat on the lake, but the 3+ hour line was just not worth it.

El Palacio de Cristal, originally a greenhouse for the Exposition of Flora of the Philippines (1887), a Spanish colony at the time.

These trees…. So beautiful! And such a beautiful day. 

After this long walk we sat down at La Rollerie for a coffee, ice cream and a torrija, the Spanish version of French toast which is a typical thing to eat during Semana Santa. We saw these strange, sugary things everywhere we went, and Chris finally gave it a try. It wasn’t too bad.. but not great either, especially because we didn’t know what it was at first. And it looked like a schnitzel or a piece of fried fish!

A torrija at La Rollerie

At night we went to El Tigre (calle de las Infantas), where you get a massive plate of tapas with every beer.  A bit crowded and loud, but definitely fun! And the tapas are good. We ended up in a somewhat obscure Russian bar, where we drank Russian beers mixed with vodka (because apparently that is a thing).

DAY 3: EL RASTRO,  PINK TREES AND PERUVIAN FOOD

Not feeling that great the next day (what a surprise!), we had another cinnamon roll and café con leche before we went to El Rastro, the big second hand market around La Latina metro station which takes place every Sunday. Again a beautiful, sunny day and a bright blue sky (I know, it’s getting boring).

Jazz music on the market.

Pink trees… everywhere!

Curiosities on the second-hand market

Later we went to see Mercado San Ildefonso, a street food market, but we didn’t realize we had to go upstairs to see the whole thing (we were already thinking, is this it!?). Instead, we went a few streets further and had a big lunch in a little Peruvian place (I just don’t recall the name!). The food was great: I had lobster rice and a Peruvian dish called aji de gallina, rice and chicken in a special yellow sauce.

The rest of the afternoon we wandered around in Malasaña:

…. Really!?

Yes, I'm just taking pictures of smiling strangers.

The day ended with German bread, Spanish guitar, stories and wine.

DAY FOUR: A LONG WAY BACK

On our last day, we went to have breakfast one last time at La Rollerie, had our last juice at Origen and said goodbye to our cozy little room in the heart of the city. We ate some paella close to the bus station and prepared for the long ride home. During the ride, I almost finished Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham (it really reads like a long episode of Girls) while we drove from Madrid back to Barcelona. The drive seemed endless… but it was nice to see the changing landscapes (green, then dry and rocky, green again...), mountains and Zaragoza. 8,5 long hours later we arrived in Barcelona.

By bus: a lot cheaper… but a hell of a lot slower.

Driving through Zaragoza…

Needless to say, this little trip to Madrid was just amazing! I can’t wait to go back again. We aren’t done travelling just yet, our next trip is already planned in a few days: Zaragoza! Meanwhile, we’re still enjoying Barcelona, working a lot, but enjoying every little bit of free time we have (that’s why it has been a bit silent on this blog the last months): trying new restaurants and bars, showing our visitors around, getting dirty at the Holi festival and sipping fancy gin tonics on Friday nights to celebrate the weekend. And soon the beach season starts again…!

More info:

El Brillante - Plaza Emperador Carlos V

Hostal Tijcal -  http://www.hostaltijcal.com/en/

Mad Café  - C/Cava Alta, 13

La Rollerie - Calle de Atocha, 20

Origen  - Calle Toledo, 6

Mercado de San Miguel - Plaza de San Miguel, s/n 28005

El Tigre  - Calle de las Infantas, 23 and 30

BCN to Madrid: how to get there

There are several ways to get from Barcelona to Madrid:

By car – for example with the car sharing service https://www.blablacar.es. We were considering this, but we don’t have any experience with it yet (wanting to avoid being stood up and having to pay double for the train last minute – it could happen).

By train – Surely the fastest and most convenient way (it takes around 3 hours), but also quite expensive. You can book your tickets online at http://www.renfe.com.

By plane – sometimes cheaper than by train, but not necessarily faster (including all the hassle).

By bus – The cheapest, but also the longest way. If time is not an issue this is a good alternative to the train. http://www.alsa.es/rutas/madrid-barcelona.htm