6 DAYS IN SEPTEMBER, 2017












THE FLAG OF SPAIN



THE "METROPOLIS" - THE MOST ICONIC BUILDING IN MADRID



THE EMBLEM OF MADRID
A BEAR AND A STRAWBERRY TREE





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some interesting facts about madrid


Madrid is the capital of Spain, with a population around 3.2 million, and is located at an elevation of almost 700 meters above sea level. Because of this elevation, it has a relatively  cool climate (for Spain at least), with cool winters. It's well known as a cultural center of Europe with many beautiful buildings, world class museums, and excellent restaurants.  Alisa and I last visited Madrid about 20 years ago, and we decided that it was time to return. We also arranged a family get together and my sister Carol flew in from New Jersey to meet us.


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PLAZA MAYOR
20 years is a long time. I really don't remember much about our first visit, as it was before I started this travel site, so I don't have anything to check. The one place I remember well is Plaza Mayor, one of Madrid's most iconic tourist sites. and the tiny tapas bars located on the side street outside the plaza. I remember eating the famous grilled mushrooms, which were the only item sold in one of the most famous of these little bars. I also remember that we could walk through and around Plaza Mayor without being jostled by hordes of tourists. That's all changed in those 20 years. This time our visit was with hundreds, if not thousands of tourists all with the same thing in mind - to stroll in Plaza Mayor.




We stayed at Hotel Principal Madrid, a wonderful 5 star hotel right in the center of Madrid and which deserves every one of those stars. The location is perfect, right at the start of the Gran Via (one of Madrid's finest avenues), the staff was excellent and attentive, and our rooms (we had 2) were modern and well designed. We didn’t have any view from our rooms, but the open terrace (and bar) on the 7 floor, with its incredible views, more than made up for that. The 7th floor terrace is directly opposite the Metropolis Building, one of the most iconic buildings in Madrid. Picture at the top. The restaurant (Atica) on the 6th floor was also superb. More on Atica later.



7TH FLOOR TERRACE AT THE PRINCIPAL

The floor arrangement is a little odd, as the entrance is on street level (with a full time staff person on duty), and the lobby and reception are on the 6th floor. The rooms are on floors 2 to 5. This is not a problem, just something people considering this hotel should know. We had a great stay and loved every minute we spent at this hotel.






THE ROYAL PALACE
On the first 2 full days we were in Madrid, we utilized the hop on/hop off tourist bus. This turned out to be a very efficient way to see the highlights of the city. It was very convenient, the busses were clean and everything worked. The staff was helpful and friendly, and the explanations we heard through the earphones were clear and understandable. There are 2 different routes and we did them both. The price for 2 days use was only slightly higher than the price for one day. I ordered the tickets online through this site. If you understand the bus routes, and in particular, the direction of travel, it's also possible to use the bus in place of public transportation.




In addition to riding the bus, we also walked a lot and here are some of the places we visited.





COURTYARD AT THE REINA SOFIA
MUSEUM REINA SOFIA
World class museum specializing in modern art, with many works of the biggest names. Very walkable, and not too big. We were there at around 11 AM on a Saturday and it wasn’t overly crowded.

INSIDE THE REINA SOFIA

GAVIRIA PALACE AND THE ESCHER EXHIBITION
I’ve always been a big fan of Escher, and visiting an exhibition of his life and works in this beautiful historic building was a real treat. The exhibition was well done and the palace by itself is worth a visit. I had to go alone because my 2 companions weren't interested. It's located right on the main tourist route between Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor. 


EL CORTE INGLES
We also visited El Corte Ingles, which is the biggest department store group in Europe and the last remaining department store chain in Spain. A big branch is located right next to Puerta del Sol, and includes a large supermarket and plenty of food options. We had a snack here, and Alisa and my sister spent a while shopping. I meanwhile sat in Starbucks. They sell everything here, from designer labels  to  wine and gourmet food treats of all kinds.


PLAZA MAYOR
PLAZA MAYOR
I would guess that Plaza Mayor is the most iconic tourist spot to visit in Madrid. As I wrote above, we remember it from our first visit, and had to go back. It looks the same - just lots more tourists, and African immigrants selling selfie sticks!


PUERTA del SOL
They call Puerta del Sol the center of Madrid, which also makes it the center of Spain. It is the Times Square of Madrid. It's inundated with tourists, stores, street sellers, cheap stores and restaurants and street entertainers. Here's one to the right floating in midair and entertaining Alisa.

AT PUERTA DEL SOL

MERCADO SAN ANTON
This upscale gourmet market in Cueca is not to be missed. It's just a short walk from the Gran Via, and is filled with interesting little food stalls and shops. It also houses a large normal supermarket.




AT PLATEA
PLATEA
This is an upscale venue which is a bit hard to describe. Its own web site describes it as "a unique gastronomic leisure space".  It is located at Plaza Colon, and on the ground floor has a few expensive upscale stores, and on the lower 2 floors, it is mostly restaurants, with a large pintxos bar, and a variety of what I have to call "gourmet fast food" bars. It also has one very exclusive gourmet food shop with an entrance both inside and outside on the street. The food dining area opens at 12. We enjoyed pintxos for lunch here. There is also a gourmet restaurant on an upper floor, which I believe is open only in the evening.



AT PLATEA



GOURMET SHOP AT PLATEA
EL RASTRO MARKET
I'm not sure whether to describe this here, or below with the other walks. El Rastro is the oldest and most iconic street market in Madrid and operates only on Sunday starting at around 9 AM.  It is mostly a flea market, but there are plenty of non flea market stuff to buy. Also the stores and restaurants along the street are fully open while the market is going on. It runs south from Plaza del Cascorro in the La Latina neighborhood down to Puerta de Toledo. Make sure you start at Plaza del Cascorro and walk down to Puerta de Toledo, because the other direction is all uphill



EL RASTRO MARKET




15 free things to do in madrid

10 best things to do in madrid

STROLL THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STREETS
IN MADRID

There are plenty of other places to visit and things to do in Madrid, and we did visit some of them, but I think there are enough city guides available on the net that you don't need anymore details from me. I will mention some of the places we are sorry we didn't get to like the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Retiro Park (we saw it from the edges but didn't go in), The San Miguel Market (we did visit several other markets), and the CaixaForum Madrid. I really wanted to visit the last one, (modern art in an old power station building), but we just couldn't find the time. I will describe below a few nice walks we made throught some of Madrid's most interesting neighborhoods.




GRAN VIA
This is one of Madrid's best known streets, and our hotel was right at the corner where this street starts. For New Yorkers, this is Broadway and 5th Avenue rolled into one. It is non-stop stores and restaurants, and iconic and beautiful buildings.It seems to be teeming with people at all hours of the day and night. We also attended a concert at the Theatre de la Luz, at Gran Via, 66. The performer was Pitingo, one of Spain's most popular entertainers. We enjoyed the concert very much!



LOVELY BUILDING ON CALLE MAYOR






LAS HUERTAS
Las HUERTAS
This street is the main street through the neighborhood of Las Letras. It's best known for nightlife, restaurants, and a literary and cultural history, hence the name "letras" which means "letters". Cervantes and other literary figures lived in this neighborhood, although any remains of there homes have been largely wiped away. Las Huertas is a pedestrian only street stretching from near the Prado Museum almost all the way to Plaza Mayor. It's a nice walk, but if you do it, start at the Plaza Mayor as it's downhill all the way in that direction.





CUECA
Cueca is the neighborhood just north of the Gran Via, and is the center of the gay community. It's very "residential" and is full of small stores and restaurants. In the neightborhood is the famous Mercado San Anton, which I described above. Most of the restaurants we ate at were in or near to Cueca.





SOME MORE ON SAN ILDEFONSO

OFFICIAL SITE OF
SAN ILDEFONSO

(SPANISH ONLY)
CALLE de FUENCARRAL
Fuencarral is a pedestrian only street which runs from Gran Via north  for about 500 meters. It is full of stores and just north of the pedestrian area is the well known Mercado de San Ildefonso.  This little mercado is mainly a collection of bars and small restaurants frequented by young locals. Walking along Fuencarral is quite an experience, as you are bombarded with music blaring from the stores and thick crowds of shoppers and, I guess, other tourists. Fuencarral is actually part of a longer pedestrian only street which connects to it at Gran Via and runs south to Puerta del Sol. The southern branch is called Calle de la Montera.



MERCADO DE SAN ILDEFONSO




La LATINA
La Latina is a lively neighborhood just south of Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. 2 of its main plazas are are Humiladero and de Cascorro, but there are others as well. The Plaza De Cascorro also happens to be the northern starting point of the El Rastro Market, which I described above. This neighborhood is full of bars, and restaurants, and on the sunny Sunday morning we were there, the streets were teeming with people. I particularly enjoyed the Plaza Humiladero, which is full of restaurants and the Calle Cava Baja which runs north from this plaza and is filled with tapas bars. 





And, as a special and unexpected treat, we got to watch the "Madrid Challenge" cycling competition, a 90 KM bike race on a closed loop within the center of Madrid. The route went right by our hotel over, and over, and over, and Alisa watched it for quite a while. It did cause a bit of inconvenience, as several main streets were closed, and it was hard to get a taxi, but it was exciting to watch!

THE MADRID CHALLENGE







We did a day trip to Toledo. I booked with a local company called Madrid Day Tours, for a driver (with a vehicle) and 8 hours in Toledo, starting and finishing at our hotel in Madrid.  We were very pleased with this tour. The booking process was easy and simple, with quick and clear email responses. Our driver Jamal was as good as any guide could have been. We enjoyed a great day with him. I should also note that only a very minimal deposit was requested and the rest was paid at the end of the tour. Below is a little background and the highlights of our visit.







TOLEDO
Toledo sits majestically above the Tagus River and is now one of the most visited sites in all Spain. The history of Toledo dates back to Roman occupation circa 192 BCE. The ruins of the Roman circus are still visible just outside the walls of the city. Roman occupation was followed by Visigoth rule, Muslim rule and finally the Reconquest of Toledo in 1085 CE. Toledo was the capital of the Spanish empire until the mid-1500's when the royal court moved to Madrid. Toledo is about 70 km from the city of Madrid and has a population of about 80,000. It is the capital of Toledo Province and is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site for its monumental and cultural legacy. There are absolutely breathtaking views of the city when seen from the neighboring hills.



TOLEDO




THE ALCAZAR FORTRESS
The Alcazar is a monumental and very impressive fortress, rebuilt in its current form in the 16th century.  Today it is a military museum, which of course can be visited,  but we opted to view it only from the outside.

THE ALCAZAR




THE SEPHARDIC MUSEUM
THE JEWISH QUARTER
Toledo is noted for its multi religious heritage, and it has a Moslem quarter as well as a Jewish quarter. The Jewish quarter is a very popular tourist venue and includes several historic synagogues. One is the El Transito Synagogue which houses the Sephardic Museum, which is a wonderful museum about Jewish life in Toledo and is well worth a visit.




SYNAGOGUE DE SANTA MARIA LA BLANCA

sephardic museum images

history and facts about santa maria le blanca
The other synagogue we visited was the "Synagogue de Santa Maria la Blanca".  That certainly doesn't sound like the name of a synagogue, but like most of the synagogues in Spain, it was also a mosque and later a church. In fact, it is built in the style of a mosque, but today has the name of a church. Another popular attraction in Toledo is the museum of the painter El Greco. We went by it several times as it is right in the Jewish quarter, but didn't visit.




THE CATHEDRAL 


INCREDIBLE SCULPTURE IN THE TOLEDO CATHEDRAL
To put it mildly, I was blown away by the Toledo Cathedral. I visited alone, as wife and sister decided to have coffee and do some shopping. Admission is 9 Euros. The full name is the "Primate Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo", and it is amazing. I have never been so overwhelmed by a cathedral. It is so full of art, statues, gold ornamentation, stained glass windows, and doors and gates, and... I hope you get the picture.

INSIDE THE CATHEDRAL
HOLY TOLEDO!
BLOG ABOUT A VISIT TO TOLEDO CATHEDRAL

(MORE AND BETTER PICTURES THAN MINE)

the history and technical side of the cathedral
An excellent audio guide comes with the price of admission, and it was one of the best I have ever used, telling the story of all the different parts of the cathedral.  There were quite a few visitors but it wasn't overcrowded. Most everybody was using an audioguide, as there is so much to see, and everything has a story and explanation behind it. If Alisa and Carol weren't waiting for me outside, I would have stayed another hour.

INSIDE THE CATHEDRAL




PLAZA DE ZOCODOVER
This is the historical center of the city. It used to be the central market place. It is triangular in shape and is mostly filled with souvenir shops, occasional farmers markets, and fast food restaurants. In the late 15th century, it was also the center of activity of the Spanish Inquisition, and the place where Jews and other heretics were burned at the stake. The most famous inquisitor, Tomas de Torquemada, had his headquarters in Toledo. Today it is home to McDonalds and Burger King. Such is the irony of history!


PLAZA DE
ZOCODOVER








ATICO RESTAURANT
ATICO
This is the restaurant of the Principal Hotel in Madrid where we stayed. It is on the 6th floor and has a lovely view. The restaurant is Michelin star quality, although it has no stars (yet). The executive chef (Ramón Freixa) does have 2 stars at his other restaurant and it shows here in the food and presentation. Both the food and service were excellent, and we thoroughly enjoyed the dinner we had here.


HAKE AT ATICO




PETIT COMITÈ
PETIT COMITÈ
Lovely restaurant with beautiful artwork on the walls, and a varied menu. The restaurant is in Cueca, about a 5 minute walk from our hotel. The service was excellent and the food was Michelin star quality. I had grilled octopus here and it was delicious.  We had a very nice dinner here.

GRILLED OCTOPUS AT PETIT COMITE




PAELLA AT LA BARRACA
LA BARRACA
This is a lovely family owned restaurant also located on the edge of the Cueca neighborhood, and just down the street from the restaurant above, Petit Comitè. We had paella in several restaurants while in Madrid, but the best one we had was here at La Barraca. We also had fish soup, and grilled shrimp. All the food was excellent here.

AT LA BARRACA




AT RIBIERO DO MIÑO
RIBEIRA DO MINO
This is an iconic seafood restaurant, specializing in serving mountains of fresh and delicious seafood.  We had the “mariscada” for 2, which was more than enough for the 3 of us. It is literally a mountain of seafood, and everything was delicious, and lots of fun. The place is very informal and noisy, and everybody has a good time, including the waiters. If you like seafood and you are in Madrid, this is the place to go!
The restaurant has a website (linked above), but reservations can only be made by phone.

MARISCADA AT
RIBIERO DO MIÑO







AT TABERNA LA CARMENCITA
TABERNA LA CARMENCITA
This is a place with atmosphere and history. They claim to be the second oldest tavern in Madrid. The walls are covered with beautiful ceramic tiles, and the menu is filled with classic dishes which includes lots of fish and seafood. We had mussels, fresh marinated sardines, a lovely dish of sole (pictured to the right) and an order of paella. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for an authentic old world restaurant with lots of atmosphere.  This is another of those many good restaurants in Cueca.
We ate here on the last night of this visit to Madrid because it was close to the hotel, and they don't close for a siesta (they operate from 1 PM to 1 AM!), so we were able to eat dinner relatively early - at 7, which is what we wanted on the evening before our morning flights.




DELICIOUS SOLE AT CARMENCITA







ICING THE TABLE AT YAKITORI
YAKITORI
Yakitori is an Asian restaurant which was about 50 feet from our hotel entrance. We walked by it 10 or 20 times and until we decided to actually check it out, we thought it was just another conventional Asian restaurant with lots of sushi, and dishes with exotic names and lots of sauce.
Once we decided to eat here, we discovered a very different ambience. The restaurant has created a fusion of sorts – Spanish tapas and Japanese dishes. All the dishes are small, and most, but not all, come on skewers. In the center of each table is a sunken area filled with crushed ice and bottled drinks. We fell in love with the concept and enjoyed the food just as much. The dish all three of us agreed on as the evening’s standout dish was the “crisp duck confit with spinach and orange”. We liked it so much, we ordered another serving.




CRISPY DUCK AT YAKITORI




VIANDAS DE SALAMANCA
This is listed as a “ham shop” with online sales. We visited the shop at Montera 3, which is just off Puerta del Sol. Downstairs it is indeed a ham shop, but upstairs is a quiet bar serving tapas (mainly ham or cheese) and wine. We had a nice pre-lunch snack.
If you are looking for a (quiet) snack at Puerta del Sole, this would be a good choice.

ONE OF MANY JAMON (ham in spanish) MUSEUMS IN MADRID





ALISA WITH A CALAMARI SANDWICH BIGGER THAN HER
EL BRILLANTE
El Brillante is one of those restaurants whose ambiance is more famous than its food. It is located right across the street from the Atocha train station and is probably full at all times. It certainly was when we were there. We stopped in for lunch after visiting the Reina Sofia Museum. Alisa had a salad, but I saw that everybody was eating the calamari sandwich, so I ordered one for my sister and me and it was enough for the both of us. The place is huge inside and has many, many tables outside, where we sat. The ambience is “fun and fast”. The calamari sandwich was super. It was big, but not as big as the one in the picture to the left. Our waiter also had a sense of humor and all in all, it was a fun and filling lunch!



5 GREAT SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS IN MADRID





THE BAR INSIDE CAMAROTE
CAMAROTE
This was where we had lunch after visiting the El Rastro market in La Latina. It is located right in the middle of Humilladero Plaza. Of the several restaurants located here, it had the most varied menu and that’s why we ate here. We had salad, chicken with chips (which seemed to be plantain chips), and squid, Andalusian style. The food was reasonable, although the service was a bit slow. I saw at other tables several locals who ordered the calamari sandwich, which was huge, and apparently popular.This was a very average restaurant, but good enough for a quick lunch.


MY SQUID,
ANDALUSIAN STYLE




JOSEMI FOOD & BEER
Breakfast at the Principal is quite expensive, and we didn't want a full breakfast anyway, so we looked around for a quick, simple, cheap place to eat breakfast. The first place we found was Josemi's which is located located directly across the street from the hotel. It was perfect if you come after 8 AM. Josemi opens at 7, but nothing is ready besides the coffee. By 8, there's food to eat as well. Breakfast at Josemi was coffee and a croissant, or a Spanish omelet (eggs surrounding lots of potatoes), and a glass of juice and the bill for 3 of us was 12 Euros. It was just what we were looking for – a quick and tasty breakfast.





NOMA FOOD & BAR
Noma restaurant was another nearby restaurant where we ate breakfast. It's a small restaurant about a 1 minute walk from the hotel. It serves a variety of set breakfast menus and is clean and neat. At breakfast time, the service is kind of slow, because it is so popular and full. However, breakfast was fresh and tasty. It's a little more sophisticated than Josemi's and we ate here twice.  





BON APPETIT
I found this little patisserie by accident. I was just walking around, and discovered this beautiful little place which is both a patisserie and light food restaurant.  It suited us for breakfast just when we needed it as it opened every morning at 730. It has a surprisingly wide menu, with several breakfasts available, as well as pizza and other light fare, and of course all of its delicious bakery goods. We enjoyed the 2 breakfasts we had here.
Couldn't find a web site. The address is Calle Mesonero Romanos 14.





WITH CERVANTES
CUCHARA de PALO   
This is where we had lunch in Toledo, and it really surprised us. We had no expectations, as we just wandered in to get a quick lunch during our day tour in Toledo. It is located right next to (but outside of) the Plaza de Zocodover, which is a central location in Toledo. There is a statue of Cervantes right outside the restaurant, which everybody poses for pictures with.
We had a nice lunch here. The place is cozy, painted in bright colors, the service was friendly, the prices reasonable, and the food had the taste of home cooking. We had a nice lunch here.


STUFFED CHICKEN AT CUCHARA DE PALO
 






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This is a page from our site "Travels with Steve & Alisa".  It describes one of the many trips we have made together. We've built these pages not just to describe our trips, but to help other travelers if we can.  Please use the information we've provided freely, and let us know if you have any questions we might be able to answer about your own planned trip, or just let us know if we have helped you. Or perhaps you have some information we could add to the site. Visit our home page using the link to the right.   
            

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