Unforgettable Tapas Tour and Pub Crawl in Madrid

Day 16- 18

Madrid was our last stop in Spain so it was time to go hard with the food and drink. Oh how I’m going to miss cheap sangria and tapas.

Before starting our mini pub crawl, we needed some sustenance so went looking for ‘Casa Julio’ (a small restaurant I’d read about in my Europe on a Shoestring travel book). After taking an easy 5 minute walk from our apartment on Gran Via, we found the spot. Walking into the space, I immediately knew it would be perfect. locals were sitting at the bar having a gasbag and downing a few beers. The walls were covered in old family photos and the whole space just smelt delicious!

We ordered a mini feast as we knew quite a lot of alcohol would be consumed during the night. They had 6 flavours of croquettes so, naturally, we ordered 12 (they were all to die for). We then shared a large slice of tortilla (potato and egg omelette), fried brie with blackberry jam, stewed pork, gazpacho soup, and spicy patatas bravas. Having the necessary beers and sangria to complement our meals, we had a great start to the evening. I was so full!!

Somehow, I mustered some strength and freed myself from the chair once were were ready to move on. Now it’s time to get down to business. It drinking time!

We started wandering around the same area and walked into one of the oddest bars we saw called ‘De Bebes’. It was a dimly lit bar covered in fake human skeletons, sombreros and miscellaneous knick knacks. It was clearly Mexican themed. The only patrons were a fat old Spanish couple and a lonely tourist eating and drinking in the corner. It was quite a dive but we needed to experience such a place. I started off with a mojito (my favourite of all cocktails) while the others had margaritas and beers. The drinks were alright but nothing to gush over. Nonetheless, the quirky atmosphere made it worth the while. We all relieved ourselves at the neon lit loo and moved on.

We then hit a few more bars here and there before ending up at a great little place called ‘Saporem’. Here I had a delicious Aparol spritz for and only 3 euros. One of my girlfriends, on the other hand, had a caipirinha (made with so much care) which was a whopping 10 euros but super boozy and well balanced. A few more beers were also consumed as we soaked up the night and shared our favourite Spanish stories (the time we only just got our flight from Barcelona to Mallorca was not mentioned – no one wishes to relive that near miss).

We were all a bit merry and ready to head home at about 11:30. From what I’d heard Madrid’s night life didn’t start till 12:00 but that was far beyond the bedtime of my fellow travellers. Will just have to come back another time

For one of our last nights in Madrid, we decided to make up our own tapas tour (we were definitely not going to pay to join a touristy one). We moved towards ‘Tapas Central’ otherwise known as the Latin Quarter. It was the older and less grand part of Madrid. I preferred it to the rest of the city. It was full of locals drinking and eating outside in small parks and squares with a few tourists darted about as well.

Wandering about we came across all of the tapas/ pintxos places I had found on the internet/ in my travel book. We started at ‘Txakolina’ and downed their crab, fried egg and jamon, and vegetable pintxos alongside some mini hamburgers and an omelette. All of the food was delish. And of course we had the mandatory sangria and beer. We had to stand/ eat at the bar but that was fine. It made it easier to move on to the next place.

Next came ‘Taberna Txakoli’ which served similar food and drinks. We scoffed down our tapas super quick (so fast I can’t remember what we even ate but I remember leaving extremely satisfied) and ran to our next place. By this time we had eaten a heap of food as we should have paced ourselves from the outset.

We ended at ‘Juanalaloca’ (Yes we only went to 3 places but we couldn’t fit in any more food) and had some more ‘fancy’ tapas. There were fresh sardines (or at least some sort of salty fish), zucchini and some other sort of vegetable as well as truffles and artichokes.

These were probably the best but also the most expensive tapas we had (we could tell this was going to be the case once we walked in and were actually given a seat) but I’m more than willing to splurge when it comes to things like this. I won’t spend a whole lot of money on clothes from H&M or on tacky souvenirs but I’ll definitely put the majority of my money towards good food and alcohol.

We left the Latin Quarter around 10:00 as we were more than satisfied with the moving feast and were in an even greater mood because it had finally cooled down (the city had been perpetually hot before now). I had a little dance with a group of middle-aged, sweaty and slightly obese buskers as we made our way back to the apartment.

I got home with all of the others and collapsed onto my bed and began devouring the takeaway churros we got on the walk back. Breathing heavily (my body was still struggling to digest all the food) and spilling the chocolate sauce all over myself, I finished my dessert and went to sleep right there and then. Nothing better than falling into a food coma.

And yes, we also saw the major sights, during our stay, but they didn’t really impress me. I liked some of the art in the Prado Museum but I got bored by all of the monotonous religious artworks and was overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the place. It was like a labyrinth of art which I just didn’t understand. Park del Retiro (picture below) was big and beautiful but it was too hot to appreciate everything outside in the elements. And the Royal Palace was just a bit ‘meh’ for me.

As a whole I had a great time in Madrid (mostly the eating and drinking) but the city itself didn’t thrill me. I left feeling a bit underwhelmed by everything but the Latin Quarter. Maybe I just didn’t see the right things (I did miss out on its famous nightlife). Maybe I’ll need to return with a local or group of party goers. Still, I love Spain. Italy may be ahead of me tomorrow but I don’t want to leave this country behind.

Free Walking Tour Shows us the Real Madrid

Day 15

Like we had done in Barcelona, the 6 of us joined a free walking tour in Madrid but this time went with ‘Sandeman’s walking tours’. After getting our quick takeaway coffee in a plastic beer cup (our desperate need for caffeine meant we’d take anything) we met up with our group at Placa Mayor. Our guide, Celia, was an interesting character. While her accent resembled that of a British chav, she happened to be a born and bred local.

She also seemed to have a love/hate relationship with her city. She spoke of her obsession with tapas but would go all pursed lipped at the thought of eating the terrible tourist food which lined so many of the streets. The rich history filled with violence and mystery got her excited as she included everyone in on her history lessons but she showed her clear feminist/left political leanings when she criticised so many of the past and present leaders of Spain. She loved her music (she is the lead singer in a blues band) but hated Eurovision (how dare she!!) and how limited she thought Spanish music was.

Celia was selling us her city but she couldn’t help but let her criticisms seep through. This is what made her such a good guide. She showed us the real Madrid (its beauty and its ugly side). It was refreshing to have a more frank description of a city rather than the dolled up tourist version we had already been receiving.

To make things better, I couldn’t help but chuckle every time she got distracted by a dog passing us on the street. She’d try to resist showing her affection but failed to control herself every time. She chased them down the street and would stop mid-sentence to pat them. It was adorable.

But what I liked most about her, is how she discussed all the different cultures and religions which have been a part of Madrid and how they continue to be important today. She did this by showing us a rarely seen perspective of La Almudena Cathedral (on the right). The Church itself was created for Christians. The old wall in front of it is from the period during which Madrid was settled by the Muslims. And in the forefront of the picture is a small park and water feature in the shape of the Star of David to represent the Jewish community and the role they played in Madrid’s past, present and future. There was true respect for this diversity. Each culture had played a role in Spain’s art, literature, language, food and architecture.

But she also pointed out how these sentiments are not shared by everyone in Madrid. To her, many politicians and those from older generations are far more ignorant and unable to appreciate how this mixture of cultures is good for the city. Oh how these sentiments took me back to Australian politics and our treatment of refugees. But I digress (this blog isn’t meant to be full of my political rants).

I had learnt so much from this little walking tour but was still left a little underwhelmed by what I saw around me. It just wasn’t as nice a city to look at as Barcelona. It was louder and less clean. It was hot and had very little breeze. I was intrigued but not won over by Madrid at this point. Maybe I just haven’t seen the good bits. At least I still have 3 more days to truly appreciate it all. I just need to give it some time.

Discovering the Great Arab Culture in Granada

Day 12 – 13

I had no expectations when it came to Granada. This helped me fall for the small city for everything I stumbled upon was surprising and new to me. But, in the very beginning, I didn’t quite appreciate what I saw.

While catching the bus from the airport (only 5 euros each) we came into Granada through the somewhat unpleasant-looking outer suburbs. I quickly thought to myself ‘Is this all Granada is?’ ‘Is it a dirty and scarce city which just happens to have the Alhambra nearby?’ Maybe we shouldn’t be staying here for 3 nights…

These thoughts were quickly swept away once we reached the centre of the city whose architecture resembled that of Barcelona (just on a much smaller scale). Getting off the bus, I followed the others through the streets to our nearby apartment. The old buildings full of new shops and fleeting tourists were no longer new to me but I came across something else altogether different.

I had never expected to stumble across a large Arab culture in Granada (perhaps this was due to my ignorance and lack of research into this part of the trip). The wide concreate roads and footpaths of the city centre quickly transitioned into a maze of narrow pathways laid with small smooth black and white pebbles. It was as if I had stepped into small bazaar in Morocco. Shop keepers were selling rugs, shoes, lamps, art and all other sorts of touristy stuff which I would expect to find in the Middle East.

The Arab influences hadn’t left with the Moors who had conquered this area so long ago. Their culture is still a large and integral part of Spain. The restaurants and bars also filled this area with a great Middle Eastern musk consisting of shisha smoke, incense and spices. I didn’t even know how much I had missed kebabs until I got one here (two for dinner and one for a snack on the first night alone). The Arab Quarter hit me right in the face, and I loved it!

Of course, the main reason we came to Granada (as it is for every other tourist) was to see the famous Alhambra. After the initial stress of being unable to pre-book tickets (try to pre-book if you can because they cap how many people can enter each day and the lines get very long, very fast) we left at 7:30 in the morning to make sure we could get in.

After walking up all 129 steps to the house in Mallorca the previous week, I thought I was now super fit. I was super wrong. We were staying right at the bottom of the hill where the Alhambra rested so we thought walking up would be a breeze. Yet again, we misjudged the journey. We weren’t even a third of the way up and I wanted someone to carry or roll me up the rest of the way. I guess the daily ritual of getting pastries for breakfast kept my fitness levels low (still this wasn’t enough to end that amazing ritual). Once we reached the top, we saw how most people had caught the shuttle bus or a cab up to the top (well aren’t they just smart and full of money then. Yes I’m tired, sweaty and jealous of how relaxed they all look).

Getting there at 8:00, we were all relieved to see a small line of people waiting for tickets. It was no long before we got ours (14 euros each) and made our way into the Alhambra with 1 audio guide to share.

This place is so much bigger than I had ever imagined. We begin by wandering around the gardens (touching all the plants we could just because we were told not to. Such rebels) before going into the Palace. One of my friends puts the audio guide up to her ear and acts as our own personal tour guide. She mocks the ‘little man in her ear’ as well as the sound effects (sword fighting and running water) for this part of the day. She was informative, entertaining and much cheaper than paying for a proper tour guide. Definitely the best way to go about it.

We all walk into the Palace together but quickly split up as we make our way through at our own pace (some of us taking more shameless selfies than others. Yes I’m the main culprit. I need to put something other than landscapes on my blog).

The balconies and windows scattered about allow us to look over the white and black houses of Granada as well as the dry hills and mountains which lie behind them. From this perspective, all of Granada is beautiful, not just the city centre.

Moving further into the Palace, I come to see the intricate plaster, wood and marble details covering every surface. It is overwhelming. After marvelling at some rooms for quite some time, I’d struggle to continue looking at the artwork in other spaces. Each piece of art is so small yet so vast once all put together. The amount of time and care that has been put into this place is difficult to comprehend. No wonder the Alhambra such precious monument.

Amongst all of this, I can’t stop my jaw from dropping every time I walk into an outdoor area within the Palace walls or one of the many gardens surrounding it.

This one opening (the feature image) is by far the most impressive. The sun is still rising as it is early in the morning. The shadows made by the large marble pillars make for a picturesque setting. Somehow it is still peaceful and relaxing (if you block out the noise from the loud American tourists) as I find some time, here and there, to simply appreciate my surroundings without taking a picture or making a joke with a friend. The running water in the gardens and fountains simply adds to this peace.

I can envisage the people who once lived here, going about their daily lives within the remarkable Alhambra. Yet we can only spend the better half of a day wandering around aimlessly (holding onto each precious moment). You can never have enough time here to truly appreciate everything.

But what is happening down below in the town of Granada (right here and now in 2014) makes our 3 night stay here worth every cent.