The Madrid Experience

As Ernest Hemingway said “Nobody goes to bed in Madrid until they have killed the night”, this statement couldn’t be more true. You start every night eating and drinking and continuously changing places, going from bar to bar, or tasca to tasca, and nibbling as much as you can on a tapas crawl, enjoying how this venues make twists to traditional Spanish food and present to you a clever and more updated option, that’s what I did for 3 days in the Spanish Capital, with Patty, Ramon, Beba, la gringa Nora and some of their friends. We went to sectors like “La Latina”, just amazing, full of tapas, bars, and restaurants. My recommendations if you’re there go immediately to “Juana La Loca”, and try the suckling pig (Cochinillo Lechal), best one I’ve ever had, we share the first one and had to order another one. Next time I will do Nora style, I will order one only for me.

Juana La Loca

The Usual Suspects Madrid Edition (Photo courtesy of Beba)

If you like Tapas another place to go is Estay, my friend Beba loves it and for a good reason, the food is excellent and prices are reasonable. Their cuisine is in miniature so don’t expect to have a main over there, but nothing better than ask for more and try several options from iberico to foie. They are proud of reviving the traditional Basque style pincho bar.

Tapas Estay 

Iberico Estay

Foie Estay

Estay

Other amazing place is San Miguel’s Market (El Mercado de San Miguel). I pass by the place during my last day and I knew I was going to spend the whole afternoon there, so my friend Beba and I took a couple stools on one of the wine and spirits vendors, and spent the whole afternoon drinking Cava, and eating Iberico Ham (Pata Negra) and selection of cheeses. To give you an idea the structure of the market is in steel and the facade is huge windows from floor to ceiling, the market is considered the oldest in Madrid apparently since the XIII century, all the area was destroyed by a fire in 1790, but its new phase was built between 1913 and 1916.

San Miguel's Market

Cava Time

Iberico Time

Missing a Ham?

My Cup of Tea!!!

Cheese Platter

This was my second time in Madrid, so the usual sightseeing was done in the first time, but I had one main activity missing a Flamenco show. Luckily enough my friend Beba had a plan for that. A small venue in the Lavapie sector, and only 10 euros for the show, and guess what she knew one of the dancers so we get it free of charge. It was the perfect thing to close an amazing weekend in “La Madre Patria”.

Flamenco Show

Spain reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Bubble Boy” where George is having a trivia game with the Bubble Boy.

Donald: ok, history. This is for the game. How ya doin' over there? Not too good!

George: all right bb. Let’s just play... who invaded Spain in the 8th century?

Donald: that's a joke. The Moors.

George: oh, noooo, I’m so sorry. It’s the Moops. The correct answer is the Moops.

Donald: Moops? Let me see that. That’s not Moops you jerk, it's Moors. It’s a misprint.

George: I’m sorry the card says Moops.

Donald: it doesn't matter. It’s the moors. There’s no Moops.

George: it's Moops.

Donald: Moors.

George: Moops.

Donald: Moors!