EXPLORING MADRID, SPAIN

Day Two in Madrid, Spain

So, as it turns out, we flew 5,829 miles to see our son Taylor in Madrid, only to discover that he would be leaving the next day to embark on his own Iberian Odyssey, without us!  A last minute trip had been planned to the north of Spain with one of his university classes and he would be away for 4 days, the duration of our stay in Madrid.  We decided that it would be really un-cool if we tried to tag along with his class, so we made the most of our last day together by exploring Madrid.

In the few short weeks that Taylor had been living in Madrid, he was already right at home on the Metro and knew his way around the city quite well.  He proved to be an excellent tour guide!

Our first stop was the “Parque del Buen Retiro” which means “Park of the Pleasant Retreat.”   The locals, who are known as Madrileños, call the park El Retiro.  El Retiro is the “green heart of the city” and at 350 acres this lovely oasis is the largest park in Madrid.  Because Madrid has an extensive water supply, it is one of the greenest cities in the world.  I was delighted that Taylor wanted us to experience El Retiro, albeit on what was a beautiful, but very warm July afternoon.

Laid out in the 17th century by King Felipe IV, El Ritero had long belonged exclusively to the Spanish Monarchy.  Apparently the Royals found their Palaces a bit confining, thus El Ritero served as their private playground for much of the 17th & 18th centuries.  That changed in 1868 when the park was opened to the public.  Ever since, Madrileños from all across the city gather here to stroll, enjoy a siesta in the shade of one of the hundreds of trees (including the oldest tree in Madrid, planted in 1633), take a boat ride or nurse a cool drink at one of the numerous outdoor terrazas.

This section of the park is known as the “Rosaleda” Rose Gardens. It is said to contain more than 4,000 different varieties of roses.

The blooms were in full regalia.

Countless statues, fountains and commemorative monuments fill the park.

I particularly enjoyed this fountain.

The gardens were simply bursting with color and heavy with the scent of roses.

Roses grow well in cold climates and at high altitude, so they are a favorite item in my Lake Arrowhead garden.

I also appreciated the formal layout of the garden beds, outlined by borders of boxwood hedges.

Close to the northern entrance of the El Retiro is a large artificial lake known as the “Estanque del Retiro.”  A monument with an equestrian statue of King Alfonso XII overlooks the lake.  His mother built it for him!  As my husband would say, “lucky sperm!”

Here you can rent a row boat, which is a popular pass time on weekends.  Austin and Taylor decided to partake in this iconic Madrid experience themselves.

Adjacent to the lake is one of the best of the park’s many cafés where Brad & I enjoyed an ice cream cone while we waited for the boys.  Somehow, an ice cream seemed preferable to rowing on a hot July day!

We then fed the ducks who had to fight for every morsel with the many carp that inhabit the lake.

When the boys finished their row boat adventure, we continued our walking tour of the park which would eventually lead us to the Prado Museum.

We walked what seemed like miles of tree lined paths and promenades.

Eventually ending up at the Prado Museum.

The lines were long and our time was short.  So, the likes of Goya, a court painter to the Spanish crown…………………..

and Valazquez, one of the most important painters of the Spanish Golden Age………………….

and El Greco would have to wait for our admiration on a future trip to Madrid.

However, we had plans to visit Toledo the following day, where we would see some works of El Greko, the  famous painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance period.  “El Greko” (meaning “The Greek”) was his nickname, owed to his Greek origin.  In 1577, he moved to Toledo, Spain, where he lived and worked until his death.

As I learned, no visit to Madrid would be complete without a visit to the Mercado San Anton, so that was the next stop on our walking tour of Madrid. This 4 story temple to food features everything from typical Spanish foods to a vendor selling fresh Italian pasta, a Japanese kiosk selling noodles and sushi, a bakery featuring breads of every description as well as cupcakes, and a gourmet hamburger shop selling 33 different kinds of hamburger meats.  As Americans, we think nothing of the fact that foods of every ethnicity are readily available to us in every city across the country.  That is not the case in Europe, where people are less adventurous with their pallets, preferring to stick to the domestic offerings.   So this type of “international” market is rather a new phenomenon.

It was an absolute paradise of food………………..

Sensory overload for the gourmand………………..

Fish of every description………………..

Ugly fish with big mouths that probably taste really good when they’re all cooked up…………………

And octopus known in Spanish as “Pulpo.”  Those long shells to the right of the octopus are called Navajas, or Razor Clams in English.  I used to dig them out of the sand at the beach near my father’s home in Galicia.

And even more lovely creatures from the deep………………..

And luscious fruit………………..

And exotic fruit………………..

The famous and wonderful white asparagus of Spain……………….

And the bread, swoon………………..

And of course, the Jamon.

There was also a rooftop bar frequented by locals as an after work gathering spot.  But to top it off, the Mercado San Anton has a very unusual restaurant that will actually cook up the ingredients you bring them from purchases in the Mercado.  Have you ever heard of such a thing?   As tempting as all the food was, I was not cooking that night and had to save room for dinner at one of my all time favorite restaurants in the world.

Our time with Taylor was way too short.   The day was long, our feet were sore and Taylor had to get back to prepare for his trip the next day.  So we said a teary goodbye and made our way back to our rented flat.

In my next post I will share with you our dinner later that evening at the world’s oldest restaurant plus the best darn churros and chocolate on the planet.  Stay tuned!

Have you been to Madrid?  What was your favorite experience?

All opinions expressed in this post are my own.   All photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.