DINNER AT THE OLDEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD – MADRID, SPAIN
Just up the street from Botin lies another of Madrid’s famous restaurants, Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas. http://www.lascuevasdeluiscandelas.com/ Las Cuevas means “the caves” in Spanish and this restaurant is actually housed in caves located under the Arco de Cuchilleros. In the early 1800’s these caves were a hideout for a famous bandit known as Luis Candelas. The legend of Luis Candelas lived on when in 1949 the caves were purchased by a famous Spanish Bullfighter named Felix Colomo Diez and turned into the restaurant it is today. I have vivid memories of enjoying delicious meals here too when I was a young girl visiting Madrid with my dad. At that time the bullfighter himself greeted the guests and meeting him left a lasting impression in my memories of Spain. I remember the walls of the restaurant being decorated with bullfighting paraphernalia which was impressive to a wide eyed 11 year old. I returned here many times on subsequent visits to Spain but did not have time for a visit on this trip.