Birthday dinner was crazy awesome. We just decided to have a bit at each place (sometimes a drink, sometimes a tapas and sometimes both!) and basically go place to place!
We had sangria, cervaza, and house wine... all very tasty except this very sweet wine which was a bit too sweet. We enjoyed mixed nuts, shrimp on a stick, garlic shrimp (yup, we smell great this morning), potatoes brava (potatoes with spicy sauce) and believe it or not cheesse sticks (and yes, they had two s's) which were pretty good.
It's sadly time to say goodbye to Madrid. A very beautiful town... that will be missed.
A special shout out to our amazing hotel staff. Very friendly... if you stay in Madrid, stay at the Hotel Europa!
Granada here we come!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Es mi cumpleaños
It's been a bit since my last post... it has been birthday fun all around!
The 21st (the day before my birthday) was a Royal (or Real) Day! We started out by visiting (and actually getting into) the Palacio Real. We sprung the extra 2 euros for the guided tour which was great... you should have seen the coffee room... and a different room for each meal of the day. Must have been nice! About 2o rooms are open to the public (out of 2,000+) and each was more impressive then the next. Frescos and silk covered walls to plaster vines and cherubs melded to the walls. All very very impressive! No pictures allowed inside so you will have to take my word for it. We did get a ton outside of the grounds.
We then popped next door to the Catedral de la Almundena (the Royals didn't have to walk very far!) Which was very pretty. We then headed to check out Plaza de Cibeles which was suppose to have a beautiful fountain... however when we got there it was under construction :(
We then headed back to eat, change, and get ready for the Real Madrid fútbol game. WHOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOO! Then we realized the game started (that's right STARTED) at 10PM! Can you imagine a SENS game starting at 10pm! Crazy! Well, considering the earliest you can go for dinner is 8:30... 10pm is not insane!
Making our way to the stadium we were pumped and a bit worried... but they know how to put on a game... I can't believe they got 80,000 people in and out in no time! I think it helped that they don't serve beer... not drunkin' fools... well maybe a few pre-drinkers but we didn't see any.
The game rocked seeing 3 goals! Real Madrid won 3 to 0 against Espanyol.
Due to the lateness of the game I was able to celebrate my birthday in the stadium! Super awesome! Catchin' the subway back we were home by 1am!
We got up early this morning to head to Toledo... the 10:20 train was sold out so we took the 12:20 one arriving just before 1pm. We did some shopping. I bought some very very yummy caramels (no worries Mom, I picked up some chocolates and caramels for you!) and a knife (Toledo is know for their knifes and swords.)
They are also know for having over 80 churches for the city. We visited Toledo's Catedral which was very beautiful. I would say probably one of the most beautiful Cathedrals I've been to. The most interesting part is the hole they put in the ceiling (to allow more light for mass) and the added beautiful angels and sculptures leading to the light. It was very impressive. So was the art gallery in the cathedral, including an interesting piece by El Greco who lived in Toledo.
We're back safe and sound from Toledo and I suspect the rest of our day will be relaxing... getting ready for the very early morning flight to Granada (okay the flight is at 8am but when you have breakfast at 9am, lunch at 3pm, and dinner at 9pm... 8am flight is crazy early!)
I can't believe I'm leaving Madrid... I'm going to miss it for sure!
The 21st (the day before my birthday) was a Royal (or Real) Day! We started out by visiting (and actually getting into) the Palacio Real. We sprung the extra 2 euros for the guided tour which was great... you should have seen the coffee room... and a different room for each meal of the day. Must have been nice! About 2o rooms are open to the public (out of 2,000+) and each was more impressive then the next. Frescos and silk covered walls to plaster vines and cherubs melded to the walls. All very very impressive! No pictures allowed inside so you will have to take my word for it. We did get a ton outside of the grounds.
We then popped next door to the Catedral de la Almundena (the Royals didn't have to walk very far!) Which was very pretty. We then headed to check out Plaza de Cibeles which was suppose to have a beautiful fountain... however when we got there it was under construction :(
We then headed back to eat, change, and get ready for the Real Madrid fútbol game. WHOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOO! Then we realized the game started (that's right STARTED) at 10PM! Can you imagine a SENS game starting at 10pm! Crazy! Well, considering the earliest you can go for dinner is 8:30... 10pm is not insane!
Making our way to the stadium we were pumped and a bit worried... but they know how to put on a game... I can't believe they got 80,000 people in and out in no time! I think it helped that they don't serve beer... not drunkin' fools... well maybe a few pre-drinkers but we didn't see any.
The game rocked seeing 3 goals! Real Madrid won 3 to 0 against Espanyol.
Due to the lateness of the game I was able to celebrate my birthday in the stadium! Super awesome! Catchin' the subway back we were home by 1am!
We got up early this morning to head to Toledo... the 10:20 train was sold out so we took the 12:20 one arriving just before 1pm. We did some shopping. I bought some very very yummy caramels (no worries Mom, I picked up some chocolates and caramels for you!) and a knife (Toledo is know for their knifes and swords.)
They are also know for having over 80 churches for the city. We visited Toledo's Catedral which was very beautiful. I would say probably one of the most beautiful Cathedrals I've been to. The most interesting part is the hole they put in the ceiling (to allow more light for mass) and the added beautiful angels and sculptures leading to the light. It was very impressive. So was the art gallery in the cathedral, including an interesting piece by El Greco who lived in Toledo.
We're back safe and sound from Toledo and I suspect the rest of our day will be relaxing... getting ready for the very early morning flight to Granada (okay the flight is at 8am but when you have breakfast at 9am, lunch at 3pm, and dinner at 9pm... 8am flight is crazy early!)
I can't believe I'm leaving Madrid... I'm going to miss it for sure!
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Epicentre of Goodness
Today was a bit stormy to start so we headed right to the Museo Nacional Centro de Art Reina Sophia, which is a modern art museum but it was retro modern art, most of it coming from early to mid 20th century which was not quite what we were used to but was still very interesting. The room that created the most discussion was the room described as "The lowest common multiple of experience". We never ended up finding it but then wondered if we in fact did find it and it was really "the lowest common multiple of experience."
At dinner we had some in-depth conversation on what really would be the lowest common multiple of experience... (yes, the wine was great with dinner) we decided it would be one of two things: a physical white room with just you in it, or existing as your true self. Word is still out on what would be the "The lowest common multiple of experience"... suggestions?
One of the very cool things about this "older" modern art is that I got to see a lot of Picasso's work and a progression of Salvador Dalí's work. Man, can Dalí do detail... it was scary impressive!
Some of my favs pieces included:
After the museum we did a little shoe shopping, but have been unsuccessful so far... I hold out hope. We have seen some good shoes but nothing awesome enough to buy yet.
We then hopped on the subway to pick up tickets at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. We are going to be joining 80,000 fans cheering for Real Madrid... I have no idea how we are going to find out seats! talk about needle in a haystack! I figure there has to be some learned efficiencies! I can't wait to cheer and really embrace the Spanish Fútbol.
After picking up the tickets we dropped them off in the Hotel safe and headed out to this renowned chocolate shop called - Cacao Sampaka. We went a bit crazy... really it's research for our Christmas chocolates right?! We started with some unusual flavours:
Last full day in Madrid tomorrow... Sad :(
At dinner we had some in-depth conversation on what really would be the lowest common multiple of experience... (yes, the wine was great with dinner) we decided it would be one of two things: a physical white room with just you in it, or existing as your true self. Word is still out on what would be the "The lowest common multiple of experience"... suggestions?
One of the very cool things about this "older" modern art is that I got to see a lot of Picasso's work and a progression of Salvador Dalí's work. Man, can Dalí do detail... it was scary impressive!
Some of my favs pieces included:
After the museum we did a little shoe shopping, but have been unsuccessful so far... I hold out hope. We have seen some good shoes but nothing awesome enough to buy yet.
We then hopped on the subway to pick up tickets at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. We are going to be joining 80,000 fans cheering for Real Madrid... I have no idea how we are going to find out seats! talk about needle in a haystack! I figure there has to be some learned efficiencies! I can't wait to cheer and really embrace the Spanish Fútbol.
After picking up the tickets we dropped them off in the Hotel safe and headed out to this renowned chocolate shop called - Cacao Sampaka. We went a bit crazy... really it's research for our Christmas chocolates right?! We started with some unusual flavours:
- Curry: Very good but really don't see it having wide appeal
- Parmesan Cheese: Good but tastes odd... the salt of the cheese and chocolate was a nice match
- Sesame seed: Very good, the crunch of the sesame seeds were very nice but not much of a sesame taste
- Peppermint: Very good, very standard through, we wanted to make sure we had one chocolate that would not be totally ick!
- Hot and Spicy: Very good but watch out for the kick-back finish. Very curious!
- Peanut: Good, more creamy than peanut... sad because we were expecting P/B cups level
- Coconut: Good, more pina colada... but decent
- Cafe: Very good, but classic
- Caramel: Good, but not super-caramel-ly
- Stolen: OMG! AMAZING! SO AMAZING it was scary! Like apple strudel in a tiny chocolate. We need to figure out how to recreate! More research required!
Last full day in Madrid tomorrow... Sad :(
Sunday, September 19, 2010
I'm in love with the Flamenco
Another FAB day in Madrid!
We started the day by heading to Palacio Real but the line was unreal and with the thought of a long wait in line we decided to save it for another day.
We then headed to the Museo Sorella who was one of our favourite painters from the Prado. This beautiful collection of stunning paintings are housed in the original house where he and his family lived.
This was my fav piece:
What else to do with a Sunday afternoon... we decided to head to the Parque del Retiro. We were not the only ones; families made it very lively and it really is a beautiful park with a lake in the middle. We got some snacks and headed to a comfy grassy spot to enjoy the warm sunny weather (in the shade!)
After catching a quick siesta we headed back to hotel and I had a long nap! We hit the awesome veggie buffet for dinner which was very tasty.
While I was sleeping, Anna discovered a awesome bar (Sala Juglar) that for 10 euros we could get a drink and see a Flamenco Show. I was not prepared for its awesomeness! The dancers were so powerful and inspirational. These are the dancers:
The video is awesome but sadly, I tried to upload a couple of the videos but either the hotel or blogger would have none of it :(
Today we are off to the Centre de Arte Reina Sofia and a second attempt at Palacio Real.
We started the day by heading to Palacio Real but the line was unreal and with the thought of a long wait in line we decided to save it for another day.
We then headed to the Museo Sorella who was one of our favourite painters from the Prado. This beautiful collection of stunning paintings are housed in the original house where he and his family lived.
This was my fav piece:
What else to do with a Sunday afternoon... we decided to head to the Parque del Retiro. We were not the only ones; families made it very lively and it really is a beautiful park with a lake in the middle. We got some snacks and headed to a comfy grassy spot to enjoy the warm sunny weather (in the shade!)
After catching a quick siesta we headed back to hotel and I had a long nap! We hit the awesome veggie buffet for dinner which was very tasty.
While I was sleeping, Anna discovered a awesome bar (Sala Juglar) that for 10 euros we could get a drink and see a Flamenco Show. I was not prepared for its awesomeness! The dancers were so powerful and inspirational. These are the dancers:
The video is awesome but sadly, I tried to upload a couple of the videos but either the hotel or blogger would have none of it :(
Today we are off to the Centre de Arte Reina Sofia and a second attempt at Palacio Real.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Day Three - Prado
Another fabulous day! Madrid is fantastic... a comfortable city.
We slept in again :) leaving the hotel at 11am walking through the town to the Prado. We stopped for some Spanish Omelettes and coffee. The Spanish Omelette is an omelette with potato! Very tasty!
The Prado was amazing!
So many beautiful paintings, sadly they are strict about no photos even without a flash. Hoping the gift shop would have some awesome photos / postcards we were sadly disappointed that none of our favourite paintings were available. I guess you will just need to be go!
One of my absolute favs was:
We then shopped our way back to the hotel. I stopped to get outfitted in some Real Madrid gear... I'm completely set! I also got some fab leather accessories (better than it sounds!) but still no new shoes yet :( I still have hope!
We stopped for a late lunch which were slices of bread, we got one with calamari, another with leeks and brie and the last with roasted veggies and mozzarella. We washed it all down with glasses of cava (Spanish sparking wine) It was heavenly.
We are now off to get some curros with hot chocolate. Can't wait!
P.s. I hope to include a few more photos next time :)
We slept in again :) leaving the hotel at 11am walking through the town to the Prado. We stopped for some Spanish Omelettes and coffee. The Spanish Omelette is an omelette with potato! Very tasty!
The Prado was amazing!
So many beautiful paintings, sadly they are strict about no photos even without a flash. Hoping the gift shop would have some awesome photos / postcards we were sadly disappointed that none of our favourite paintings were available. I guess you will just need to be go!
One of my absolute favs was:
We then shopped our way back to the hotel. I stopped to get outfitted in some Real Madrid gear... I'm completely set! I also got some fab leather accessories (better than it sounds!) but still no new shoes yet :( I still have hope!
We stopped for a late lunch which were slices of bread, we got one with calamari, another with leeks and brie and the last with roasted veggies and mozzarella. We washed it all down with glasses of cava (Spanish sparking wine) It was heavenly.
We are now off to get some curros with hot chocolate. Can't wait!
P.s. I hope to include a few more photos next time :)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Yes, Oui, Sì
I arrived in Barcelona exhausted! But thought going into town was too good to resist. I checked out the harbour and the market, having a yummy shake made with fresh fruit. The only downer was that I was literally falling asleep standing up... Not wanting to fall asleep on a bench in Barcelona (hello danger!) I hopped on the bus to bring me back to the airport. I was able to catch an hour sleep in the airport but I was hurtin´ not having slept in nearly 30 hours!
But the night got AWESOME! I jumped on the plane to Madrid and arrived in what so far seems to be paradise! I arrived, headed to Terminal 4 to meet Anna coming in from Copenhagen and then we caught the Metro into downtown Madrid. It was so great to be with my BFF again!!!
We found our hotel 2 steps (literally) from the metro stop next to a giant open air market. We settled into our awesome hotel (with a bathtub!!!) and headed out to explore stopping first at the ice cream place right across from the hotel (seriously best hotel EVER!) Picking up a yummy thin crust pizza to eat in our room on the way back.
I promptly passed out from exhaustion. And slept in to 11am! YES!
We headed on a self-guided city tour (yeah Anna!) and ate breakfast / lunch at a yummy pastry place! Coffee is FAB!!! We then toured around seeing some government offices (yeah... I could work there... our diggs are so disappointing in comparison!) and the cathedral and palace (we will visit the insides later on...) We then visited a converted market for some tapas and some Cava (Spanish sparkling wine... so yummy!)
Then it was off to see if we could get Real Madrid tickets! Fingers crossed we talked with this awesomely helpful ticket guy who suggested we try buying online... but ONLY from RealMadrid.com. Heading right back to the hotel (they have free internet in the lobby) we consulted the hotel front desk and the told us to stay away from a few sections (we did not want to be mixin´ with the drunk hooligans!) and then we narrowed it down and bought the only two tickets we could find together! HOLY CRAP we are seeing REAL MADRID LIVE!!! And the seats are decent... third level center!
I SO LOOOOVVVEEE MADRID!
But the night got AWESOME! I jumped on the plane to Madrid and arrived in what so far seems to be paradise! I arrived, headed to Terminal 4 to meet Anna coming in from Copenhagen and then we caught the Metro into downtown Madrid. It was so great to be with my BFF again!!!
We found our hotel 2 steps (literally) from the metro stop next to a giant open air market. We settled into our awesome hotel (with a bathtub!!!) and headed out to explore stopping first at the ice cream place right across from the hotel (seriously best hotel EVER!) Picking up a yummy thin crust pizza to eat in our room on the way back.
I promptly passed out from exhaustion. And slept in to 11am! YES!
We headed on a self-guided city tour (yeah Anna!) and ate breakfast / lunch at a yummy pastry place! Coffee is FAB!!! We then toured around seeing some government offices (yeah... I could work there... our diggs are so disappointing in comparison!) and the cathedral and palace (we will visit the insides later on...) We then visited a converted market for some tapas and some Cava (Spanish sparkling wine... so yummy!)
Then it was off to see if we could get Real Madrid tickets! Fingers crossed we talked with this awesomely helpful ticket guy who suggested we try buying online... but ONLY from RealMadrid.com. Heading right back to the hotel (they have free internet in the lobby) we consulted the hotel front desk and the told us to stay away from a few sections (we did not want to be mixin´ with the drunk hooligans!) and then we narrowed it down and bought the only two tickets we could find together! HOLY CRAP we are seeing REAL MADRID LIVE!!! And the seats are decent... third level center!
I SO LOOOOVVVEEE MADRID!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Hangin' at the Airport!
Spain is so close I can taste it! Although right now it tastes mostly like the yummy beer and burger served at the airport D'arcy McGees. It has become at bit of a tradition before I leave for my trip... Only this time I'm going to MTL first instead of straight to Europe! Just a little anticlimactic...
Although firmly set on leaving my iPhone at home... When it came time to leave it behind I just couldn't do it! Not that I will be reachable by phone or would even consider using the crazy pricy euro data plans... Just being without music, my apps, and the possibility of wifi... Not even sure why I would consider going without it!!!
Adventure start T minus 1 hour 30 min!
Although firmly set on leaving my iPhone at home... When it came time to leave it behind I just couldn't do it! Not that I will be reachable by phone or would even consider using the crazy pricy euro data plans... Just being without music, my apps, and the possibility of wifi... Not even sure why I would consider going without it!!!
Adventure start T minus 1 hour 30 min!
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