I had been waiting for this trip for awhile. After health issues are managed, it was time to start traveling.
Spain and Portugal were on our radar.
I honestly can attest to the wonder of seeing the architecture and the history behind all we saw in Spain and Portugal. You want to just take it in, and then later talk about it. Often when we get tours we do a Rick Steve’s self-tour so we can go at our own pace, however there were several times on this trip, we had tour guides.
View from our balcony . Puerto Del Sol.
Madrid
Our first stop was Madrid. I won’t bore you with all of the waiting in line we did to get to customs, let’s just say my tooties weren’t having it and neither was my back. However, once we got to Hotel Europa, in the center city of Madrid, this girl was a happy camper. The service was top notch! Ask and you shall receive! My hubby and I also try our skils at Espanol as much as possible, even if it is trying, I think it is appreciated.
Our first day after traveling on a night flight required some napping and then we would find a wonderful restaurant, in which to have dinner. My appetite is well served with Tapas, and Spain does not disappoint. Streets lined with tapas bars were plentiful, and we wanted to enjoy tastes of various dishes at this point. We had glasses of Tempranillo at the first location, with light and delicious tapas. My husband eats octopus, and I do not, but I don’t say no to fish or shrimp!
At this location, you could walk everywhere which is what we did. If we did have to travel outside of the city, it was an Uber to the rescue, which made life easier.
I know this sounds silly, but I knew my favorite store, Mango, was out of Spain, and there were several locations near the hotel. I c ould have packed a few more sweaters, as it was chilly certain times of the day, especially if we would have some rain. So, good excuse to get another layer, right?
Shopping at Mango, I realized things were half the price in the store, that on-line through the US site. I took advantage, bought a tweed jacket, turtleneck sweater and two pairs of cropped jeans in Ecru and Olive green. Of course we looked at smaller shops throughout our trip and brought home some trinkets and goodies for our dog watcher and family.
Little did we know, there was the International Day of Spain Celebration in Madrid the second day we would be there. It was a pleasant surprise, as each square had their own live music, and restaurants overflowing with people. I loved the architecture and the charm and history of each of the squares. They celebrate Christopher Columbus and the history.
Our balcony overlooked the Porto De Sol, where activity flourished and people were dancing to the musician on the huge stage. The view was amazing! We could see throughout the city and had an up-close look at the festivities.
Lots of great restaurants and patisieres abound, and I made sure to stop at the one diagonal from the hotel several times. I love myself some cookies with tea and night! The pastries were so good!
Our Cooking Class
This was one of the best experiences. I booked the class, and upon entering the room, we met 5 other couples who would be joining us for an evening of conversation cooking, endless Spanish wines, and 4 course dinner. The Cava flowed, and we began our night talking to couples, and later finding our cooking stations to prepare paella. We cooked a chicken paella, but there were all kinds from mushroom, to shrimp, to seafood and pork. We were later going to taste any of the dishes we prepared.
We had the herbs, seasonings and everything else prepped by the chefs, so some of the tedious work was left out for us. I was interested in what spices that they might use- Saffron, was one. Red pepper, and I would have to go back and look at the notes. All of the class participants would get the recipes that were made sent to our email. After we were done cooking, and partially done drinking, we all convened downstairs into a wine Celler location, where a long table was set for our meal.
The gazpacho was mouth watering! It was orange in color and creamy, not one that you might expect from a Gazpacho soup . Calamari finger sandwiches were offered, and hubby enjoyed those. The main course was set and we loved trying our cooked masterpiece! It was such a fan and enjoyable experience from a social standpoint, and learning a new recipe! Would highly recommend a cooking class in Madrid.
So, although I could be even more of a storyteller… I thought I would share more of the pictures of our time in Madrid. Oh, the pastries and the fresh food!
We also spent time on a bus and throughout the town of Avila, Spain. A small village, it has rich history and is where Orsen Wells stayed for a time as well. Segovia provided us with a castle to visit, and interesting architecture. ( Nothing to do with Andre Segovia the classical guitar player!)
