Chapter One: Viva Madrid!

Celebrating España: MaiTaiTom’s Still “Insane For Spain”

Chapter One: Viva Madrid!

PROLOGUE:

It had been ten years since Tracy and I went “insane for Spain,” so in October, we decided to revisit an old favorite (Madrid), and rent a car to travel to a few Spanish towns not on our radar in 2015. Our usual traveling companions, Kim and Mary, decided to sit this one out after discovering the shocking number of cathedrals, churches, palaces and museums I had added to our already packed itinerary. Our previous dozen or so trips (291 days traveling together) had seemingly taken its toll on them.

After nearly a week exploring Spain’s capital city and its environs (including quite a festival) …

… Tracy and I sped off in our sleek, black Mercedes, which would provide us with yet another tale in our never-ending list of rental car fiascos. Our first destination, Burgos, is a major stopping point for those who hike the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, complete with its majestic World Heritage Site cathedral and more frivolity with the locals.

Then we would eventually (rental car foreshadowing alert) head off to León, also located along the Camino, where our tapas consumption would ramp up in the Barrio Húmedo.

Finally, we’d loop back to Segovia and its spectacular first century aqueduct and 900-year-old Alcazar.

Along our journey, we would join in a couple of unexpected massive celebrations, one on our first night in Madrid and one in Burgos. We’d also partake in a few side trips to some spectacular palaces located outside Madrid and Segovia.

Although we didn’t hike the Camino, our nearly 75 miles of walking during the two weeks was more than sufficient exercise for my perplexed legs and feet, “Who has hijacked this body?” they repeatedly wondered.

Everywhere we went the people were friendly and generous with no signs of tourist fatigue. As a matter of fact, we encountered very few Americans on the trip, especially in the cities not named Madrid. So now it’s time to Celebrate España, because MaiTaiTom’s Still Insane For Spain!

Day One: Diverticulitis To Plantar Fasciitis, A Wonderful Home In Madrid, Viva Vermut, On Top Of Madrid, Party Like Its 1492, Tactical Error, Times Square: Madrid Style and Take The Long Way Home

For some unknown reason, it seems before almost every trip I come down with one crazy malady after another. From an infected toe to a suddenly wonky knee to Covid to a scary fall, my pre-flight checklist has not always been stellar. This one would up the ante.

A few weeks before leaving, I awakened with an excruciating shooting pain in my stomach and was told by my doctor to immediately head to my local hospital’s ER that I am still surprised to this day isn’t named after me. After sitting for hours in the waiting room, with coughing that could wake the dead, the answer came.

Diagnosis: Acute Diverticulitis. I was told that this could take weeks or even months to correct itself, which didn’t bode well for my planned vacation diet of tapas, meat, wine, beer, GinTonics and even more tapas. For the next week, my diet was blander than a Hallmark romantic Christmas movie, but six days before leaving I was back to a regular diet with no side effects. “Boy did I dodge a bullet,” I thought.

Sadly, one more bullet remained in the chamber. Four days before leaving, I got out of bed, took one step and it felt like someone had stabbed me in the heel. This time I immediately knew what it was, because 15 years before I had been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. On that occasion, it took more than a month for my heel to heal.

Not remembering exactly what I should or shouldn’t do, I had a consult with my computer physician, Dr. AI Overview. One line stood out like a sore foot, “Pain Worsens With Activity.” However, it seemed the more I walked on it, the less pain I felt. Sure enough, when I mentioned this to one of the PT experts where I work out, she concurred that walking can make your foot feel better. By the morning of our trip, the pain was manageable, and although the cobblestone streets of Spain did cause some discomfort at times, fortunately it didn’t preclude us from doing anything.

A late Saturday afternoon nonstop flight from LAX to Madrid was in our plans, and as she likes to do, Tracy took a photo of a relaxed (aka: hadn’t walked 75 miles yet) Tom.

Tracy, on the other hand, once again faced issues. Even though Tracy has TSA Pre-check, Global Entry and a redress number (another of her posts), she was not allowed in the TSA pre-check-line, so it was off to the longer line that fortunately wasn’t too bad on this Saturday afternoon.  Tracy inquired of the TSA Agent why she had no pre-check, and the agent merely said, “You must be lucky.” Knowing the agent wasn’t getting paid due to the government shutdown, our minor inconvenience seemed even more minor.

The flight on Iberia was, to be kind, not great. Somehow, airline food gets progressively worse on every trip, as does the entertainment selection and my seat was more uncomfortable than usual. All of this I can deal with because an 11-hour flight is almost never a totally pleasant experience anyway. What made this flight so bad was that about 2/3 of the way through the flight, as I entered what could be the smallest airplane bathroom on the planet, the floor was full of, well, you know what, and the sink was totally backed up. I yearned for those Air New Zealand flights where the bathrooms were cleaned often during flight. We endured, and landed on time in Madrid on a warm Sunday afternoon.

We were expecting delays going through passport control, because October 12 was the first day many EU airports were to roll out the new Entry Exit System (EES). (Tracy wrote a helpful post explaining the changes taking place in Europe. No such delays happened because the system had not yet been implemented in Madrid, so we were through passport control in no time.

We grabbed an official taxi (€33 flat fee from the airport to Madrid city center), and it navigated the narrow streets of Barrio de las Letras (Literary Quarter) until it arrived at our hotel for the next six nights, the marvelous Room Mate Collection Alba (C. de las Huertas, 16).

We had reserved the Deluxe Suite, and it was one of the best rooms we’ve had on any trip. Quiet, good location, a large, comfortable bed, a sitting room and a bathroom that was larger than my first apartment all made for a very delightful stay. It also had a great walk-in shower. Add a friendly and helpful front desk, along with our favorite hotel bartender (more on Sebastian later), there wasn’t more we could ask for.

It was 5 o’clock somewhere, and that somewhere happened to be at Viva Madrid, a tavern founded in 1856 that I had read about prior to leaving for Madrid.

Only a few minutes walk from our hotel, we entered the downstairs tavern area. I told my friend Jeff that I would toast him with a vermut (Spanish vermouth) as soon as we reached Spain, and this is the place I chose. Legend has it that Viva Madrid is one of the novel spots in the Literary Quarter where Ernest Hemingway hung out. Today, it would be a place for The Old Man and The Vermut. Our bartender told us that Viva Madrid has their own special vermut blend, and he poured a glass from the cool looking bar top vermut dispenser.

Tracy, who started with a GinTonic with a cucumber (she’s a healthy drinker), and I toasted our good fortune. When Tracy complained about her photo, she said she looked very tired. That fact would come in to play soon enough.

After imbibing, we took a quick look at the cocktail bar upstairs, and then descended the steep stairs carefully.

Sufficiently lubricated for our next destination, the rooftop bar atop the Círculo de Bellas Artes beckoned. Situated at the intersection of Calle de Alcalá and Gran Vía, its rooftop commands spectacular Madrid views complete with food and beverage. We had purchased online tickets (€6 … or €5 for well-seasoned travelers) for admittance anytime between 4 pm and 9 pm. (Photo below of Circulo de Bellas Artes is from a few nights later).

Once up top, we realized the reviews were correct.

There were commanding views of Madrid from various vantage points, including this one of the Palacio de Cibeles, a place that would play an integral part of our evening a couple of hours later.

We wangled ourselves a table near the huge bronze Estatua de Minerva, who was the Roman goddess of wisdom, the arts and warfare.

Chatting with a nice couple from the Bay Area, we enjoyed vino, patatas bravas and a delicious hummus topped with pomegranate seeds.

I was already in EuroTom mode, and there were lots of spots to enjoy on the roof.

It was nearing 7:30 when we got booted from our seats (somebody had the gall to have a reservation at our table). Not to worry, the views were even more spectacular with a setting sun and another glass of wine.

Looking out toward the Gran Via, the view of the iconic 1911 French Beaux-Arts style Edificio Metropolis stood out with its Victoria Alada (Winged Victory) statue straddling the top. The original statue on top was removed in 1972, and replaced with this one in 1977.

A little before 8 pm, we left the rooftop, ostensibly planning on making the short walk back to Room Mate Alba for a well-deserved long sleep (we had been awake for over 29 hours by this point). However, while on the elevator, we learned there would be a fireworks display at 9 pm. Back on the street we took a closer look at the Edificio Metropolis as the evening slipped into darkness, and noted the street being cordoned off.

We also saw a crowd of people heading for the now colorfully lit Palacio de Cibeles. Tracy spied the sign for Fiesta Nacional de España along with today’s date. As we’d find out, Spanish National Day (also called Día de la Hispanidad), is a day to “remember the different moments of collective history that are part of Spain’s common historical, cultural and social heritage.” It also commemorates Christopher Columbus “discovering the Americas,” which can be argued at another time.

In our first “near-divorce moment” of the trip (perhaps a new record), I mentioned to the now quite weary and sleepy Tracy that it might be fun to walk down to the Palacio to see what this event entails. We neared the famed Fuente de Cibeles awash with colorful lights.

The fountain was built in the 1780s and features Roman goddess Cibele (earth, agriculture and fertility) in her chariot led by a couple of lions.

It was at this point (about 8:30 pm), that I made a serious tactical and marital mistake. I cajoled my bleary-eyed spouse, “Since it is only a half hour until the fireworks and we have a primo spot, let’s stay.”

Reluctantly, she consented (at least I think so, she may have dozed off when I asked). As we chatted, perhaps because we had been awake for going on 30 hours, we really didn’t notice that the crowd gathering behind us had grown to Times Square on New Years Eve size. One reason we might have been so oblivious to the crowds getting increasingly larger was because we were just soaking in the sheer joy of the people celebrating nearby. Old, young, families, you name it, the electric vibe of Madrid was on full display and it was very cool to be a part of, even in a small way.

It’s when I took the below photo a little before 9 pm that we came to the stark realization that we might not be able to get back to our hotel any time soon. At 9:05 pm, no fireworks were popping, so I asked the guy next to me the question I should have asked about an hour ago, “Do the fireworks start at 9?” The answer was not what I (and certainly not Tracy) wanted to hear. “No, they start at 9:30.” Oops.

Fireworks would be cool, but getting back to the hotel before Tracy passed out seemed much more prudent, however the streets were jammed. Luckily, one street headed toward the Prado and Parque del Retiro seemed to be relatively pedestrian free, probably because it was shaded by trees that would block views of the fireworks. We worked our way through the throngs to freedom.

Along the route we enjoyed another of Madrid’s fabulous fountains. The 18th century Fuente de Neptuno which was, along with Fuente de Cibeles, commissioned by King Charles III in an attempt to help modernize Madrid.

I think this is the Plus Ultra building that has a Goyesque carillon featuring five animated figures who do their carillon thing a few times a day.

Finally, we came upon Congreso de los Diputados, a former convent destroyed by fire and rebuilt in the early 1850s. It’s supposed to be beautiful inside, and there are tours available on certain days.

We did make it back to our hotel by 10 pm, and, thanks to that comfy bed, we were asleep before Tracy could say, “Tom, you idiot!”

Our good night’s sleep would be crucial, because our first full day in Madrid would be a regal … and long … one. On the agenda was El Palacio Real de Madrid, the extraordinarily marvelous Galería de las Colecciones Reales, Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena, along with quick stops at a couple of Madrid’s famous plazas. For lunch, we’d go the tapas route at a place that’s been around since the early 1900s, while for dinner we would meet a woman who has been instrumental in planning both our Spain and Portugal trips.

Chapter Two – A Day Fit For A King & Queen

Day Two: Clean Sweep, Touring The Largest Palace In Western Europe, Saving The Best For Last, A Royal Surprise, My First Bosch Sighting, Let The Tapas Begin, A Not-So-Old Royal Cathedral, A Visit To The Oriente, An Old Fashioned Love Song, Meeting Maribel and “Meating” Dinner