The first turkey holiday without turkey and my close family could not have been better spent than in the arms of Spain and its most populous city, Madrid. Our hotel, the Westin Palace (yes it was formally a real palace), was so centrally located, we saved a ton on taxi rides. Our cab ride from the airport to the hotel took about 20 minutes and our Bulgarian driver informed us of the proximity of all the most popular museums near our hotel. Shortly after check in, the hubs and I hit up La Rotunda restaurant in the hotel which featured a breakfast buffet with assortments of pastries, omelet station, fruits, brut bubbly (Cava of course) and much more. The hotel’s restaurant, La Rotunda, is a huge beautiful room resembling a work of baroque art itself filled with comfy, classy furniture straight out of Alice in Wonderland’s tea party with the Mad Hatter. The brunch was pretty affordable for two people and beaming with sunlight spilling in from the rotunda’s ceiling of stained glass. Due to a longer than scheduled afternoon nap, our dinner that same day took place again in La Rotunda. Initially, we went down to have the traditional turkey and trimmings menu they offered for the American guests staying at the hotel but were subsequently seduced by the full menu featuring buttery sea bass and langoustines in curry sauce. We started our meals with mushroom and lobster bisques, with the main dishes followed by a dessert of chocolate and hazelnut cake with rice ice cream. Delish beyond imagination. The hotel gives an old world feel and during dinner, a pianist tapped out classic tunes from Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone and more.
Day Two
After sleeping until about noon or so, we were fortunate enough to have a friend who is living and working in Spain show us around the capital city and help us maximize our short time in the country. After grabbing the requisite cup of Starbucks to start our day, we walked a short distance from our hotel to the glorious Parque del Retiro. Filled with fountains, unique street performers, amazingly beautiful trees and Spaniards enjoying the gorgeous 60 degree day, we fit right in with the locals except for our incessant photo-taking. We also happened upon a photo shoot for the Madrid leather brand Loewe (my new obsession). We then took a short subway ride to Sol where we strolled around the crowded streets filled with hundreds of shops and thousands of eager shoppers. The streets were packed like during the Taste of Chicago on the Fourth of July. We ventured to the King’s Palace to take some more great photos, indulged in a shot of licorice liquor inside of miniature chocolate lined ice cream cones at El Madrono, and grabbed a quick bite at Cafe y Te which was a fast food version of a paella restaurant – quick, cheap and good. Some unforgettable moments from day two: the jazz in the park, the bubble men, the various street performers and all the Spaniards out enjoying at night in their fair city.
Day Three
Today was the day to take in the fine art of Madrid and for that we decided on the Museo Nacional del Prado. Valazquez, Goya and Rubens oh my! For those who love frescoes, several European interpretations of the life of Christ, stories from Greek mythology painted on large canvases, and art ranging from the Romanesque to the 19th century, this is your spot. According to Wikipedia, this museum currently has around 7,600 paintings, 1,000 sculptures, 4,800 prints and 8,200 drawings. So it’s super easy to get lost in this place viewing all of the classic masterpieces. We spent the better part of day three here taking it all in. My favorite being artist Francisco de Goya’s work, especially La maja desnuda. Simply lovely. We strolled through room after room interpreting and being inspired by all of the works.
After all that, we decided to retire back to the Palace for dinner at La Rotunda again. Our art discussion turned into what we were thankful for again as we wrapped up our Thanksgiving holiday in Madrid. Our plans for the future include a trip back to take in the jazz scene, more art and maybe even some shopping. Three days just gave us a quick taste and for that, we were definitely thankful.
DC
I enjoyed this so much!!!