Ah yes, Madrid again. Our second flight into Barajas Airport in two months but a very different trip this time. Not for a family visit on this occasion as ironically the Spanish branch of the family (5/6ths of it anyway) were in England, still enjoying their very long summer holiday.
Unfortunately though work demands on Ana meant she had to 'pop' back to the Spanish capital for a few days, and she wondered if Lynda and I fancied making the trip with her. We didn't need asking twice, hence the three of us taking off on the Monday from a rain-soaked, recently flooded Luton Airport and touching down bang on time on a warm and bright Madrid morning.
We told Ana not to hang around at the airport so having first agreed on a sophisticated communication system involving text messages, she scurried off to her Monday morning team meeting at her office in the city centre. Meanwhile we collected the luggage and by a combination of tube and bus made it home.
We spent day one getting a few domestics sorted out, taking advantage of Frank's beer supplies and generally not doing much at all. We'd had a 3am alarm call so we were using our remaining energy stocks wisely. Day one also saw the first of a series of daytime phone calls that I answered, and in my less than perfect Spanish responded to by telling the caller I didn't speak the language so go away.
In the evening we took the train to Principe Pio where we met Ana and whizzed round the desgner shops at this lovely mall. She suggested that for dinner we tried one of the family's favourite treats - a kebab back at home. We'd heard a lot about these so jumped at the chance of making our Spanish kebab debut. This place is basic, but it is very clean, the staff extremely pleasant, the prices very low and the food superb! In fact I was the only one to try the kebab as the girls went for something called a 'pide'; a kind of folded-up pizza not unlike a calzone. I caused eyebrows to be raised by eating my kebab with a knife and fork.
I've been told since by Frank that the correct method, as practised by Carla & Andi, is in fact to pull the kebab over the head like a balaclava and rub it around the face until eventually most of it finds its way into the mouth. I'll know for next time. Ana made the mistake (from my point of view) of telling the girls on the phone that night that I don't know how to eat one and they've ribbed me mercilessly since!!
The next day we all went into Madrid together. Ana shot off to work and we found a 'MadridVision' bus stop, hopped on an open-topped variety and bought a two day ticket. We were going to 'tourist' very hard.
It was great travelling leisurely around the city in (surprisingly) free-flowing traffic and beautiful sunshine. Being upstairs meant we had the benefit of a lovely breeze so what with all that, and not being at work we were feeling pretty good about life.
The bus has two routes; old and new Madrid. We were on the new circuit that takes in Santiago Bernabeu - the Real Madrid ground to non believers, the financial area and the designer shops. It's a really great way to see the city and pick up a tan at the same time. Rumbling stomachs eventually made us hop off for lunch in Plaza Mayor, and a splendid one it was too. Back on the bus for a bit of the 'old' Madrid route and then it was time to meet up with Ana.
She dived into the role of tour guide with relish and walked us all over the city, pausing only for a brilliant seafood dinner at a place called 'Ribeiro Do Mino', which according to the New York Times is '...probably the liveliest seafood eating spot in Madrid..' We had an enormous and delicious feast washed down with wine for not a lot of Euros. We'd ordered the meal 'for two', which not even the three of us could finish. People were still pouring in at midnight looking for tables. Go to this place !!!!!
We walked dinner off with an ice cream around the very lively Chueca area of the city before almost fainting with fatigue, we hailed a cab and went home to bed.
Wednesday was once again spent hopping on and off the tourist bus, shopping and eating. 'Naturbier' is a lovely bar / eatery in Palza Santa Ana. It brews its own beer and serves delicious food. We sat (two days on the trot) at an outside table and watched the world go by. Very recommended.
By Thursday the weather was warming up even more so we decided to spend the day at home, alternating between bouts of sunbathing and a few minor domestic chores, as well as fending off phone calls from that same persistent caller.
That evening Ana came home and we walked into town for dinner. She took us to another family favourite eatery in a nearby park. Sitting in the warm open air, drinking freezing cold beer, eating the most delicious food, just chatting and laughing we were a million miles away from work and its associated crap. I think if anyone had offered to wave a magic wand that night we'd have happily stayed in Madrid for a long, long time.
Friday was our last day - and hot - but we werent going home till late. We went into the city with Ana and visited her office. She's a designer for a media company and runs a team of designers that turn out magazines, annual reports and just about anything you can think of. Ana introduced us to her colleagues and showed us Madrid from the top of her building. It certainly has splendid views of the city.
We said ta-ta and nipped to 'El Corte Ingles', the most famous Department store chain in Spain. They're everywhere, in Madrid alone there must be twenty of them. We were looking for a present for Frank & Ana and we knew if we couldn't get it there it probably doesn't exist! A bit more sightseeing and eating (excellent pay once, eat everything buffet) then met up with Ana, nipped home to pack and then the three of us headed to Barajas.
Our flight was spot on and we landed on an almost balmy evening in Luton, delighted that we'd brought a bit of the sunshine back home with us.
Thanks Ana for looking after us so well and for showing us some lovely sights and introducing us to some wonderful restaurants. You are safe in the knowledge that if you ever get fed up working in the media you would make a fantastic city guide.
Thanks Ana for looking after us so well and for showing us some lovely sights and introducing us to some wonderful restaurants. You are safe in the knowledge that if you ever get fed up working in the media you would make a fantastic city guide.
Oh yes, the phone calls. That turned out to be Ana's insurance company trying to arrange to fix their broken freezer. Come on, would you have understood that?
