96 Hours in Madrid y Barcelona

Last week was Caiden’s Autumn Break & our first chance to take a mini-getaway within Europe; we chose Spain (what a treat to be able to hop on an inexpensive, Ryan Air flight & explore another country & culture). We visited Madrid & then took a train to Barcelona, enjoying these wonderful cities & tapas (oh how we enjoyed the tapas-- & sangria!) & some time at the beach & endless wandering. Some highlights of our trip were:

MADRID

- Plaza Mayor & Puerto del Sol

- Parque de el Retiro: We were very impressed with this beautiful park in central Madrid. The trees & ponds were so pretty & I smiled as we walked aimlessly down this path & that.

- Prado Museum/Museo Nacional del Prado: Hubby was like a kid in a candy store. This exceptional museum, having one of the world’s largest collections of European/Spanish art, is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. My time here was a bit limited with a sleeve-tugging 10 year-old losing interest after only about 45 minutes, but Stephen stayed for 3 or 4 hours & could have easily spent 3 or 4 more. Note that entry is free if you visit the final 2 hours of each day.

- We also reveled in seeing (finding) the brightly-colored, one-of-a-kind Las Meninas ('ladies in waiting'). "The main characters of Las Meninas, Diego Velázquez’s masterpiece that hangs in the Prado Museum, have wandered off the canvas & into central Madrid... this city-wide urban-art installation includes 80 sculptures placed in iconic spots." - courtesy Culture Trip

- San Miguel Food Market: This is a foodie heaven with, perhaps, 40 gourmet stalls serving empanadas, olives, chorizo, cheeses, paellas, dessert bites, tapas of every imaginable combination (the boys munched on several varieties of smoked salmon, while I savored the Iberian jamon & queso croquettes or fried Camembert balls). It’s bustling & yet a beautiful experience & historical building. The tapas can be a bit pricey, but the quality is there.

- Chocolateria San Gines: I stumbled on this one while reading about “must dos” in Madrid & was not steered wrong. It reminded Stephen & I a lot of Café du Monde in New Orleans where they do one thing & they do it with perfection. The lines can be long & the shop is tiny, but you are served up a plate of warm, deep-fried, sugary churros with a sidecar of liquid chocolate & it's blissfully decadent. As with many treats in Europe, they are sweet, but not overly so.

- Wonderful & original street performers: We saw, perhaps, one of the most unexpectedly great street performers in Plaza Mayor. It was this hybrid, deer-meets-mountain-of-colored-tinsel thingy & at first glance you think “what's this metallic mound all about?” but after a few moments I, even as an adult, was belly-laughing at its silly, enthusiastic antics. It dramatically wriggled side to side anytime a tip was placed into its bucket & made these gentle whistling, clicking sounds. Kids were mesmerized & unafraid of 'Silver', as we affectionately named him, & he even posed humorously for photos.

- Gran Via & tapas at El Mercado De La Reina: This large & busy shopping street is entertaining to wander & when hunger strikes, jump into El Mercado De La Reina. Not a market, as the name may imply, it’s a lively restaurant with excellent tapas; Caiden & I opted for the smoked salmon, cinco queso &, of course, a couple croquettes. They were yummy & quite inexpensive. Be sure & make a reservation, even midday, as the first-come, first-served bar tables are very limited.

- A Flamenco show at Caramomo: When in Spain…. We did the touristy thing & saw a well-regarded Flamenco show. It was good fun & exciting to watch, we especially appreciated the lovely Spanish guitars & passionate dance. We opted for the less expensive, shorter 1 drink show, which was perfect with a child.

- A real, bonafide, English-speaking American movie! This absolutely qualifies as a best part of our trip given that we hadn’t seen a movie in nearly 4 months (Italians delight in their sub-par dubbing skills). We even caught a recent-release movie, Malificent 2, at Cine Ideal. The film was in English with Spanish subtitles & it was truly sublime to sit back with a bucket of popcorn & delight in a simple pleasure we hadn’t experienced in a long time.

BARCELONA

- Sagrada Familia: With hubby’s builder livelihood & passion for architecture, seeing some Gaudi creations was a must. This grand, never-seems-to-be-finished cathedral was packed with people but worth the visit. Caiden (& countless other children) especially enjoyed dancing beneath, chasing & catching the enormous, slithering bubbles one clever man waved through the air.

- Casa Battlo: another, smaller Gaudi masterpiece

- St. Josep, Mercat De La Boqueria: Barcelona's first local market, opened in 1836, this lively space offers bars, quick-eat restaurants, vegetables, fruit, nuts, fresh fish, jamon, Mancheco queso, salted cod, spices & so much more.

- La Rambla: aka Las Ramblas, this famous boulevard is worth a stroll & lead us toward the water & piers. We took the Metro over to the Vila Olympica stop which put us within a few moments of the main beach boardwalk. Caiden spent hours building a sandcastle while Stephen & I relaxed on the warm sand, pausing our exploration to appreciate the sun, the crash of the surf & the cry of the gulls overhead.

One item to mention re: Barcelona, our final day here was a Sunday & it felt like most of the city shut down which was a bit disappointing.

Also, we were in Spain on Halloween night which was a mixed bucket for us. It was so foreign not to celebrate this monumental US holiday (it’s not huge in Europe, especially with All Saints Day overshadowing it the following day), so it was good to have the travel distraction, especially for our son.