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Day 1 began wonderfully. I had slept well and had no hint of jetlag. Breakfast was GREAT. I had low expectations of the coffee – exceeded. There was cave – I abstained, but took pleasure just in knowing it was there. I supplemented some gorgeous fruit with a croissant then dived in to the cooked food. Oh, what the Spanish are able to do with bacon, eggs and beans. I generally like the concept of bacon, but can take it or leave it. Not here and with a little tortilla on the side with the beans. I spent nearly two hours at breakfast and those who know me well know that this really was a great start to my day.
Having managed to break the safe in my room (well, it wasn’t working and the poor maintenance man’s key got stuck it in it so they had to take it apart completely) and made friend’s with the maintenance man and hotel manager, I set out at about noon. It was freezing and wet. The weather forecast for every day of the next week is mid 20s and cloudless skies. Today it was 12. I thought the weather app had failed to update when I saw that. Luckily Melbourne natives come prepared so I donned jeans and a jumper and scoffed at the locals in parkas with umbrellas.
It was a really full and satisfying day. Admittedly I hadn’t done much research and I had just the day to see all that I could of Madrid so I consulted Google over breakfast and set off. I walked across town to the Plaza de Oriente whose gardens and fountain were beautiful and leads on to the Palace de Real Madrid. The queue to visit the palace would have consumed most of my day so instead I took some time to visit the Cathedral de Santa Maria la Real de la Almadena where Sunday mass was just finishing and I was privileged to hear the choir singing. I had expected it to be dark and severe inside, but instead it was bright and decorated with modern geometric patterns alongside more traditional Catholic icons. The whole experience was genuinely uplifting.
A short walk from the cathedral I stumbled across the Mercado de San Miguel (market) that is packed with stalls selling tapas and bars with people crushed in to every available space. There are high tables and stools to eat at in the aisles, but most people just perch somewhere as the crowd moves around them. I succumbed to the smell of frying (quell surprise) and bought a paper cone filled with deep fried shrimp, whitebait, calamari and octopus tentacles. I soon realised why the Spanish drink wine with dinner and countered some of the oil and salt with a really fruity sangria.
From here I avoided the rain by catching the metro a few stops and seeking shelter in the Centro cultural centre - an old palace come post office now housing art installations. The building itself was lovely and I saw an exhibition about how technology pervades our lives which I could at least appreciate. As luck would have it, the Naval Museum was next door and having sworn that this holiday would not be another Nelson pilgrimage I set about looking for anything connected to the Battle of Trafalgar (shout out here to Kellski and John Sheridan). The Spanish paid heavily for French failings at Trafalgar and it set them back significantly as a country, but that was simply acknowledged here without blame. The sheer age and condition of the exhibits, given the hard lives that they had, reminded me of how lasting are the things that we create.
By now I was tired so I headed back to the hotel for a quick lie down before dinner. The sun had appeared and Spain has daylight savings so the walk back to the hotel was a gorgeous way to end the day. Google guided me to a great little tapas bar where I settled onto a bar stool in a corner, had a couple of wonderful dishes and dessert suggested by the staff and savoured my first glass of cave. The atmosphere was perfect – there was a constant hum of activity, the street outside was busy, it was warm and they were quietly playing hits from the 80s “Just another manic Monday.....”. I am very happy.
- comments
Catherine Saliba Looks like you are having a fantastic time! Love the blog!
Steve and Anne Ellis What a great way to keep track of your holiday. We're looking forward to your regular updates.
Dominic Grounds Naval museum alone would have made the sacrifice of having to eat bacon all worthwhile.
Jon Hazelton Gosh Susan - that selfie is positively ethereal, xx Bravo xx
Lynda, Laurence, Jas and Ami Your adventure so far sounds perfect. You managed to fit quite a lot into one day, once you tore yourself away from the breakfast trough :)) Looking forward to the updates of your travels. Lots of love from us to you.
Chris Gillies Love the description of the day, felt like I was there with you! I am going to enjoy every moment of your adventures, Love Chris
Chris Gillies "I am sitting in my dingy little office where a stingy ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall""And I somehow rather fancy that I would like to be with Susan, sharing just another Madrid Monday"
Kellie Robson Great you got a Navy / Trafalgar fix. Fabulous blog darling!
Bev Johnson You absolutely capture your voice!!Fabulous photos. Love the selfie.