A Short Evening in Madrid

I will attempt to blog as I go about our trip to Spain and Portugal. Thanks to Wikipedia and various tourism sites or lots of easily retrievable information. It may be a bit uneven, but it gives somewhat of a picture of the historical forces that shaped Spain. As I go, more and more of the history of Spain (as I understand it) will be revealed. Most important is that it is an ancient land and has drawn its influences from the Romans, the Visigoths, Jews, Muslims and the Catholics of Castile and Aragorn.

So, after a rough intro to Madrid, a nap set things on the right path. It was just raining a bit, but we set out to get something light to each. A kebab shop did the trick. 

Dinner!

Not as good as what I have had in Norway and Switzerland, but it hit the spot. but, as we ate, it started to pour. So, back to the hotel and another nap until evening. Then, a nice, but short, walk to the famous Plaza Mayor -- lovely, but not spectacular -- it looks much like plazas I have been to in Brussels, Lima and other European countries. 

Plaza Mayor

The rain and the fact it was Sunday seemed to dampen the crowds. Most of the restaurants (some with names that might not be appealing) ...

Hmmmm?

And, ham stores with an odd name -- Museo del Jamon -- which means Museum of Ham.

They love their ham; Left photo: Scott Stevens

Spain has lots and lots and lots of ham. And hot chocolate shops. The Spanish were the first to put sugar in cocoa to make it yummy. 

Thanks, Spain!

But, we had a lovely tapas dinner. We had bread (crusty and light), olives (huge quantity), roasted peppers (yum), salad (yum), baked breaded mussels (for Scott -- he said they were good) and sangria (delicious). 

Wonderful; Right Photo: Scott Stevens

Looks like the food of Spain will be fine with me!

Sangria

Now to rest up so the next day will be a full one.

And, to set it up, a little about Madrid. The capital and largest city of Spain and the third-largest EU city, Madrid has a metro population of 6.3 million. The city is located on the Manzanares River and is the seat of government and residence of the Spanish monarch.

Even though it is a modern city, Madrid has preserved many historic neighborhoods and streets. Our hotel was in Old Madrid.

Old Madrid

Trip date: April 25-May 15, 2015