Madrid was the final leg of my first solo trip to Spain. I was spending a total of three days in the capitol city with no real agenda. I was exhausted from traveling so much the past week, that I was really just looking forward to exploring the streets of Madrid at my own pace – getting to know its history, food, and landmarks. I’m glad to report I know a bit about all three now.

By walking for hours on end through various small back streets and barrios, I was able to discover local eateries, boutique shops, and dated buildings that make up Madrid’s city life. I was continually impressed by the Madrileños’ surroundings, so naturally I couldn’t help but photograph my way around. Here are some of my favorite experiences traveling through Madrid:

Palacio Real

The same afternoon I had arrived in Madrid I met a couple from Chicago traveling around Spain. Super friendly, they offered to take me on a walking tour around the city to check out some sight-seeing spots. Palacio Real was among our first stops. Home to Spanish royalty, the Royal Palace is a lavish building now open for public viewing and special ceremonies. This palace remains in its original form adorned in detailed furnishings of silver, white, and gold. The palace is protected by a tall iron fence that stands in front of the palace courtyard, which is where people walk up to take some close up shots of the monument. Inside, the palace hosts some of the most valued art as well as state affairs, banquet halls, and plush guest rooms. For a small entrance fee, you can see all of this first hand. I chose to admire the Royal Palace from the outside.

La Rosaleda

Having some energy from a good night’s sleep, I took my second day in Madrid to get a head start on seeing as much as possible in one afternoon. After a great brunch near the Reina Sofia, I chose to dive in Buen Retiro Park, the Spanish equivalent of Central Park in New York. Despite a serious allergy attack, I trekked on to stumble upon a gorgeous rose garden. Apparently, Madrid is known for its many public gardens and parks, so this was a perfect little place to stop at. Resembling the “Secret Garden” I found La Rosaleda to be a hidden gem of Parque de Buen Retiro with its stunning array of colors, peaceful atmosphere, and adorable ponds and fountains. I highly recommend stopping here if you are nearby.

Palacio de Cristal

Continuing along the many paths in Parque de Buen Retiro, I found my way to Palacio de Cristal, a glass palace modeled after its sister building in London. The Crystal Palace is designed to resemble a Greek cross, and built on a brick base decorated with ceramic. It is absolutely incredible to see in person, nearly breath-taking at how beautiful it is, set behind a lush green lake, surrounded by lovely floral arrangements and trees. Inside you can take a 360 view of the entire see-through windows looking out past the palace and down the park. Upon leaving I took a stroll under a small waterfall beside ducks, geese, and swans. The palace truly felt magical.

Croquetas de Bacalao y Vermut

Of course my excursion in Madrid wouldn’t be complete without a tapas crawl. And boy did I eat and drink my way around the city! I love food, so this by far was my favorite part of getting to know Madrid (and Spain in general). Each morning I would start my day at a small cafe to order cafe con leche y tostada, then for lunch I would go with hostel friends in groups to local restaurants and bars to order dishes such as patatas bravas, croquetas, pan, empanadas, and drinks. I was shocked at how good all the food was and on top of that, how cheap it was to dine! The best night of tapas crawling in Madrid was on my second night where I decided to take out a few study abroad students from Philadelphia on a tapas crawl through some nearby barrios. We started at Las Bravas, known for their patatas bravas, on Calle Espoz y Mina. Of course we ordered their potatoes with spicy tomato sauce along with a round of canya – a delicious start to the night. From there we peeked into a dark saloon around the corner that I had stumbled in the night before. We sat down and ordered a round of Vermut which was accompanied by complimentary bite-size appetizers of bread and olive oil with sliced salami. Impressive. Next we ordered sangria with tortillas. Feeling good, we decided to carry on the night at another place near La Plaza Mayor. This hole in the wall restaurant looked like a dungeon, having to walk down narrow stone stairs to the basement portion where it then burst with locals heavy in conversation and laughs. Immediately we were seated and bought a round of canya and plate of calamari. That really hit the spot. We couldn’t stop smiling. Neither were we in the mood to stop eating. Soon after we got a craving for churros so we hiked out to La Plaza Mayor and popped into a churreria, where we ended the night dipping churros in hot chocolate, talking about never going back home.

Lightly grilled salmon with melted brie on toast and Vermut

Madrid left me aching in exhaustion, but in a good way. Though I didn’t spend my nights clubbing away, I had fun connecting to its people through my favorite ways: food, history, and the outdoors. It is a great city to absorb in such a small time and I walked away with a new found love for such urban settings. The Madrileños are pretty lucky.

To read more about my stay in Madrid, check out my journal entries here.

Read more posts by Alisha

This entry was posted on Monday, June 28th, 2010 at 12:35 PM and is filed under Photo Essays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.