Four (plus!) Tapas and a Wedding!

Hombre, ¿qué tal?....... from the Wandering Berkmans! 

Our visit to Madrid, Spain in 2018 for a week had us making plans by day 2 to return.  We knew that for this 2 1/2 month visit we wanted to stay a bit away from the hustle of city center so we chose this great Airbnb in the Pacifico section of Madrid near the wonderful Parque Retiro.  We also knew we'd be having visitors (Laura! Julia!) so we needed a bit more room.  It takes 20 steps to get from one end of the hallway to another (we measured!) so the runway aspect of the place is unusual but we love looking out from the balcony every morning to see the locals go about their day.  (Is that doorman really cleaning the inside and outside of the garbage can? Look, there's "Imelda" from the building across the street, surveying the goings-on as well. And the three musicians living above her-- that song is going to be a hit!) 

Here's Don at work in our home "office".  

It only took one mistake in ordering food with a drink before we realized (we had forgotten!) that with every drink order in a Madrid cafe or bar comes a little tapa.  Since then, we don't even consider a nosh until we see what comes with, usually some delicious olives, a slice of tortilla (egg, potato and onion frittata), a croqueta or a little dish of paella.  And then-- let the orders begin!  Going over our pictures, I think all we've done is eat.  

One of Don's favorite "comidas" (the big lunch) so far was this tomato, pesto and mozzarella cheese salad and (below) jamon serrano con tumaca (tomato).  Ok, mozz cheese not so Spanish but oy was the combination amazing.  And the jamon gave this first course Madrileño legitimacy.

Keep the pesto to use as a dip for the similarly delicious grilled tuna? ¡Si, por favor!

Zach turned us on to tinto de verano after his summer abroad some years ago.  This ditty is a refreshing mixture of red wine,  lemon soda, lots of ice and some lemon slices.  A little less heavy than sangria, which usually has the addition of brandy or another liquor, and perfect for a hot summer day in Parque Retiro when you don't want to snooze and drool at the table by 3 pm.   

Grilled pulpo on a bed of potato and tomato mash with smoked paprika.  Please, no mention of My Octopus Teacher (I'm not going to even supply the link!).

Our first night here we stopped at a cerveceria down the street called La Oveja Amarilla that's owned by a Spaniard/Irish couple.   It's become our home base for vermut de grifo (vermuth on tap), tasty tostas and our weekly Intercambio MeetUps (more on that later).  Also, Don was able to sample for the first time his new favorite salad that's served everywhere -- Ensalada Rusa 

It's been seafood mania for me here.  This tasty colorful dish of mussels,  mejillones a la vinagreta, is garnished with marinated peppers, onions and garlic-- another perfect dish on a warm night.  

We discovered Casa Revuelta on our first trip here to Madrid in 2018 and made a beeline for it on our first day back.  Located just across the plaza from our prior Airbnb, it was a wonderful and dangerous find.  Their specialty-- vermut de grifo or una caña (a small beer on draft) with a perfectly seasoned and fried cod fish fritter, crispy enough for my mom's  approval! Who could ask for anything more?? The bar is dinky and dark, always packed, there are no chairs and it's the best local-docal place we know.  They opened another location a block away, with chairs,  but... no.  

This melon de piel de sapo (melon with toad skin-like rind, basically) is largely just meh but pair it with jamon serrano and welcome to one of the tastiest tapas you can sample. 

Admittedly, this won't float everyone's boat but this tosta of gazpacho and anchovies over grilled bread had me swooning.

Did I mention I'm eating a lot of fish here? This tosta is delightfully called Matrimonio as it features alternating slices of two different kinds of anchovies over toasted bread and tomato.  

On our first supermarket shopping trip (always fun to check out all the offerings!) we were all set to pick up ingredients to make the lovely but time consuming and "kinda messy in the kitchen" gazpacho.  Until we saw this puppy on the first shelf, containing just the 8 simple ingredients we use for our gazpacho.  How could we not give it a try?  And we're so glad we did because we drink this stuff like water now.  Daily intake of vegetables kind of on the low side today?  Drink a glass of gazpacho! (And yes, it's often served in a glass in cafes).  

More tostas to try-- Don's was especially unusual as it had his beloved Ensalada Rusa topped with a sunny side up egg.  I seem to be a one trick pony with the anchovies. 

And finally, we like our breakfast too much to not make it at home.  When you bring your own cafetera, the coffee is good, strong and plentiful.  Serve it along with fresh squeeze orange juice and pan tumaca and we're ready to take on the city!

Our daily MO when we're not at home planning or documenting our adventures is to plan to visit one place for the day and then spend the rest of the time just wandering through that part of the city (largely on foot although the mass transit in the city is excellent).   We've come across some beautiful architecture, terrific historical spots and some tasty eats largely by accident.  Case in point- we stumbled upon the home where Cervantes lived for a spell and died in the Las Letras area of the city.    

We met Stacy (3rd from left) at her cerveceria La Oveja Amarilla and quickly joined forces to host a weekly MeetUp Intercambio for those looking to practice their English and Spanish.  With 3 successful meetings under our belts, we're looking forward to meeting more fun and interesting people and sharing answers to the random questions we bring along to keep the conversation flowing (thank you, Susan and Andrew for the inspiration!).  Most interesting answer so far-- when asked about the most spontaneous thing you've ever done, one person said they said to someone in the Metro "I want to get lost in your hair." Never a dull moment!

Just another building with beautiful balconies.  They're everywhere!

El Palacio de Cristal in Parque Retiro is a stunning work of architecture.  It's now part of the Museo Reina Sofia and hosts exhibits.  Camera shy- Picasso's Guernica in the Reina Sofia.  Guards kept us from taking pictures but to see the final product as well as Picasso's sketches in the process made for a special visit.  

In a plaza near our place that holds a number of cafes as well as the local City Hall, we witnessed last Saturday two couples with their families waiting to get married.  Don and I took it all in on these special benches that are part of a "Venice Beach" workout area for the elderly set.   

Someone's taking Spanish lessons!  Twice a week Don travels to city center to join a small group for conversation and language learning.  His new favorite sentence-- "Ella es mi media naranja." ("She is my better half.").  Here he is  proudly showing the location of his school.  Next he's going to run for class president on a "Recess all Day!" platform.  

Speaking of City Hall, the Palacio de Comunicaciones (shown here and below) in the Plaza de Cibeles  is a tremendous and stunning show of architecture.  We saw a great exhibit of photography from the 60's and 70's here and took in sights of the city from the rooftop.   

Street shade via mantoncillos or picos, the shawls traditionally worn with flamenco dresses (see below) .  

Not eating indoors does limit us a tad so when we find a place with a table by a big open window we're golden.   Here's Don contemplating "vermut or caña?" as he's treated to La Abuela's tasty croquetas (insert joke here). 

 

Don was blown away by an exhibit on Women of Ancient Egypt at the Palacio Alhajas that featured among other fascinating items an open casket and the wrapped body.  The poor thing. 

But wait-- we've seen the tapas.  Where is the wedding??  

The timing of our Madrid visit worked out perfectly as it applied to the wedding of Lulu, the daughter of our good friends Sylvie and Chris from France.  So after just a week here, we flew out to Geneva and were so very honored to be a part of the beautiful and touching ceremony and party afterwards in the 1000 year old Chateau d'Avully in Brenthonne, which is owned by the family of Paul, the groom.  It was like something out of a movie.   

Félicitations a Lulu, Paul et la petite Louise!  And merci beaucoup to our wonderful friends for inviting us to this special family occasion and for the joy of seeing you all again after so long.   Finally-- we attend a wedding we're actually invited to!  

And while there, why not a visit to Chamonix-Mont Blanc? We made it as high as the Aiguille du Midi before vertigo hit us all so no walking on the glass box lookout point for us, merci.  

We're T-4 days and counting for my sister Laura's long awaited return to the continent and arrival in Madrid!  Our schedule is packed but mostly includes wandering around the city, eating (of course)  and catching some flamenco. We will restrain ourselves from jumping on stage as well but no promises.  

Later in the month, we'll head down to Malaga and Nerja to join our French friends again for a couple of beach days.  Then Julia takes on Madrid with us for 2 weeks (yay!) before we head back to the US for Thanksgiving and more family fun.   

Until next time, here's a little SOL that shows we still need to adjust our time schedule to match the locals.  This video was taken at 10.30 at night from our balcony, just as my head was about to hit the pillow.  We'll have what they're having!

Be well and thanks again for following along!  ¡Hasta luego!

Don and Monica

spain, france