Krystal covered the last couple of days in Buenos Aires.  We had a great time there. But, by the end, and especially after a 9 hour layover in Lima, Peru, I was ready to get on with our next adventure.  The flights weren’t quite as luxurious as our Miami to Buenos Aires flights.  But, the seats still laid all the way back.  So, we were able to sleep through most of the flights.  This comfort was particularly welcome on the 10 1/2 hour overnight flight from Lima to Madrid.

When we arrived in Madrid, we had only been awake for an hour or so.  It felt like morning.  But, it was actually 2:30 in the afternoon.  So, we checked into the hotel and planned to skip our usual post-arrival nap and get right on with our adventures.  The Hotel Urban is one of the only hotels we’re staying in that is not a Hilton or Hyatt (the companies that Krystal uses for business travel, where she’s got all of the status).  But, we were able to use American Airlines points to book this killer, modern hotel, right in the middle of all of the things we had planned to do in Madrid.  There’s a good chance we won’t have to get in a cab until we head to the airport on Tuesday.

The first afternoon we walked to Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor.  These are both pretty touristy locations.  So, we just walked around taking it all in.  We hadn’t even asked around or investigated the food situation.  So, uncharacteristically, we went with something that we knew and stopped into a local Thai restaurant.  I had so much beef in Argentina.  And, after 5 days there, I realized that I hadn’t eaten many vegetables at all other than potatoes (which don’t really count as veggies from a health standpoint).  So, we hit Bangkok Thai and we loaded down with veggies.  Yum!

We watched an episode of Dexter and got to bed early.  It was around 9pm.  So, we had only been awake for around 8 hours that day.  But, it was fun and exciting.  And, taking in all of that incredible architecture and all of the new sights and sounds of this incredible city was draining.  It was easy to get to sleep early.  And, that made it that much easier to wake up early today.  The Prado opens at 10am.  So, we were up at 8am to get a good breakfast to fuel our day.

Breakfast is included at our hotel.  So, we swung by the restaurant for some free grub.  In addition to a small buffet, we were offered eggs, with a choice of bacon, sausage, or sautéed vegetables.  I chose bacon, which turned out to be ham.  I should have had the veggies.  But, it was still pretty good.  Krystal was feeling the jet lag, so she passed on the eggs.  In the end, it was free.  And, that’s about what it was worth.  But, we were filled up and ready to see some masterpieces.

First stop for the day was the Prado.  This is one of the most famous museums in the world.  But, it’s all really, really old, classical oil paintings of portraits and religious scenes.  That’s all well and good.  And, Krystal helped me to appreciate that these paintings are technical masterpieces and some of the only visual evidence of what life might have been like before photography.  My favorites were the violent religious paintings.  But, I kept thinking, “When did artists start taking drugs and painting interesting shit?”  We saw a lot of interesting art.  But, we were only there for an hour or so before we gave up and headed to the Thyssen.

The Thyssen contains work all the way up through modern and post-modern works of the 20th century.  I found it infinitely more interesting.  And, I really enjoyed myself.  We were there for a couple of hours.  Aside from being annoyed by a couple of a-holes who kept using their cell phones, despite being asked by security to turn them off, this was an excellent experience.

After the museums, we had again worked up a good appetite.  So, we set out looking for some PAELLA!  If you haven’t had it before, paella is basically rice, cooked in saffron with seafood.  And, it’s DELICIOUS!  We also ordered a couple of smaller dishes (tapas) as appetizers.  Krystal chose bacon & brie on toast.  I chose pig’s ears, based on something that I had seen on Rick Steves’ Europe.  They also brought us some superb potato salad and bread.  The bacon & brie on toast was wonderful.  But, the pig’s ears were pretty gross.  Unfortunately, the plate of pig’s ears was enormous.  Probably a dozen pigs’ worth.  I hated wasting so much food.  But, I could honestly only eat a few bites.  The cartilage was crunchy in a not-very-awesome way.  And, the “meat” around it was mushy and gross, like fat.  But, I tried it.  And, Krystal had one bite, too!  The paella was the highlight of the meal. I’m not sure what all seafood was in it.  I know there was calamari, shrimp (in the shells – eyes and all), clams, mussels, and some kind of white fish. There was also a chicken wing in there, which seemed odd but delicious.

Bacon & Brie!

Pig's Ears

Paella

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel to rest up a bit.  Siesta is a part of the culture here.  So, who are we to ignore thousands of years of tradition?  We watched an episode of Dexter and took a short nap.  Krystal is better at napping than I am.  So, I mostly researched dining options and things to do while she was sleeping.  When Krystal woke, I told her that I thought we should go to Plaza de Santa Ana and bar hop.  In doing so, we could order one drink a piece, and it would likely be served with tapas.

The first place we hit was called Miau.  I guess that’s Spanish for “meow” because there were cat images everywhere.  We each ordered a glass of red wine.  Along with it, we were each served a complimentary small piece of toast with tomato, onion, olive oil and an anchovy.  Krystal hates onions, and wasn’t too keen on eating a whole fish, no matter how tiny.  So, she ordered a different toast dish with goat cheese and peppers.  I ate the anchovy, but definitely preferred her goat cheese toast. For all of this, it was only 8 euros. Good deal.

Goat cheese & peppers on toast!

At our second stop, we ordered a couple of beers.  We were provided with a bowl of green olives.  Krystal LOVES olives.  But, I’m not into them.   So, I ordered a plate of manchego cheese sprinkled with olive oil.  By the time we finished these things, we realized that we weren’t going to bar hop very far tonight.  We had just enough room left in our stomachs for a dessert and coffee/tea.  We stopped at a small cafe and pulled up a seat at a table outside.  It’s winter here.  But, it was a nice night, and we were perfectly comfortable sitting outside.  The best part was that I finally got my CHURROS!!  Churros are basically Spanish donuts.  FRIED BREAD!!!!  Mmmmmm!!!!

Olives, cheese, & bread

Churros!!

Now, we’re back in the hotel, blogging, and enjoying a new guilty pleasure.  We’re watching a program called “Border Security”.  It’s about customs agents in Australia.  It’s interesting both because we’re going to Australia, and because we’re going through Customs over and over in many different countries on this trip.  It’s really interesting!

Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow exactly.  But, I know I’m tired tonight!  I’m turning in now, to dream about what tomorrow might have in store for us!  More pics from Madrid later.

Good night!

-CH