I had hoped to do the wine and tapa tour with Andrés and the tour with Stephen Drake-Jones, but Andrés did not have enough people the Saturday I was available for a tour. About the tour with
the Wellington Society .....I had a blast!!!!!!
I was able to join an already scheduled tour for Sunday afternoon at 1:30. I just called Stephen on the phone to make a reservation. Since I was traveling alone, I was really pleased to discover that he was doing an afternoon tour. There was another family of 6 on this tour so I made 7 in our group. Stephen likes to have 4 to do a tour and 10 is the maximum number.
He does a wide variety of tours including one on wines and cheeses. Our tour began in Plaza Santa Ana and included facts about the best Spanish authors, Hemmingway, bull fighters, Spanish royalty, Spanish government plus restaurantes, tapa bars, and of course the wines of Spain. Along the way, we stopped in two bars for wines and tapas. It was fun to sample the different wines and listen to the history of each place. The wine was more than ample and we were even served some seafood paella in one place as a little extra.
Our group was a wonderful mix and we all found we had a great deal in common. Stephen's fiance and her two kids joined us at the end of the tour in the Plaza Mayor where we continued our drinking and sampling of cheeses, jamón, and other tapas for several more hours.
After we said goodbye to Stephen and his new 'family', the rest of us went to a formal restaurante that Stephen had recommended for dinner. It was an excellent choice. More wine and excellent food!!!!
By the day's end, I had certainly had more than enough wine and I slept very well that night!!!!
I can't imagine doing this in combination with jetlag!!!!
I was fortunate to be doing my tours at the end of my trip.
With out doubt, I will be calling to join another tour next time I am in Madrid!!!
(In addition to all this, Stephen is willing to help you with all sorts of other questions concerning Spain, history, food, and travel. If he does not know the answer he will find the answer and send it to you!!!)