Leaving for Madrid in just a couple of hours. I'll be updating this thread from time to time with the things I'm doing and the wonderful food I'm eating. Yum Yum Yum!!! Also, for those in Madrid on Thursday, June 23rd, be sure to read the thread about the next "Party with MadridMan in Madrid" HERE !



Saludos, MadridMan

Have a great trip MM.
Robbieroy

Hola MadridMan, hope you have the best trip ever, enjoy your city and a bocadillo de calamares en el Brillante!

Cariños,
Carmen

Me han gustado mucho las dos banderas en la foto.

Buen viaje MM. ¡Que no pases mucho calor en Madrid!

Hello all! My first entry IN Madrid. And thank goodness I´m under the air conditioning! Whoo!!

Nothing much has happened yet. The flight was fine, no problems, smooth flying the whole way from JFK. LOTS of construction from the airport to Madrid, M-30, and seemingly just everywhere!

My ladyfriend picked me up as usual and we stopped first to pay a visit to her sister and mother. Now, I´m back in "my house" where I´ll be sleeping but not where I´ll be spending most of my time.

Going to take a nap here shortly, already showered, and will have a light lunch here after I wake up. A little later, after another siesta, we´re getting together with other family members of my ladyfriend at a terraza in the Casa de Campo, not far from me here. That should be nice.

I was please to see LOTS of people/Spaniards wearing shorts. Whew! I hope to avoid being outside during the hottest parts of the day. They say it´ll near 100ºF everyday for the next 5-days. Well, but it´s a dry heat. hehehe...

Just finished my first Mahou Beer. Hmmm.... Now time for a nap. Catch you later!

Saludos, MadridMan

Welcome back to Spain MM!

Enjoy your visit!

Fernando

Had a nice evening at a LARGE terraza in the Casa de Campo. My ladyfriend and I were there with her mother, sister, nephew, and a married couple who also have a boy the same age as the nephew. We put 3 tables together and talked for about 4 hours all the while eating tortilla de patatas, croquetas, morcilla, pulpo a la gallega, calamares, and a creamy fish spread which we put on bread. We also got two pitchers; one of regualar beer and one with beer and lemon. Mmm.. Very nice evening but the daytime was hot.

I´d had a nice, long nap this afternoon and, wow, it´s hot. Thank goodness it´s more of a DRY heat.

Tomorrow (Sunday), unfortunately Bar Paco - the place I always get my porras - is closed tomorrow morning. I guess I´ll have to wait until Monday morning to get those delicious delights to dunk in my coffee. Mmmmm.... Also - and more importantly - tomorrow is my laydfriend´s birthday so we´ll have some celebration at the sister´s house with a big lunch. Can´t wait.

Now, it´s almost 3am and I MUST get some sleep. Goodnight! ¡Hasta mañana!

Saludos, MadridMan

Yesterday was a difficult day, there being some "health issues" with some of the family members so we spent the majority of the day attending to them. We did have a nice dinner on the nice, city-skyline-view-terraza at the home of the sister of my ladyfriend where we had a kind of paella but instead of rice it had small macaronis. I can´t even begin to spell it but it's something like "FIDEUA".

Woke up at about 7:30am, put on my shorts/shirt from last night and went down the hill to the local bar which sells very good PORRAS!!!!!! Wow, I chomped down 6 with my coffee - probably overdid it. Mmmmm.... Now, I´m sitting in the A/C in the bedroom writing this, doing some "work", answering emails, and about to shower/dress to do some banking on the Calle de Toledo and maybe check out the building of the "Casa de Granada" on the Plaza de Tirso de Molina where we plan to have the "Party with MadridMan in Madrid this coming Thursday at 8pm. After that I´ll attend to the family member and we´ll pick up today where we left off last night.

By the way, SHORTS are definitely the way to go here. It´s HOT, about 95-98ºF these days, and only about 10% of the men are wearing shorts - the rest wearing long pants. Most of those men are wearing a kind of "capri pants" or pants going down just past the knee to the mid-calf. They´re called, in English, "Pirate Pants", and seem to be the summer fashion for men/boys. Wearing sandals and a nice, lightweight, button-down shirt (not tucked in) improves "the look" of wearing regular shorts. I can´t imagine my wearing jeans in this hot weather as I´ve seen A LOT of men wearing. Wow. I'd just melt into a puddle of sweat. ARGH!

Whew! And what construction!!! The M-30 is just, wow, a mess, including alllll along the river and throughout the city with road works and building renovations. I´m sure I´ll see more today.

That´s all for today. Going to take my first bus ride today. Unfortunately, the (temporary) closure of metro line 3 is going to make getting to MONCLOA much more difficult. Might have to just take a taxi from Calle de Toledo.

Saludos, MadridMan

Wow! MM's world famous travelogs! at last we'll hava a chance to read those yum-yums.
I had missed that a lot. I hope you don't melt too much, MM. I went yesterday to the amusement park. I was wearing jeans. Now i'm sick.

Please don't succumb to the temptation to wear pirate pants! They're everywhere and look awful. I'd walk the plank first....

I fully agree (at least in this Barry ). Pirate pants are horrible.

As for the fideuá (you spelled it correctly MM), it is typical from certain parts of Valencia. It is quite similar to a paella but with "fideos" (thus the name, it is small pasta).

Fernando

Thanks for the comments, guys!

We took a short break for lunch in the Moncloa area and at a nice restaurant called Mamá Lila, Calle de Domenico Scarlatti, 5 (web: http://www.webmamalila.com ) where, OF COURSE, I was the ONLY person in the place wearing shorts - everyone else in business attire. Even my ladyfriend looked beautiful, as usual, but this lunch at a nice restaurant was not planned so we just went. It wasn´t a problem though.

THIS is our table!


We first shared a plate of.. Yummmm... "Chipirones a la plancha con ajo y patatas". Wow. Those were GREAT!!!!! For the main course I had the "Escalopines de Ternera a las Dos Mostafas" (small slices of grilled beef with two kinds of mustard and some sliced potatoes) and my ladyfriend had the "Magret de Pato a la pimienta verde" which was GREAT too (I had a taste). Along with it we had a bottle of white wine - Martivilli Rueda from Valladolid. + the bottle of water, two breads, a dessert came to 73.72 Euros (gosh, about $90 - FOR LUNCH!!!) But it was a very nice place, good food, great service (one of those places where the bread server comes around with a special kind of steel scraper to scrape the bread crumbs from the table cloth). After the meal they brought a "complimentary" shot of our choice of 2 liquers. What, and they CHARGED (2.90 Euros) for two small bread rolls???? Silly, but okay. They were quite good but it´s like being charged for tortilla chips in a Mexican restaurant which is typically complimentary.

No one looked at me funny for wearing shorts either! Now, I have about 1 hour to take a quick nap and will spend the night with the rest of the family in the house of the sister on the other side of town, near the Plaza de Toledo. There, they don´t use their air conditioning (nor fans!?) which, to me, is quite shocking but hey, I´m the spoiled, air conditioned American here. hehehe...

Oh, and I didn´t make it to the bank this morning on the Calle de Toledo because the plumber came (dripping toilet - all´s fine now) and I, being the only one home at the time, had to tend to that. More information tomorrow!

Saludos, MadridMan

MM, you're driving me mad with jealousy with your descriptions of what you've ordered to eat. Enjoy!!

It seems you are having a great time

Just a quick correction:

It is "mostazas" which means "moustards" (two kinds of).

Se me está haciendo la boca agua...

Fernando

Wow. I wish I were there. Hey MM have a horchata for me.Salud

Thursday morning, 9:40a.m.: In just a moment I´m serving as the family "Fruit Mule". My ladyfriend´s elderly aunt, who lives nearby, is using me to carry her heavy bags during this morning´s fruit purchases in the neighborhood. I´m very happy to do it. I don´t know how these older women can manage walking to the stores, buying the fruit, and then walking back with these heavy bags, AND THEN climbing a number of flights of stairs. So I´ve happily enlisted myself to help.

This morning I went down to Bar Paco to get 5 porras to go and had them with my café con leche while watching the morning news. It has been sprinkling (rain) off and on all morning, thank goodness, and even had a passing shower last night.

Yesterday was much like the day before except I took the bus to Plaza Mayor (but didn´t go in) and walked down Calle de Toledo to do some banking. From there, I walked alllll the way to the Puerta de Toledo, the area in which my ladyfriend´s sister lives and where I spent much of the rest of the day. I did come "home" briefly for a shower and a siesta but returned immediately afterwards for dinner where we had green beens & peas, calamares, beefsteak, salad, and Mahou beer on their terraza. Had a nice sunset overlooking the illuminated Royal Palace, illuminated La Almudena Cathedral, illuminated top of the San Francisco Church, and farther to the right the illuminated Puerta de Alcalá. The sunset was orange and purple through some clouds - before the passing shower. A little windy too, which has been rare these days but welcomed.

Tonight´s the "Party with MadridMan in Madrid" at the Casa de Granada rooftop terraza on the Plaza de Tirso de Molina. A few people have confirmed their attendance but let´s see. It´ll be a small crowd, I´m sure.

Saludos, MadridMan

95-98 degrees?, oh jeez...I'm going for the 1st week of July, and unfortunately the in-laws don't have the same appreciation for A/C that I do. So I can relate, MM.

Post photos of the party!

Bill

Sorry! No photos were taken and no cameras were brought, knowing it would be a small, less-formal "Party with MadridMan in Madrid". Sorry!

Yesterday, Friday, was a decent day. Were again in the Moncloa/Clínico San Carlos area and had a good lunch at Restaurante Gobolem on Calle Julián Romea, 5. We started with the ... mmmmm.. MmMmmmmm... Chopitos a la andaluza (huge plate full of small, lightly breaded and fried squid - my god I love these), then my ladyfriend and I both had the Chuletillas de Cordero (beef chops) with potatoes. All this with bread, a bottle of Cerrosol brand Rueda white wine, bottled water (2.70 Euros the biggest 1st World racket if you ask me), bread, and a lemon and champagne sorbet for dessert. Total: 72.65 Euros.

Last night I accompanied my ladyfriend´s sister and her son to an extracurricular course in Barrio Salamanca, after which we WALKED all the way to El Brillante where I invited them to a sandwhich and drinks on the back terraza. To no ones surprise, *I* ordered the bocadillo de calamares. Wow, that was great. There were SO many terrazas in this plaza up against the Reina Sofía Museum, lots of people out and about. It was a true pleasure to sit there in the shade at 8:30pm, talking, watching the boy play, and enjoying the rest. After that, we took the bus "home" where we sat out on the terraza for the next 2 hours, talking over tea, while waiting for my ladyfriend to arrive.

That´s all for now. Today, I´m meeting my friend Rafael here in the neighborhood to run some errands. After that, I´ll go back to the Moncloa/Clínico area by metro (grey line to Moncloa).

Saludos, MadridMan

I have never understood the bocadillo de calamares. My American friend who lives there calls it "carb overload"! I was once able to choke one down with a supplement of ali-oli and plenty of "tubos de cerveza".

However, I have been known to order it from time to time. It is the perfect amount of calamares for one, after you toss out the bread!

No offence intended!

It´s been 3 days since my last entry. Today is Tuesday. Last Sunday night my ladyfriend and I took her nephew (6.5 years old) to the Parque de Atracciones in the Casa de Campo in Madrid. We arrived at about 7pm and stayed ´til about 10:30pm. My ladyfriend was shocked at the entrance prices but she hadn´t been there since she was a child so, of course, the prices have gone up. She said the only thing that remains of when she was a child was the carousel/merry-go-round and the big ferris wheel. Everything else is MUCH newer. Anyway, we were really there to entertain her nephew so we got tickets which allowed entry and 2 rides each and for the newphew, of course, unlimited rides. My ladyfriend and I had dinner later at home but gave "dinner" to the nephew there where, I laughed, the LARGE hamburger was only 0.50 Euros more expensive than the mediaum Coca Cola. He had a great time, of course, and rode as many rides as possible. His favorite, to no suprise of anyone, was the "log ride" (a water ride which he rode about 3 times) which SIMPLY goes around a corner, then slowly up a hill, and then WHOOOOOSH! down a steep hill, creating a huge, drenching water wave all over YOU and whatever spectators there may be on the bride passing over the bottom of the water hill. I didn´t ride this one with him but my ladyfriend did. I must say I was happy to see the freedom of children (and their parents) to strip down to their shorts, young girls and boys alike, to ride this ride so that their shirts weren´t soaked with water. Never would you see girls of 6 years and younger do this in the USA at an amusement park - MAYBE at the beach though.

Yesterday (Monday) we were in the Moncloa/Clínico San Carlos area as we have been each day in the last week, tending to a sick family member, my ladyfriend and I had our lunch in a nearby bar/restaurant called Santillana: Café Restaurante (Calle Isaac Peral, 52). There as is often the case with these kinds of places, they offer a Menú del Día which - which we had. You enter from the street and immediate you see the large bar, nothing special, just people have a drink or snack. Then you walk to the back and see this quite nice and large dining room. We waited only a moment to be seated by our waiter. The waiter, wearing a tuxedo vest, which short sleeved shirt and tie, rapidly put down the place settings and WHIPPED and folded our cloth napkins into and elegant arrangement before putting them down before us. As I said, we ordered from the Menú del Día and ate quite well. First course I had a HUGE soup bowl of white beans and pieces of chorizo. My ladyfriend had the gazpacho. Second course we both had the roast beef with gravy and fried potatoes. With it all we had a large bread roll, two large glasses of beer with lemon juice, and then ice cream for dessert. All that for 8 Euros EACH!!! WOW! Quite a good and LARGE meal in a decent place for MUCH less than we´d paid in the previous days.

The previous TWO days we had lunch in the same area in a place called "La Creperie Easycrep" where they sell dozens of different kinds of meal crepes. It´s a chain restaurant and a sit down restaurant too. We had a LARGE salad to share, The "Tropical", which was pineapple pieces, strips of chicken, walnuts, lettuce, and a kind of creamy mayonaisse sauce. Very good. To eat I had the Chicken and Italiano crepes and my ladyfriend had the vegetarian "verde" crepe. A good and filling lunch for two for 27.50 Euros.

This morning we woke up later than normal (8am) nd took the nephew for breakfast at a nearby bar where HE had the Cola Cao and a large donut. My ladyfriend had the café con leche & toast with olive oil (darn. I should´ve had that) and I had the same porras (5!!) and café con leche. All that for about 3.75 Euros. Cheap!

Now I´m packing up, already hung the last load of laundry on the terraza above and it should be dry by now. (wow, that laundy dries FAST here!) Once I take it down, right about now, I´ll start packing my bag for tomorrow´s flight home. :sad: After that, I´ll walk to my laydfriend´s aunt´s house and say goodbye to her. Then, next, I´ll go to my ladyfriend´s sister´s house and have lunch with her at a nearby restaurant. Then, later, I´ll go join my ladyfriend and say goodbye to her mother. Later this evening, my ladyfriend and I will have dinner at a Pulpería and eat boiled octopus in place just on the other side of the Río Manzanares. Mmmmm.. Can´t wait.

Tonight will be a sad night, my last night here and all. We´ll get up tomorrow morning at about 7am and get last last things together to get to the airport by about 8:30 or 9am for my 11am flight. Once there and after saying my said, sometimes tearful goodbyes to my ladyfriend, I´ll likely have my last bocadillo de patatas while awaiting my flight for JFK on Delta.

This, now, will likely be my last entry until I arrive home tomorrow night (Wednesday) and will then post a follow-up before returning to work Thursday morning. Ugh.

Now, time to take down the sun-dried clothes from the terraza above. Beautiful, dry, cool, windy and clear day here in Madrid - about 81ºF - and Ana Belén singing on the radio, Top Radio - 97.2 FM. Aaaaa... Mi Madrid. Te amo. No quiero irme. Nos vemos otra vez en octubre.

Saludos a todos, MadridMan

Have a safe trip home and your Madrid blog was very entertaining to read.

Bill

MadridMan...I wish you a safe return to the States! I loved reading about your time spent in Madrid. I am always so happy when you are there...it's funny, but when you are in Madrid, I feel like the world is spinning along the way it should be.
I was supposed to be in Madrid last week too (if I hadn't gotten the Argentine Fulbright)...and we would have met in Madrid...oh well, hopefully we will meet at another MadridMan get together in the future.

Hi MM
I would like to echo the sentiments of Bill and esperanza - I really enjoyed reading your blog,
All the best for summer and hopefully you will be back in Madrid in October.
I am off today to spend 4 weeks in Andalucia. Although I won't be doing much travelling, I will be learning more Spanish and playing a bit of tennis.
Best Wishes
Robbieroy

Hi MM,
I nearly cried reading your last entry. I know exactly how you feel, i NEVER want to come home from madrid, and I'm never glad to be home once I get here either. One day we'll be able to go there and not come back. think of this when you're down!!

Yeah I really related to your last entry. My significant other or "gentleman friend" lives in Madrid. Leaving is the worst, worst, worst feeling. And there is nothing you can do but get on the plane and look forward to the next trip. I have a similar Barajas airport routine -- bocadillo de tortilla y cafe at the cafe on the arrivals level; then I make my way through security and wait for my fateful re-entry to the U.S. But, welcome back anyway! We're glad you had such a fabulous time.