The Tans are off to Spain! Background: Lesley-Anne has been learning Spanish in university for the past two years, and is currently in Madrid for a summer language programme. So we thought: "Aha! Perfect opportunity to have a holiday in Spain!"
Two flights later, including a transit stop at Dubai Airport and an excruciating 2-hour delay on a plane, we're here, sore backs and all! (Long flights just don't agree with stiff, ageing bodies). Our Madrid hotel is Petit Palace Puerta del Sol. This chain was recommended by a friend, and it's fantastic. Small but clean and the beds are super comfortable.
What's great is that it's right in the heart of the city centre, above Sol metro station. Puerta del Sol is known as km zero, because it's right smack in the middle of Madrid as well as in Spain. Very happening in the main atrium on a Sunday. Last week during the Champions League final, this entire area was turned into a bustling football pitch.
But best of all, we were reunited with Lesley-Anne! We hadn't seen her for three weeks, so it was a real delight.
She was our tour guide for the day and brought us to Plaza Mayor, which is the main square of Madrid, just a five-minute walk away. On Sundays, you see a variety of mascots traversing the square, including Mario, Mickey Mouse and those from Sesame Street.
The first restaurant Lesley-Anne brought us to was Takos Al Pastor near Plaza Mayor. This is a place that's frequented by locals because everything was in Spanish. There was a long line when we were there at 6pm which is pretty unusual because the Spanish typically eat late, dinner after 8.30pm.
Prices are ridiculously cheap - €1 (about S$1.50) per piece or €1.50 for the premium one.
It was quite amusing hearing Lesley-Anne order everything in Spanish. Like a pro!
Apart from the tacos, Lesley-Anne also ordered two pints of tinto de verona, which is a refreshing summer alcoholic drink, a lighter version of Sangria.
All that for €16! Seriously, the best tacos I've ever tasted. That was, of course, just an appetiser for dinner, which was a sampling of all that's great in Spain. The Spanish eat a lot of tapas (meaning "small plates") which suits us very well, since we like trying lots of things.
Next on the list was bocadillo de calamares (calamari sandwich), a popular snack/lunch in Spain. It literally is what it sounds like - a generous mountain of deep fried calamari on bread. We got this one from one of the more famous shops - La Campana. The winning formula has to be the batter - it's so well-flavoured and the calamari is crispy, not chewy. But we don't really get the calamari and bread combination. Because there's no sauce, it's a dry meal and the bread is pretty substantial. We ended up eating most of the calamari on its own.
Next on the list was Mercado San Miguel (San Miguel Market). It's probably the most popular markets in Madrid, rebuilt from a 13th century church that was burned down. It's very crowded and very touristy, but must see lah. It's super pretty.
There are 33 stalls in the market, each specialising in a specific type of cuisine, mostly tapas style. The displays all look extremely pretty and can get very overwhelming trying to decide what to order.
We tried a whole bunch of stuff, including burrata, empanadas (like a Spanish curry puff), ham and cod croquettes, gelato. Very happy campers, we are.
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