This was our last day in Madrid and we had a close encounter with pickpockets. We were shopping along the crowded Gran Via in the morning, when Andre felt someone step on his shoe. Realising that the person must have been very close to him, he was immediately on his guard and slowed down to let the person pass him. That's when he saw two girls trying to unzip Kenneth's backpack from behind. The moment he looked at them, they immediately vanished into the crowd.
Thank God for Andre's instincts! It was a close shave. Tip: always carry your bag in front of you, not at the back. We've been quite vigilant, but it just takes one moment of distraction and a large crowd for something to happen. According to Andre, one of the girls was carrying a selfie stick, which meant that she was pretending to be a tourist. Sneaky.
Anyway, we're none the worse for it, thankfully. We went for lunch at Rosi La Loca, a restaurant recommended by Lesley-Anne's housemate. It's a delightfully kitschy place, with loud decor and a vibrant interior.
Funk seems to be hallmark of this place. We saw dishes served in bull-shaped bowls and in platters with glass covers. The paella is served in a pan the diameter of a wok. When the waiter brought us the burrata, he used a large syringe to inject pesto sauce into it! (It was so quick we weren't prepared for photos).
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| Pesto-stuffed burrata |
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| Eggplant chips with honey |
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| Pork loin and tuna tataki |
The tuna tataki was served in a boat with dry ice. But gimmicks aside, the food was sensational. I don't usually like pork, but that pork loin was so tender and flavourful that we ordered a second serving.
After our meal, they gave us three complementary test tubes of some peach slush.
If we had more time in Madrid, we would come back here for sure. This was hands-down the best meal we had in Madrid.
We had originally planned to visit Prado Museum in the afternoon. Madrid has three museums in the area they call the Golden Triangle of Art. Prado Museum has the biggest collection of Spanish art in the world, featuring Spanish painters like Goya, Velazquez, Rubens. However, we were feeling the after effects of many days of walking and the thought of walking two hours around a museum made us even more lethargic.
So we decided to give it a miss and just go to Retiro Park. Happily, Lesley-Anne could join us after her lessons in the afternoon. Retiro Park is a fantastic green lung right in the city, and is very pretty.
It's such a restful and beautiful place. Sitting on a park bench under the shade is the perfect way to spend an afternoon. As long as you stay out of the summer heat.
One of the park's main attractions is the Crystal Palace, which sits in the middle of the sprawling park. It was originally meant to be a greenhouse when it was built in 1887 but is used as an exhibition hall today. There was a temporary exhibition going on when we visited it.
It's very elegant but we saw how it could have been used as a greenhouse because we felt the greenhouse effect. It was sweltering inside - as if all the sun's rays were laser beamed into our skin. Probably better to go in the morning!
Next, we visited the rose garden. This is another gorgeous place. The roses were in full bloom in a multitude of hues. I'm sure couples come here to get married - it's such a romantic setting.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped for gelato. We've had very good ice-cream in Spain, but this little parlour called Giolatto has the best ones we've tried. So many flavours, how to choose??
And finally, dinner. Ice-cream was only the appetiser, of course! This dinner was special because it was a belated Father's Day celebration for Kenneth. We'd made reservations at Botin, which is the oldest restaurant in the WORLD. Yup, you read right! Founded in 1725, this restaurant is almost 300 years old. They still use some of the original ovens!
The restaurant is best known for its cochinillo (suckling pig) and roast lamb. We ordered a portion of each and a couple of other dishes:
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| Shrimps in garlic sauce |
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| Garlic soup with egg |
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| Pork and lamb with potatoes |
Even though we only ordered one portion each of the pork and lamb, the waiters divided them into four portions, with a piece of lamb and a piece of pork on each plate, so all of us would get to try it. That was nice. And that suckling pig was very good indeed. But if you want our honest opinion, this was not one of the more memorable meals, taste-wise, and it's very expensive. Basically, you're paying to eat at a historic institution.
Nonetheless, it was a special occasion and a remarkable place. Happy Father's Day!
And that wraps up our adventures in Spain. We had a grand ole time - fantastic sights, friendly people and of course, the phenomenal food. I think I will miss that most of all. We're so making our own tinto de verano when we get home. Cheers!
