Ole - Mad Madrid

Ole to Madrid – what’s with the big paper Mache heads??

Arriving in Madrid the weekend of the Fiesta de San Isidro was not something we had planned but could not have worked out better. This is just one of many Fiestas celebrated throughout the year.    

This city really put on a show for us but I get the feeling it’s really always like this – full of people young and old, fun and laughter.

This is a really friendly place.

  An easy metro ride and we were in the thick of things!

 On our first night landing in Spain and raced to our tapas and history tour with  Devour Tours which I had pre booked and I cannot recommend these guys enough.

The tour leader Oliver was super passionate about the city, the food, history and culture of Spain and Madrid; you will not get a more in-depth and interesting insight tour like this anywhere else. (and I have been on a few!).

 The tour took us though the main areas in the centro of town  (its still daylight until 10.00pm in Spain, but that's another story!). Walking around the Palace area, the main Plaza Major’ and getting an insight into the Fiesta De San Isidro which was starting this weekend. This fiesta is in honour of St Isidore a humble 12th century farm worker that became the city's patron  

Locals dress up as Mojos and Majoas (men and ladies in traditional costumes) and dance in the plaza with the ‘gigantes’ – people dressed as giants with large paper mache heads.

It’s bright and loud and fun!

The tour also too us though hidden areas, like the cloistered Spanish nuns that sell their cookies, made from a recipe dating back to roman times which you can buy. 

If you can find the monastery door (Monastery of Corpus Christi) and arrive there at the correct times – we will find a bell to ring and thus wait. You will never see the nuns as the cookies will arrive as a lazy Susan spins around with your requested cookies. If you really want to try and find these cookies – see the link attached.. good luck !

https://boingboing.net/2015/05/13/how-to-buy-secret-cookies-bake.html

The history and fiesta were a great part of the tour,  but the theme of food was starting to flow though and we were off to our first tapas bar –and these guys will show you how to do tapas like a local.

Now the highlight I thought would be the famous jamon ham that the Iberian region is famous for. The fat, acorn feed pigs that produce a  melt in your mouth ham – well it was a highlight, but there was so much more to enjoy,

I can provide you with a fill list of the places we visited but the insight into knowing

how to select the best tapas bar 

and 

how to order and know the speciality and what to drink with it, was so valuable  tip from our tour guide.

Tapas

You need to know:

The best tapas bars are the messiest! Yes - if you find a tapas bar that has a big crowd or if you see lots of paper napkins littered on the floor – then you know its a good one. Patrons  know to drop their napkins on the floor so its an indication of a good place to eat and drink.

Most tapas bars will specialise in a particular dish.

Some highlights on our tour were; 
the garlic prawns – so simple

BBQ little peppers – chargrilled  little morsels that you just pop in your month – and great with a beer of wine

The ham – of course and stuffed mushrooms – all wonderful

For the full menu or to book a tour - go to  Devour Tours

The famous Iberian ham which hangs in tapas bar that specialise in this delicacy. The red cones below are there to capture luscious fat

We based ourselves slightly out of centre in the area around Plaza del Dos de Mayo which had a lot of students and a cool grunge feel to the area.

WE barely scratched the surface of this amazing city with only a few days so definitely want to return one day.

The next leg of our journey will take us to Lisbon with a great lunch time stop on at Trujillo. What a wonderful treasure we found - more soon in the next blog

Why so bright at 9.30pm at night? Interesting fact:

General Franco adopted Central European Time (CET) in 1940 in a show of allegiance to Hitler’s Germany. Due to its time zone, Spaniards have worked longer hours and finished later than in other European countries.This basically has a lot to do with the later work start times, the siestas and the late night tapas and dining culture.Enjoying a tapas filled evening may sound good, but does not tie well with trading business times with neighbouring countries  so the Spanish government is thinking about  changing back in a bid to bring the nation’s working day in line with Europe. Supporters of moving the clock back one hour say it would improve Spain's weak productivity and allow for work and family life to better fit together. 

If you have any interesting tips or stories about your travels, please share!