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| Welcome drinks - Plaza Major |
As you’ll have noticed, I’ve had to change the title
of my blog now that I’ve had my 70th birthday. And what a birthday
it was!! Initially, when Steve asked if I’d like a party or go away somewhere,
I immediately answered go away! Having no idea whether he meant for a night or
two or something longer, I asked him what my budget was. He told me I didn’t
have one – BIG mistake on his part! Madrid has been pulling at my heartstrings
for awhile so I proposed either Madrid, which Steve hadn’t visited, or Paris,
which I know he loves. He said my choice so I chose Madrid.
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| Front of Palace |
To me, Madrid has a very elegant feel – it has
history and architectural treasures that are phenomenal and in some instances,
similar to other European cities, but they are at the top of my list, followed
by Paris. One of the things that I especially love about the city is its vibe.
I’ve always felt comfortable and at home there and I love the small plazas
lined with outdoor tables and chairs. One of my favorite places is the Royal
Palace, full of beautifully decorated rooms; however, my most favorite is its’
armory. It’s a shame that I can’t share any photos but none are allowed. Just
past the main entrance are two enormous stair cases where they are each composed of a single piece of San Agustin marble with two lions gracing the landings. There are two
stair cases because of course the king and queen couldn’t use the same one. We
were told that the queen had to be carried up her staircase by four men because
her dress was so heavy she couldn’t hold it up. Wandering through rooms of silk
wall coverings, elaborate chandeliers, furniture and countless clocks seem to
transport us back a few hundred years.
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| Mercado San Miguel |
We rented an apartment in the historical area just
five minutes from the Plaza Mayor and another favorite spot of mine, MercadoSan Miguel, a renovated wrought-iron and glass building where Steve and I had our first tapas of the trip. Both are also favorites of everyone who visits so they were
extremely packed with locals and tourists. The first couple of days we took two
city tours, a walking one and the Hop on Hop Off bus tour. Combining both gave
us a general idea of where we’d like to go back to visit on the days we didn’t
have tours out of the city. One of my new favorite places is the top of Circulo de Bellas Artes where you have a view of the city and can have a leisurely glass of wine. It's definitely on my list for a return trip.
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| University Salamanca |
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| Avila - walled city |
We also took day-long tours to Toledo and Segovia on
one day and Salamanca and Avila on another day. It meant being up at 5:30am to
catch the Metro to get to the tour meet-up point and both tours were 12 hours
long – so incredibly long days but naps on the coach! First was Salamanca with
a history dating back to the
Celtic era. Known for its ornate sandstone architecture and for the Universidad
de Salamanca founded in the 1100s, as well as their cathedral around the same
era. Then on to Ávila, northwest of Madrid, known for its intact medieval city
wall and a Romanesque cathedral that was part of the fortress. Back at sunset,
we had to decide whether to take the Metro back to our area or look for
somewhere local to eat. We chose our area and ended up in the Plaza San Andreas
for another late dinner.
Sunday was spent as
most Madrileños do – European sport (Steve was able to listen but not see the
Grand Prix), followed by wandering the streets and battling the thousands of
others for a table for a very late lunch at 4 p.m. Perfecto! No dinner that
night but we did pop out to a local plaza tapas bar for late night drinks.
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| Aqueducts - Segovia |
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| Alcázar |
Monday was another
early start to Segovia, famous for its’ 3 main landmarks – the Roman aqueduct,
the cathedral and the Alcázar (castle). The aqueduct dates to late first
century or early 2nd century and was built by the Romans – no mortar holding
the stones together. Built around 1122 the Alcázar was initially used as a palace, then a military fortress. Fairly recent
compared with the others, the cathedral was consecrated in 1768. Then on to
Toledo, known as the “city of Three Cultures” due to the medieval Arab, Jewish
and Christian monuments in its walled old city. First known to be inhabited by
the Celts, then the Romans. The Alcázar of Toledo, a stone fortification
located in the highest part of Toledo was once used as a Roman palace in the
3rd century.
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| Trying out a guitar |
On our days off from tours, we wandered the city
center for hours stopping off for tapas and wine. There’s just so much to see! On
our last full day in Madrid, our
first stop was to test and "shop" for guitars. All handmade and what
a lovely place! First Steve had to try them out - all the way up to the next
level being custom made. What a beautiful morning! We then hopped on the metro
and walked to a rooftop bar with an expansive view of the city. Lunch was late
again and surrounded by a crowd of futbol fans from Bruge, and then postres at
Mercado San Miguel. Finally, on our list was sunset drinks at another rooftop
bar in "our hood" as a friend in Vallarta calls local bars. Since our
lunches tended to be between 3 or 4 p.m., they eat dinner around 10 to 11 p.m.,
our sunset drinks were pre-dinner by a few hours.
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| Last sunset in Madrid |
So, Madrid was my
real birthday present – my birthday party kind of grew through a conversation
with a friend at another party who said, “you have to have a party”. My
hesitation stemmed from a few things – we have so many friends who live here full
time and if I invite some and not others, there would be hurt feelings. Also, I
couldn’t think of having a large group of people in our condo a day and a half
before we left on our trip and then I kind of felt guilty that I was already
spending a lot on our Madrid trip. But Steve and I checked out restaurants that
would accommodate us in September – not easy because most close down to give
their workers a break just before high season begins. Then I began my list – I
did really try to keep it to close friends who live here full time but it just
snowballed!
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| What a party! |
In the end, I had a party that was so much fun held
at a restaurant that’s right on the river in the center of Vallarta. Seventy of
my friends came to celebrate, which was appropriate since it was my 70th.
We ate and drank and had the best time that evening. So I had the best of both
– a dream trip and a dream party! All thanks to a very generous hubby! My
recommendation is to live life to the fullest and party while you can!
As I get older, the things that I
want are starting to make more sense. Being able to travel makes me happy, and
I am a person who lives in the moment. I also want to live a good life.
Traveling makes everyday issues seem so much smaller and really changes my
perspective on things.
If you’d like to browse more
photos from Madrid and surrounding cities, here’s links for online photo albums.
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