Dining out in Madrid

When it comes to eating, it’s hard to find anything to dislike in Madrid. One of Spain’s great inventions is the menu del dia – a three course meal, often with a drink thrown in, for around EUR10 to 15. That’s lunch taken care of quite beautifully, and when it comes to the evening, there are tapas.

The word ‘tapa’ in Spanish means ‘lid’. It is thought that tapas originated when drinks were served out in the dusty, fly-blown open. The theory goes that people used bits of bread to put over their drinks and keep them clean, and things gradually developed from there.

How Tapas Works

Of course, tapas is no longer a concept limited to the Iberian Peninsula. The concept has spread worldwide, but while you’ll go to a tapas restaurant elsewhere, in Spain the idea is still to eat the small dishes throughout the evening.

Of course, there’s no set way of doing things. At some old fashioned joints, you’ll sit at the bar and they’ll throw the odd morsel on a plate towards you as you drink. In other bars, you pick out what you want, either from the menu or the display cabinet on the bar. Sometimes it’s free, sometimes it isn’t and sometimes it can be darned expensive – depending on what you’re choosing.

Some places are almost restaurant-style, some look like they haven’t changed in years and some are adding contemporary twists to famous recipes in stylish environments. The joy, of course, is flitting between them, trying a bit of everything as you embark upon a rollicking good night out.

Tapas Crawling

It’s possible to do a tapas bar crawl in almost every area of Madrid. Near the centre, Chueca, Malasana and Huertas are almost overflowing with options, but the classic route is through the La Latina barrio.

Calle de la Cava Baja, in particular, is ready made for a bar crawl. It has a mixture of vibes, but is widely regarded to have many of the best tapas joints in town. On a Friday and Saturday, the street can be absolutely heaving with people.

You most certainly don’t need a guide to enjoy a great night out, but where a guided tapas tour comes in handy is picking out specific bars and allowing you to learn about the differences in tapas culture across Spain.

The Asturian Sidreria

Our first stop was at a traditional sidreria – El Escarpin. Cider is a big deal in Asturias, northern Spain, but before you can drink it, you need to learn how to pour it. The Asturians pour the cider from on high in order to let the cloudy, sediment-heavy drink release its flavour molecules and gain a bit of fizz. Alas, for the clumsy, this means a lot ends up on the floor.

Asturias also produces some rather magical tapas dishes, as we soon discovered. Cabrales cheese is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a rich blue cheese, traditionally made with both cow and sheep milk and left to mature in a cave with mushroom in the middle. Mash it up with some of the cider, however, and it’s delicious. So too are the potatoes with a buttery olive-oil taste, and the slow-cooked chorizo which are quite unlike any other chorizo I’ve ever tasted. It’s soft, almost gamey. And, of course, it’s cooked in cider.

El Madroño

Our second stop was for a palate-cleanser. El Madroño is one of the few places remaining that still sells madroño liqueur. It is made from the berries of the tree of the same name – and the tree has long been a symbol of Madrid. The shots are served in wafer cups coated with chocolate and the drop is actually rather nice. Bottles are on sale for 8.50 euros if anyone really takes a shine to it.

El Lacon and the divine dogfish

Stop number three was at El Lacon. It’s a bit of an old school place with waiters clad in black bow ties and a ceiling that wouldn’t look out of place in a Tudor house. They’ve got some pretty good wines in stock, and it seems as though the more you splash out on the wine, the more free food they’ll give you. We ended up with eight tapas ranging from a chick pea stew to an empanada. Again, they were mostly delicious. But when we actually got round to buying one, I found a new favourite. I’ve no idea what it was called, but I could have happily eaten the little chunks of breaded dogfish soaked in a divine vinegar dressing all night.

Bring on the Octopus…

From there, we headed to Cerveceria Cervantes. The name may suggest a beer-swiller’s paradise, but you only need to look at the octopus legs in the window and aging hams hanging up on the wall to know that it takes its food rather seriously.

We picked a mushroom dish that manages to appease even those who aren’t too keen on mushrooms, plus the big one: octopus. It comes with potatoes, salt crystals and paprika – and boy it’s good.

Rapidly devoured dishes in El Lacon

By now, this doesn’t come as a surprise. The quality of food in Madrid is absolutely sensational. It’s a place where every tiny bar – and there are supposedly more bars here than in any other city on the planet – has its own specialties. Hopping between them is a joy, but to get a lesson in the tapas of the various Spanish regions and to have gorgeous backstreet tabernas and cervecerias pointed out to you is a real treat. It’s a uniquely Spanish bar crawl – and one where cheese and seafood are far more important than beer and shots.

- David Whitley

Toledo’s history

Of course, Toledo’s old city is a living museum. It’s one of the oldest cities in Spain – no-one knows exactly when it was founded, but the first record of its existence comes from Roman times. Set on one of the few hilly points among the flat plains of Castilla-La Mancha, and with the Tagus River flowing past it, Toledo has always been a natural spot for a city. It’s hard to conquer, and has its own water supply.

Over the years, it has been a key point for whoever has had control over the Iberian Peninsula at the time – whether Visigoth, Arabic or Castillan. Up until capital status was transferred to the then small village of Madrid in 1561, Toledo was the national capital.

Toledo Cathedral

While it is no longer the political hotseat, it is still the country’s religious capital. The cardinal-bishop of Toledo is the chief cardinal of all Spain, and Toledo’s cathedral is the equivalent of Canterbury cathedral in England (albeit Catholic rather than protestant).

The Cathedral is one of the world’s most impressive. It’s almost entirely built in the high Gothic style, and even though construction on it started in 1236, it wasn’t finished until 1493. The most impressive part of it is the main door – the Door of Forgiveness. This highly decorated entrance is only ever used on special occasions, such as when a new archbishop takes charge and the king or pope are visiting.

The cathedral is one of Toledo’s two main draw cards. The other is the Alcazar, which sits on the highest hill in town but is currently closed while the country’s army museum is installed there. But to pick out one highlight really misses the point – Toledo is chock full of treasures, and just walking around the streets is one of them.

The old city is, by and large, kept traffic-free. This makes strolling a pleasure, and some of the narrow streets where opposing balconies almost crash into each other are hugely atmospheric. And amongst these streets are a number of significant buildings.

The Burial of the Count of Orgaz

One is the Iglesia de Santo Tome. As a church, it’s largely unremarkably. But the painting inside it is one of the world’s masterpieces. The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is widely regarded as El Greco’s best work – and the Greek-born artist’s painting has a separate room to itself.

The painting depicts, as the title would suggest, the burial of the Count of Orgaz. It’s huge, and depicts the action in both earth and heaven. Looking closely, you can see an angel carrying the count’s soul, and Jesus pointing to St Peter, asking him to get the key to open the gates of heaven. El Greco painted his friends and patrons into the scene, and he sneaks himself in too – he’s one of the mourners behind St Stephen.

Museo Victorio Macho

Nearby is another treat for art lovers – the Museo Victorio Macho. Victorio Macho was born in Palencia, but lived in Toledo in his later years. He gave his house and collection to the nation when he died, and said house is now open as a museum displaying his works.

Some of the sculptures are quite special – particularly the one of his elderly mother slumped in a chair, carved in great detail out of Carrara marble. But the building is in a sensational location too. From the terrace you can look out over the new city and plains, as well as down towards the Tagus River. It’s a wonderful spot in which to rest and admire for a few minutes.

Santa Maria la Blanca synagogue

Another fascinating attraction in Toledo is the Santa Maria la Blanca synagogue, and it illustrates the religious history of Toledo quite beautifully. It was built as a synagogue in the 12th century, but the Jews commissioning it employed Muslim builders. Thus it was constructed in the Mudejar style, with arches and eight-pointed star aplenty. There’s just one Jewish symbol in the whole building – a small Star of David above one of the arches.

In the 15th century, the synagogue was converted into a church, and some Christian design touches were added. It is now neither church nor synagogue, but has been kept open as a monument providing an intriguing visual overview of Toledan history.

Monasterio de San Juan de Los Reyes

Perhaps the most beautiful building in Toledo, however, is the Monasterio de San Juan de Los Reyes. Commissioned in the 15th century by the Catholic Monarchs, it was originally intended to be their mausoleum. The entrance hall has an incredible vaulted ceiling with interlocking circles and petal shapes. The heart is the cloisters, however.

They have been hand-carved over a period of 100 years by master craftsmen, and are in the late Gothic style. Look carefully, and you can see all manner of wildlife carved in. There are monkeys, bears and dragons amongst other creatures.

In the middle, surviving in a city where winters are usually too cold to do so, is a sole orange tree. It’s a peaceful, pretty scene and one that could easily go unexplored in a city with so much in a small area.

Toledo is a remarkably blessed city, and should feel overrun by tourists. But at siesta time on a hot summer’s day, it feels as though you’ve got the world of discoveries to yourself.

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, which was opened in 1992, is considered the museum for 20th century art. Many art connoisseurs consider it the most prestigious art collections in Europe. One of the highlights of the museum is the famous Pablo Picasso piece, Guernica. This 1937 painting got its inspiration from Picasso’s feelings on surrealism and the Nazi bombing of the town of Guernica. If you are a fan of Picasso, and I don’t know who wouldn’t be, there are many pieces of his work from a young age right up to maturity.

The museum is in a building designed in the 18th that was once a hospital. It was scheduled to be demolished when they decided to turn it into a house of art. Renovations and additions were added to the original building to make it what they needed to become a museum. Some thought it odd that an old building would be used to house modern art, but the plans proved to be exactly what they wanted. It was declared a national museum in 1988.

Queen Sofia offers the art lover a variety from the late 19th century right up to the most recent contemporary and modern works of art. If Solana pieces are what you are interested in, you’ll get a glimpse of The Chorus Girls, Café Pombo, and don’t forget The Meeting of the Pharmacy.

Most famous artists are represented by more than one piece of work, such as Miro whose work Man with a Pipe, Fleur, Toile and Escargot are all on display. They may have been painted in the 20s or 30s, but still manage to interest art lovers. The same can be said for Dalí, whose works spans fro his 1927 Still Life by the Light of the Moon to his 1945 Galarina portrait. You will be amazed at his realistic 1951 and 1955 paintings of the Crucifixion.

Paintings are not the only objects of interest to the tourists and visitors. The 46,000 square yard exhibit space is filled with many art objects as well as pottery and porcelain. They also have a library there in case you wish to look up some of the paintings or artists. You can find interesting reading and take it to the cafeteria they also have for your dining pleasure. If you happen to be traveling during the holiday, spend the perfect holiday in Madrid.

Being such a special place, it only makes sense that Formentera would also offer up some pretty unique accommodations. A small island, tourists will have a hard time getting a hotel in the busy summer season. Instead of staying in a hotel or even a pension on Formentera, opt for a local experience and stay at Dorita’s farm in the countryside.

Dorita’s Farmhouse Stays on Formentera, Spain

Dorita, who owns the rural house, rents out rooms in her farmhouse, plus separate rooms, cabins and yurt-like structures on the property. There is also a communal kitchen for guests to use. But be warned! No wine or smoking on the premises! Dorita has certain rules. The farmhouse is what one could call ‘hippy’ in style, with mandarin colored beads hung in doorways, and hammock strung from fig trees. However, those who have a ‘natural’ side will love Dorita’s thoughtful touches. The places is really very peaceful, beautiful, and dare I say?, groovy.