Day 5: Whirlwind Tour of Madrid :)))

Since we are in Madrid, we needed to check out the oldest restaurant in the world! :) 

Botin is famed for its Castilian cuisine, especially its suckling pigs that are fired in oven that's more than 290 years old. *.* 

We were led down a narrow flight of stairs to a beautiful cobblestone dining room. :)

Ordering was pretty quick as we knew what we wanted! :)))

Sangria to start our lunch :)

Suckling pigs! :D Crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside. :)

We had mushroom steak too. :)

Spanish sorbet isn't the usual sorbet we are accustom to. It's more watery and has a higher alcohol content. *.* 

I know no one talks about restroom. But Botin's restrooms are pretty quaint. :)))

Crystal and Alan went to meet Stella & hubby while we went shopping at Primark before heading to Cardamomo Tablao Flamenco for flamenco performance. :) 

Our tickets entitled us to drinks as well. :) Some audience opted for meals to be served. 

Front row seats for us! :D

The artists sang & dance with gusto! 

I would have given the performance an ace if there is English subtitles of the lyrics. We would have a much better understanding of what was sung. :) Just my thoughts. ;) 

Have you heard of calamari sandwich?  I'm not a fan of calamari, but somehow it intrigued me.  So early dinner it is with Crystal, Alan and Stella at Cerveceria La Campana. :D

Very affordable at only 2.90 euro! :D

Every bocadillo con calamares (calamari sandwich) is freshly made. 

And the signature calamari sandwich! :D

Not forgetting mayonnaise for that added flavour! 

 

Our sandwiches came with olives too. :D

Food was good, company was fantastic. :) We have less than 2 hours left in Madrid and Stella gave us a last minute quick tour of it. :))) The So sisters said we needed family pic of the Square. So here we are. :)))

We are all here at the center of Spain! :D

Statue of the bear and the strawberry tree...a prominent icon in Madrid. :)

Sights along the way to the train station. :)

A little blue, a little grey and a little glow at Atocha Station. :)

Would love to take a better pic of the tropical garden at Atocha Station but but we are running late!!!! Honestly it's a nitemare to take a train from this station. *.* We are glad we board the right train....Bye Madrid. We are already missing Crystal....

Details of Sobrino de Botín:
Calle Cuchilleros, 17, 28005 Madrid, Spain
T:+34 913 66 42 17
W: http://www.botin.es/en
Operating hours: 1-4pm ; 8pm -12am

Details of Cardamomo Tablao Flamenco:
Calle Echegaray, 15, 28014 Madrid, Spain
T:+34 918 05 10 38
W: https://cardamomo.com/en/
Operating hours: 9am -11.30pm

Details of Bar La Campana:
Calle Botoneras, 6, 28012 Madrid, Spain
T:+34 913 64 29 84
Operating hours: 9am -12am

Day 5: A Day Trip to Madrid :)

Forcing ourselves up at 4.30am is no easy feat. *.* But we have a 6.25am Renfe train ride to catch! Madrid here we come. :)

Homemade breakfast on the go. :) 

And 2.5 hours later....we arrived at Madrid Atocha Railway Station

Madrid has more greenery than Barcelona!

Madrid is so rich in arts and culture and the number of museums it has says it all! :) We went museums hopping. :)))

Mid morning treat at Chocolateria San Gines is always welcome! :D It's the birthplace of churro with history dating back to 1894. 

One serving is HUGE! *.*

An idea struck while having churro. We can try dipping Chinese dough fritters in chocolate too. :))) Anyway I much prefer ice cream over churro anytime. :D The chocolate ice cream at Chocolateria San Gines was good too! ;)

Ice cream is probably the only food I'm liking in Spain... :)))

Not having a Spanish palate and losing appetite here is a good way to diet. Not by choice but I'm not complaining. :))) See who's with us!

Spain's weather is unpredictable. Sunshine one minute and rain the next. We hang out at Mercado de San Miguel for a bit。

Planning our next stop :D

Details of Chocolateria San Gines:
Pasadizo San Ginés, 5, 28013 Madrid, Spain
T: +34 913 65 65 46
W: https://chocolateriasangines.com/
Operating hours: 24 hour

Details of Mercado de San Miguel:
Plaza de San Miguel, s/n, 28005 Madrid, Spain
T:+34 915 42 49 36
Operating hours: 10am-12am