After a quick hop from Lisbon on TAP Air Portugal, we arrived in Madrid with an afternoon to wander around.
We checked into our room at the Circulo Gran Via, dropped our bags and headed out. First stop was the Plaza Mayor.
Apparently there is a football match this evening between Real Madrid and Celtics, so the streets and the plaza were filled with Irish fans drinking and singing. Sort of like St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago, but without the green river.
We quickly left the boistrous crowd to get some lunch at the St. Michael’s Market.
It was also jammed packed with people and all we could manage was a couple of empanadas to go. You know you’re in Spain when you see something lile this.
From here we walked to El Retiro Park, which is the main public space in Madrid.
The famous building inside the park is the Crystal Palace, which is a conservatory of sorts.
A lovely afternoon getting acquainted with Madrid.
We finished the afternoon at a vermouth bar in the Las Letras neighborhood. All you can get here is vermouth or beer and they’ve been doing just this since 1892.
