PART DOS : 15 Things To Do in Madrid

PART DOS:
15 Things To Do in Madrid

When someone says I’m heading to Madrid! What is the first thing that comes to mind or the first image that floats-up in your eyes? Of bright cloudless blue skies and baroque buildings or are you immediately transported to the football game going on live, hearing the crowd cheer?

After all is it not the birthplace of not one, but two powerhouse football teams? In Fact the mere mention of Madrid transports those who have been there with the sight, sound and smell of the city. One can’t help but sigh and perhaps mentally start planning for round two!

But for those who have not been, don’t worry we have a list of 15 things to do in Madrid for you! Either you are a traveler which do not know where to start or the type who wants to do everything and go everywhere at once in Madrid.

Madrid has got much more to offer, being the capital city of Spain and the third-largest city and metropolitan area in the European Union.

It’s a romantic twist of bygone eras and modern upbeat, after all Spanish being the language of love makes it easy to fall in love with Madrileños. Here are 15 more reasons to fall in love deeper with Madrid …….

Continue Part Dos (Part II) …..

6. Walk back in time to Cervantes period with the taste of Quixote cuisine.

It is no secret the residence of Alcalá de Henares are proud of their Cervantes heritage as well as the famed Quixote cuisine. Upon arriving to the city located at the northeast of Madrid, you can feel the vibe among the locals and visitors a like. It is as such throughout the year, but especially so in the month of October. Cervantes Week takes place with two of the highlights, Cervantes Gastronomic event and the Quixote Market.

The story of Don Quixote is brought to live each time someone orders the Quixote cuisine. You are not merely enjoying the food of the past but the rich history which has lend its flavour since the 1500, by the famed author Miguel de Cervantes.

The typical dishes include duelos y quebrantos (eggs and pork) and Alcala migas (local fried breadcrumbs) or if you are a person with a sweet tooth, try the costrada (a cream and meringue-filled millefeuille and garrapinada, put simply almonds coated in browned, crunchy sugar! I will forgive you if you have saliva drooling upon completion of reading the menus. A Quisote Tapas Haven, distinct unto the people of Alcalá de Henares.

With so many choices available in this city, perhaps you can start your gastronomy journey by booking the Hosteria del Estudiante catering to some century-old flavours.

7. Alcalá de Henares culture, of dramatic plays and arts.

Apart from its famed Quixote cuisine, with Cervantes as the city’s most distinguished native, naturally the city itself is proud as the centre of Spanish-language literature and arts. Strolling through Calle Mayor, budding authors or playwrights are able to find inspiration from the many plays on stages which are plentiful, such as the Corral de Comedias (in augurated in 1602, oldest in Spain).

Each year the coveted Cervantes Prize (Spanish language literature prize) is handed-out with aplomb on 23rd April in a ceremony which takes place in the opulent Paraninfo (Great Hall) of the 16th Century University of Alcalá, a Unesco World Heritage. Personally awarded by the King and Queen of Spain.

8. Luxury found at the Golden Mile.

Affectionately known among the people of Madrid as ‘Milla de Oro’ or ‘Golden Mile’ since 1903, one can find the best local and international luxury brands in Spain along a mile plus road of Calle de Serrano. Calle means a street in Spanish.

Should you begin your a leisure stroll from the Puerta de Alcalá (a Neoclassical 5-arched triumphal gateway) along the Golden Mile, feast your eyes on the designs of each building. Here one can find the top jewelries, fashion brands or decoration boutiques as work of art, being housed in centuries old buildings, merging your shopping experience to a whole new level. From the roundabout, as you stroll all the way down, your experience does not end here, turn right along Calle de Jose Ortega y Gasset (names after the famed Spanish philosopher and essayist) you will find more interesting brands. When you spot Tiffany & Co at the corner turn into Calle de Claudio Coello for more brands. Now shopaholics and even those who are not self professed, one would like to know the the tax-free shopping in Madrid where you can save up to 15.7% on all purchases over €90.16. You are eligible having permanent residence in a non-EU country and are older than 16 years of age.

With this information, you are armed and ready. Alone and not as confident? No hay problema, some Madrid hotels do offer personal shopper, a one-to-one shopping experience with a personal stylist. So happy shopping!

9. Eat and be Merry! Tasting age old Centenary recipes in Madrid.

How many times can one say I have tasted Madrid’s restaurantes centenarios (centenary restaurants)? That is if you are not living in Madrid. Almost akin to a spiritual journey in itself, between tradition and modernity, one can travel back in time and relive how life was in Madrid by visiting these restaurants. Years of history lined these walls of some taverns and restaurants decorations remains. The past spring back to life as the aroma of old recipes first greets your nose, passed down from generation to generation.

Roast made in a wood oven in Botin the restaurant since 1725 are still practiced till this day, nestled in Habsburg Madrid bare the testament to an almost three hundred year old legacy, appearing in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest restaurant in the world. Others have equally earned their famed such as Los Galayos, Cafe Gijon, Lhardy, La Bola, La Bodega de La Arosa, Casa Ciriaco, El Abuelo and more.

No words written can do justice to the taste of old Madrid, the only way is to taste them. A journey well worth making at least once in your lifetime.

10. Magic at The Art Walk (Paseo del Arte).

Enter the triangle of magic called “The Art Walk” (Paseo del Arte), stretching just a kilometer you will find Prado Museum, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and Reina Sofia National Museum the three most prominent and important museums in the world.

With works of famed masterpiece from Velazquez Las Meninas and Goya’s Third May, 1808 in Prado Museum, taking on a European hue of history paintings from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century and last but not least the famous contemporary art too modern for its time, works by Salvador Dali, Miro and Juan Gris, not forgetting Picasso’s masterpiece – Guernica. Walking different zone of time through the art all in a single street located next to each other. Further down there are also other institution equally as intriguing.

Take time to walk the streets outside along the street of Paseo del Arte where many activities with different theme each time. Don’t hurry your experience just enjoy it like the locals, what more you as a guest here?

A little tip, perhaps you can also download the Essential Art Walk app! Available both in dual lingual English and Spanish, on Google playstore and iTunes.

Stay tuned for PART TRES (Part 3)

Source from:Comunidad De Madrid

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