Madrid – a weekend of churros, chocolate and culture.
An unexpected weekend away in Madrid enabled me to recharge my batteries and indulge my body and my mind. My husband was busy at a conference, my girls are grown up so I could choose what to do, what to see and where and when to eat.
Despite the fact that rain fell, on and off, for the whole weekend it didn’t dampen my spirits at all. I was able to do all I wanted to do in between the showers.
The trip began with a very quick and easy trip from the airport to the heart of the city on the Metro. As the weather was so unpredictable the Metro was a godsend. Speedy, simple enough for a non Spanish speaker to navigate and reasonably priced too.
Staying out by the Bernabeu Stadium meant that the journey into the city centre was quick and easy. Had the weather been kinder I would have walked far more but it was not to be. First stop was the San Miguel Market, Plaza de San Miguel. A glass or two of wine and a selection of tapas set us up for the rest of the afternoon. The seafood tapas (especially the octopus and bacalao) were amazing as were the selections of olives available. A little crowded on a Friday evening but great atmosphere and a wide choice of foods and snacks too.
After coffee and a pastry in a cafe the next morning started with mooch around town and a visit to the National Archaeological Museum. Packed to the rafters with artifacts I had a fantastic time looking at everything from Roman mosaics to Moorish decoration via a display of money and coinage! Lunch beckoned and for a while I toyed with the idea of yet more tapas but as the weather had turned really cold and rainy there was only one choice. Hot chocolate and churros!
Chocolatería San Ginés it was then.Open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week this most famous of bars serves a mean churro. Fluffy and crunchy at the same time they cry out to be dipped in the molten chocolate. Despite being packed with tourists all trying to warm up and dry out, the wait for a table was short and there was no rush to get you to leave your table either, once finished.
Later that evening it was onto tapas and beer, but more of that in another blog post.
mintcustard 
Oh how I miss churros!! I didn’t even have any last time I was in Spain 😭 My husband and I just stared a travel blog, check it out if you have time!
I will pop over and look!
I LOVE Churros and Chocolate. That was my favorite comfert/snack food when I lived in Barcelona in my college days. We had some in LegoLand a few weeks ago and it took me back to my college days and I could (almost) imagine sitting in a side walk cafe people watching, that is until my kids started bickering. 🙂
At least you had a moment of relaxation! It will happen in the future I am sure.