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From Toledo, it was back to Madrid, from where the family would be flying back home. But we still had a little time to enjoy Madrid. One of the stops we made was the Museo del Jamon, a very popular restaurant where all types of Iberian ham, together with cheeses and other delicacies, can be enjoyed either at the bar or in the restaurant. You can see here the Serrano Hams hanging from the ceiling. Throughout Spain, ham is everywhere, not just at the Museo del Jamon.
A U.S. sax player, who once played venues throughout the States, now practices his trade on the streets of Madrid. Here he is playing in Madrid's peaceful Retiro Park, once the King's royal hunting ground.
A Madrid landmark. We are not sure what it is; however, it is on all of the postcards.
One of the joys of Madrid is the food, often best enjoyed in the many bars and cafes that serve ready made food--tapas--to its standing customers. Cheap and quick, it makes for a great, authentic, meal. What we really like about many of these eating establishments in Madrid is the old-school style of clothing that the wait staff wears. Pure class.
Another joy of Madrid is the pastry shops at every corner. Walk into one and enjoy the treats. Take them to go, and they will wrap them nicely in a bundled package tied with string.
A classic Madrid experience is Flamenco dancing which was perfected by the gypsies over hundreds of years. With 2 guitarists, a percussionist, a soulful singer, and of course the 2 dancing stars, it is a fun experience. The feet, hips, arms and hands fly in a whirl, all to the delight of the audience. We visited the Casa Patas for our Flamenco experience. They say it is where the Flamenco dancers and musicians go to see Flamenco. That says something.
Of course no visit to Madrid would be complete without a visit to the Prado, perhaps the greatest collection of paintings in all the world. As you would expect, it is particularly strong on Spanish masters, housing hundreds of works by masters such as Velazquez, Goya, and El Greco.
Once our family left, we spent our final days in Madrid with our friends, John and Ullie, together with their adorable 15 month son, Nicholas. They were wonderful hosts and we enjoyed immensely our time, although brief, with them.
John is a fellow Michigan
State Spartan. He moved to Germany after earning a masters at We last saw John and Ullie over 3 years ago. At the time, they were living in Paris, where we visited them with our friends from Atlanta, Bill and Ginger. Since then, John and Ullie traveled through South and Central America for 10 months where they studied Spanish and became godparents. (See 2 Go Cuyo Grande to meet Marisol, their goddaughter). After Latin America, they had a child and settled down in New York for a year. They are now back in Europe, this time in Madrid. Here, John and Rich enjoy some 27 year old dandelion wine that John's grandfather made when he was a small kid in Michigan. It was tasty!
Here is precious Nicholas, curiously seeing what's going on inside this washer.
While in Spain, we took a side trip over to Morocco in Northern Africa. |
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Thunderbird. While in Germany, he met Ullie (who is originally from
Hanover, Germany) and fell in love. 
