MADRID

Farewelling Marg and Brad, we set off for Madrid; firstly by bus to Malaga; then an Iberia flight (not cancelled), to Madrid. Our loft apartment in Calle Huertas in the centre of Barrio de las Letras was fantastic and in the perfect position in a great street that lead straight into the centre of the city.

After exploring our neighbourhood, we were happy to settle into a nearby bar to enjoy some tapas and vinos tintos.

Madrid has a great feel and we really enjoyed it. The streets are full of trees, there are statues and monuments everywhere and everyone was welcoming.

IMG_20180606_185353 — Real Palace – unfortunately closed for our visit

IMG_20180605_131813 — We stumbled on this book fare covering more than a city block

Day 2 saw us heading to Museo Nacional del Prado, which included an astonishing collection of European art from the 12th to 19th centuries, with Spanish art predominating. There were large collections by Rubens, Goya, Velazquez and many others. A visit to the Prado has to be on the itinerary of any visitor to Madrid. I grabbed a few photos including a Rubens before I was reminded about the no photos rule.

After Prado, we spent an hour strolling through the Real Jardin Botánico de Madrid, beautiful gardens almost adjoining Prado. This is Sally’s second greatest passion when travelling, after climbing towers.

In an attempt to view some slightly more contemporary art, the next day, we visited Reina Sofia (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia). This is another extraordinary gallery, set in a magnificent building. The predominant 20th century collection featured many works by Picasso, Dali, Miro and others, including Picasso’s famous Guernica. Much of the gallery was “no foto”; but I did get a few.

We finished the day with a wine and food tour with a guy called Andres Jarabo, who, apart being a member of the Spanish Wine Society, was a real character. There were only five in the group, with one couple being from New Farm – go figure. Andres had pre-planned a great tour featuring many fine wines. A 2015 Alto Moncayo (100% grenache and 16% alcohol) was a standout. The winery is a joint venture between a number of partners, including Australian winemaker, Chris Ringland (also makes wine at Hoffman Vineyard, Barossa Valley). We also tried some great sherries. Oh, and some terrific food at a range of restaurants and bars. Check out these labels.