The Fun Things I Did While in Madrid

When my mother said I could go on an international trip this past summer, I quickly started thinking of possible destinations. The Dominican Republic, Argentina, Chile, and Costa Rica were four countries I thought about visiting. I had thought a bit about Spain as well, but I thought that it’d be too expensive. Until my mother expressed that I should consider it anyway. I was originally going to Costa Rica, but she worried about their wet season, fearing that the frequent showers would negatively impact my trip. Meanwhile, Spain wouldn’t have that same problem, as it’s predominantly sunny in the summer. And then when my dad asked which of the two countries I’d rather visit right now, I said, “probably Spain.” And yep, Spain it was.

I considered going to Valencia or Tenerife before settling on Madrid after meticulous research of Spanish schools. And fun fact: years ago I made a wish list of countries I wanted to live in one day. Spain was on that list, and while I didn’t stay for the full 90-day visa-free period, I still consider it a goal accomplished. I’d love to visit other Spanish cities one day: San Sebastián, Bilbao, Valencia, Barcelona, Sevilla, Málaga, and the list goes on. I’ll document those journeys once I get to them. Though how was Madrid? Fun! How fun? Let this detailed list below answer that question.

I visited a trio of art museums.

For a set price (32 euros), I bought tickets to the three major art museums in Madrid: the Prado, Reina Sofía, and Thyssen-Bornemisza. It’s best to only visit one a day and go early, because all three museums have LOTS of artwork to see. The Prado Museum had a more classical vibe, the Reina Sofía had a more contemporary vibe (especially with the political artwork), and the Thyssen-Bornemisza had a more historical vibe (exhibits grouped by time period and theme). Which one was my favorite? I’d say I was most wowed at the Prado due to the immense size of the museum and being in tune with the traditional art museum vibe. They even had a portrait of the Mona Lisa that was so AMAZING!!!! It was a little hard to detach my eyes from it, because my mind couldn’t get enough.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the other two museums as well. The Reina Sofía exhibition that showcased works about gender fascinated me, and I loved how Thyssen-Bornemisza grouped artwork based on time period and theme. When you go to Madrid for vacation, you MUST visit all three museums. No skips allowed. Be in tune with the art and backstories there.

I also went to el Museo Sorolla.

El Museo Sorolla (Sorolla Museum) is located on the property of the late Joaquín Sorolla. It’s not as big as the three above museums for obvious reasons. But the entrance with fountains, plants, and even an orange tree—beautiful. Just like the experience of seeing art in an artist’s residence. Sorolla has been classified as an impressionist painter, and his paintings certainly left an impression on me. His landscape paintings, including those of the beaches, provoked a tranquil state of mind and left me in awe. Since there weren’t too many people around when I went, I savored the experiences at my own leisure. Ahh, looking at beautiful art is therapy for the soul.

After browsing Sorolla’s works, it was worth visiting the gift shop. I browsed around, eventually buying a postcard for one of my aunts and a bookmark for myself. Small tingz, but it was in that gift shop where I thought about the pleasure of postcard sending. Since my aunt travels at times, I thought I’d appeal to her interests through buying her a postcard and writing about a day in Madrid on it. That I did. Although she doesn’t plan on visiting the city right now, I got dopamine by sending her that postcard. And I really hope she visits Madrid one day.

I visited el Parque de San Isidro on the same day I went to el Museo Sorolla.

This place doesn’t garner so many visitors. I saw a small family at its playground and a few other individuals, but that’s about it. I took the metro, got off at the Urgel stop, and then after walking through a few narrow streets, I arrived at this wide entrance that connects to El Parque de San Isidro.

It’s not the fanciest park in Madrid, but there’s this one spot in the park where I saw one of the city’s most GORGEOUS landscape views. Look at it.

It reminded me of the photos I’ve seen of Switzerland and Austria. I felt like I was in one of those two countries. Except I’ve yet to go to Switzerland, Austria or any other country as of this writing. I thought the park couldn’t get more special than that view right there, until I went OH MY GOD! at this mini oasis with palm trees and a fountain. I snapped several pictures for my archives, and then spent several minutes sitting at that little oasis listening to this song. It was so meditative, and I’m totally going back there the next time I visit Madrid. When you plan a trip to Madrid, YOU MUST PUT THIS PARK ON YOUR LIST. It’s a gem off the beaten path, and you’ll feel special and adventurous after visiting.

I saw a flamenco show, because why leave Spain without doing so?

One thing on my Madrid bingo card was to see a flamenco show. I’m glad to have done it by visiting Cardamomo Flamenco. The only bad thing is that the show didn’t last longer. It was only an hour long, which is great for those who don’t like dragged out shows. Though personally, I would’ve loved watching fast-paced flamenco moves for another half hour. The dancers ate up the stage and left no crumbs. Plus after seeing that woman in a flamenco dress, I want my own flamenco dress too. I’m thinking about wearing one for my college graduation. I love the thought of wearing a dress from another culture.

I walked around el Parque del Buen Retiro & went canoeing there.

Now THIS is a park that’s fancy and touristy. It has several different parts to it. El Palacio de Cristal, Estanque Grande (the lake), a free art exhibit courtesy of la Reina Sofía—those are the three things I engaged with while visiting el Parque del Buen Retiro. The Buen Retiro is gorgeous in the pictures, but  in person it’s STUNNING. I’ll let the photos and videos I have speak for themselves.

I saw El Palacio Real & ENJOYED the beautiful view.

It’s possible to go inside el Palacio Real (the Royal Palace), but you really don’t have to. I didn’t, and no, the Spanish Royal Family doesn’t live there. What makes this palace iconic is its exterior and its Mirador de la Cornisa. I remember going on a virtual video tour of Madrid and I thought that el Palacio Real was so gorgeous. Though when I saw it in person, OH MY GOD it’s even more gorgeous. The landscape view from el Mirador de la Cornisa is such a treat, and so was the ability to see through the palace’s gates.

There’s also la Plaza de Oriente, a gorgeous little garden worth walking through. You can’t make this beauty up.

I visited el Templo de Debod.

This is another attraction where it’s possible to go inside. I didn’t go inside, but the outside of the temple was seriously photo-worthy with the sunny sky. Although it was almost 6:15pm the day I went, the sky was as blue as ever. El Templo de Debod is located in el Parque de la Montaña, which also contains beautiful views of the city’s landscape. I was so excited to encounter all of that, and seeing El Palacio Real from there took my breath away. But the next time I go to Madrid, I swear I’m gonna go inside that temple. I swear, I swear, I SWEAR.

I went into el Museo de América and el Faro de Moncloa. 

These two attractions are so close to each other that I visited one right after the other. The first one I visited was el Museo de América, as that one was definitely gonna take up no less than two hours.

It was interesting to walk through that museum and remind myself of how prolific Spain’s role in colonization (ahem, exploration) was. It also got me wondering if the artifacts in the museum were stolen, because that issue’s been brought up recently with other museums. I’m not 100% sure, but make of this article what you will. It’s in Spanish, but Google Translate is available to convert it into English.

I must note that all of the museum’s material is in Spanish, so unless you understand it to a solid intermediate level, you could just skip it. Even so, you should still go up el Faro de Moncloa, which is next to it.

What I really liked about the attraction was its guide to spotting buildings in the distance based on direction. There were several dozen mentioned and I found most of them. But of course, a few of them were harder to spot due to size and camouflage. I went towards the end of my vacation, so looking at the city’s aerial views from el faro got me sentimental. Not just because I had a good sense of where things were, but because I loved seeing the outskirts of the city. One side had the mountains and the other side had arid ground past the tall buildings. The mountains in the pictures are those of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, and I want to go there on my next vacation to Madrid. They’re pretty from a distance, but I know they’re even prettier up close.

I ate at Casa Toni, La Mallorquina, & La Casa del Abuelo

As part of any trip, food is an inevitable topic of discussion. Especially for a weeks-long trip. Spain is known for having some gourmet food, and gourmet food it had. Before leaving home, I wrote out a list of food places to visit. I didn’t get to all of them, but I did get to some of the most famous ones in Madrid. Three of which were Casa Toni, La Mallorquina, and La Casa del Abuelo. I first heard about them on Youtube while watching a video from Spain Revealed, a channel that dedicates itself to covering life in Spain (especially through food). 

From that video, I learned that Casa Toni cooks delicious sweet breads (as in meats, not literal sweet breads), La Mallorquina bakes tasty napolitanas de crema, and that La Casa del Abuelo boils up savory gambas al ajillo. Those delicacies looked so tasty in the videos, and when I finally ate the food in person, none of it disappointed. Casa Toni served not only tasty sweetbreads (mollejas a la plancha on their menu), but also tasty patatas bravas. I absolutely LOVED the napolitanas de crema from La Mallorquina. And the gambas al ajillo at La Casa del Abuelo was *chef’s kiss*. Just look at all that food.

Before eating at Casa Toni, I would’ve never thought to taste olives. I had always thought they looked nasty in the jars, but I ended up liking the firmness and slight vinegary taste of the olives they served. I’d eat them again. I also tried an ensaïmada at La Mallorquina. From Google Images, I thought it would be fried dough. Nope, it was just baked dough with powdered sugar. Not that it was a bad thing. I wanted to try an ensaïmada again to appreciate the simplicity more, but I didn’t get to. I’ll do so the next time I go to Madrid.

El Mercado de San Miguel and el Mercado de San Ildefonso were super memorable to me.

I remember watching another Spain Revealed video where James gives a tour of El Mercado de San Miguel. He eats at several stalls there, including one that serves pintxos. I knew I had to go to that market after seeing those pintxos. El Mercado de San Miguel is located near la Plaza Mayor, and while it isn’t that gigantic, who cares? It was super cool to visit (and it gets crowded for a reason).

One stall I went to, La Hora del Vermut, I ate a couple of empanadas and drank a virgin sangria. A virgin sangria. That excited me. I can say I tried sangria and didn’t have to consume alcohol to do so. At Arzábal I ate a couple of pintxos and lived the dream! I also had ice cream from another stall called Rocambolesc. I thought Rocambolesc was gonna be more expensive given that it was founded by a Michelin Star chef. But the prices were reasonable and the ice cream was GOODT.

El Mercado de San Ildefonso wasn’t on my radar until I went there for lunch at a school activity. I went with several compatriots, and that market had more of an international flair. In particular, there are several stalls that serve Korean food. Although when I went there the first time, I split some huevos rotos and a tortilla with my dear compatriot Carmen. Not the flour tortilla that’s served with tacos, but the omelette. Yes, omelettes in Spain are called tortillas. CRY about it. We both liked both those items, and I’ve thought back to that memory several times. I also ordered a virgin San Francisco that same visit. SO GOOD.

The second time I went I ordered a serving of nachos, a slice of Oreo cheesecake, shrimp baos, and a virgin mojito. This was on the day I went to a Cardamomo Flamenco show, so it was my pre-show meal. DROOL WARNING ⚠️

At first glance, I thought the mojito was a sweet tea. One of the bartenders brought it to me and I told him that it wasn’t my drink. It wasn’t until a little later that I realized that it was indeed my drink and I went to go get it at the bar. Don’t it look like a sweet tea? Yeah, no wonder I was confused.

I ate delicious pizza at Pizza Vesuvio and tasty Peruvian food at Inti de Oro Barrio de las Letras.

I know somebody reading this article is gonna want pizza in Madrid. And worry not, because Pizza Vesuvio is there to soothe that hunger pang. It’s on la Calle de Hortaleza, adjacent to la Gran Vía, and their pizza was  *chef’s kiss*. BEWARE: the photo below will make your mouth water.

You wanna eat that, don’t you? I told you it’d make your mouth water. I loved that pizza, and I’ll definitely eat there again the next time I’m in Madrid.

I also ate at a Peruvian Restaurant called Inti de Oro Barrio de las Letras, which is on la Calle de Ventura de la Vega. Unfortunately, my phone died before I could get a picture of the lomo saltado. I had been out all day at that point. First to el Museo de América, then to el Faro de Moncloa, then to el Parque del Buen Retiro, and then past sunset, that restaurant. But I still have the image of the lomo saltado in my mind. God, it was tasty, and so was the appetizer, which I do have a photo of. It shows una causa de atún con pan (potato and tuna casserole with bread), and d**n, I had no clue that potatoes and tuna paired well together.

And don’t worry, I made it back to my room safely without using a map. It happened towards the end of my 4-week stay, and I already knew my surroundings at that point.

I visited la Plaza Mayor, because that attraction is simply legendary.

When it comes to Madrid’s attractions, la Plaza Mayor is among the most famous of them all. I went there the same day I went to El Rastro Flea Market, doing so with Carmen and my other dear compatriot, Eva. As we approached it I knew I was living the DREAM, oh my God. I thought back to the multiple times I saw videos and photos of la Plaza Mayor back in the States. And then there I was in Madrid, appreciating the beauty of that place. Some of its beauty is captured on Google Images, but there’s nothing like viewing it in person. NOTHING. The whole beauty is on display in person, and I’ve appreciated la Plaza Mayor more since that visit. An attraction you just can’t skip while in Madrid.

And I must not forget to mention El Rastro Flea Market.

This is an iconic flea market that brings crowds to La Latina each Sunday. So many stalls selling different items, from clothes to antiques to castanets to posters of celebrities. My visit to El Rastro Flea Market serves as a reminder that I should always try to buy souvenirs at flea markets. I bought several souvenirs for family members, and they’re of similar quality to those tourist souvenir shops. And yet, they were cheaper than those shops. I can’t remember the exact prices, but there were good deals on magnets, collectible shot glasses, and keychains among other things.

I got two magnets for an aunt and my mother, two keychains for two of my cousins, a collectible shot glass for my dad, and, at a different stall, a pair of red earrings for a different aunt. She once asked to borrow a pair of red earrings from me, but all I had was a pair of studs. She didn’t want those, so having remembered that convo, I bought her her own dangling red earrings. She’s worn them several times since, so mission accomplished there!

I also bought a nice Madrid poster for my dorm room and a book in Spanish titled Alicia en el país de las Maravillas (Alice in Wonderland). I need such a book to kickstart reading Spanish literature in the future. El Rastro Flea Market is GIGANTIC, but it’s worth the time. And walking around with Carmen and Eva just enhanced the experience for me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed going to many places alone while in Madrid. But if you’ve got people seeking to go to the spots you want to see, take those opportunities. Don’t skimp on them.

I also went to la Chocolatería de Sán Ginés with them, and I liked the churros and chocolate. I ended up going there once more during my vacation to meet up with my apartment mates (after I left El Parque de San Isidro). And I also went to a couple of other churrerías during my trip: Chocolatería 1902 and Churrería – Chocolatería Las Farolas. I ended up going to the former more than the latter due to better service. I tried their churros one day and their porras another day. Chile, you don’t really know churros until you eat them in Spain.

For rooftop views and a soothing drink, el Círculo de Bellas Artes is the life.

I ended up going there in the evening with my apartment mates after my first day of class. Those who like sipping alcohol will find that place enthralling. There are very few options as far as virgin versions of cocktails are concerned, but I did try a virgin piña colada and a virgin mojito. Having them both made me feel fancy, but I preferred the virgin mojito. It was so delicious that I went to el Círculo a few more times to order it. That virgin drink also lives in my mind rent-free.

Nevertheless, there are sodas and other regular drinks for those who crave them. I ordered a lemonade there once, and whew. Buenísima.

Tickets to the rooftop are only 5 euros a piece, not including the drinks. I’d say the best time to go is around sunset, which happens past 9PM in July and most of August. On July 31st, there was still light even after 9:30 PM. I’ll caption the shared photos with the time they were taken for reference. Note that the times are in CEST, Madrid’s time zone in the summer.

So revisiting the intro question, how fun was Madrid? The getting-detailed-with-my-experiences level of FUN. Blacking out my bingo card level of FUN!

I knew I had the trip of early adulthood when I saw a tourism promotion video at the Madrid-Barajas airport. While going through the security checkpoints, montages of different places in Madrid appeared on multiple screens. I had gone to most of the places shown in that video, and knowing that brought me intense amounts of dopamine. I was an adventurer, or as my mother called me, a woman of mystery. I had 3-4 rough days during the trip, but they were outweighed heavily by my metro trips, Spanish lessons, and the option to walk to shops at my own leisure. If I had the opportunity to relive it all, I’d do so in a heartbeat. Though with what I learned during those 4 weeks, I’d have a much smoother beginning. 

Anywho, that’s a run down through most of what I did in Madrid. There’s more I could detail, but then this article will become information overload. What I could potentially do is talk more about my vacation in future newsletters. You know what, I’ll do that. Because at some point I’ll also want to share some deets about my day trip to Toledo. The additional info will be exclusive to my Sweet Simplicity newsletter, so if you’re down for that, go sign up for it at the bottom of this web page. Believe me, I’ll feed you soon enough.