Spain Day 11 - More Madrid!

We started the day a bit later and I was certainly grateful for the extra rest. We were all still dragging and I think the last two hectic weeks have caught up with us. And I have to admit, it has been nice to end our jam packed trip with two leisurely days of touring. Mr. RRR stayed back to relax some more while the girls and I walked over to the Palacio Real. The palace was grand and opulent and we were amused by all the tiny unnecessary rooms and the extravagance of the palace.

We needed to recharge already (it was only about 11:30!) so we stopped at a nearby cafe for some cortado and Mitch decided to feed the chubby little birds that had gathered around our table. We made quite a grand exit when Mitch broke a plate getting up. Our waitress was already annoyed at us for trying to unload all our Euro coin so we made a hasty exit.

After a long indecisive walk to find some lunch we grabbed some quick take out items and had lunch outside the Thyssen Museum. We split up and Mitch and I headed to the Italian Renaissance rooms and eventually dragged our way to the ground floor where we met up with RRR and Sharpie and collectively decided we were all in need of a siesta.

We napped and headed to the Plaza Mayor for a drink before dinner. We split a pitcher of sangria and it seems Mr. RRR has now mastered the art of ordering Tanguray and tonic in Spanish. (His Spanish was pitch perfect!)

We went to dinner at the famed Botin restaurant, whose claim to fame was that it was a haunt of Hemingway's. They are also known for their suckling pig, we shall see how it compares to Segovia's Jose Maria. The restaurant was pretty touristy and we were seated in the basement dining area where we ordered some appetizers.

We started with the mushrooms in a garlicky oil with tiny slivers of firm jamon. We also ordered the artichoke hearts and grean beans, all served with a bit of salty ham. RRR and I split the suckling pig and a chicken dish, tasty thigh meat in a slightly creamy sauce with tender rice.

The pig was pretty good; thick crispy skin on the outside and stringy bits of pork on the inside. However, I have been spoiled by Jose Maria and he is by far the victor in the battle of suckling pig supremacy.

We finished up and sauntered back to the hotel with a final pit stop for some helado. I somehow got a second wind, so RRR and I headed out to the Plaza Oriente and sat down at the Cafe de Oriente for an after dinner drink. Fittingly I had a glass of Tio Pepe white sherry, a bit dry for my taste but a nice nightcap nonetheless, and RRR had a coffee and a glass of wine. We discussed our trip highlights and how Madrid was a city that really was beyond our expectations.

In all our trip planning, I had spent the least amount of time researching Madrid and I really didn't know what to expect from this city. What I found was a place that was very reminiscent of Paris, that simply oozes culture and is filled with food, shops and museums just waiting to be discovered.

Finally, it was off to bed and getting ready for our big travel day home.

Spain Day 10 - Madrid

I woke up pretty tired this morning, most likely due to the fact that my bed was on a slope and I spent most of the night dreaming I was sliding downhill...

We headed downstairs for the continental breakfast which couldn't compare to our breakfast in Porto but it wasn't that bad.

After we ate, we headed out to Plaza Mayor. It was pretty but since it was a bit early for the Madrid locals, we just saw a bunch of delivery trucks heading to the various cafes situated around the Plaza.

We spent some time searching for the Mercado San Miguel but it was being gutted so that market visit was a no-go. Instead we walked up to Puerta del Sol, where again we found ourselves S.O.L. for finding a market. We did stumble upon a nice deli where we stocked up on some meats. Then we finally found an indoor market and bought some fruit, bread, olives and cookies for our day of exploring.

With our goodies in tow, we went to the Jardins Botanico where we wandered around and I took a ridiculous amount of pictures. There were a lot of beautiful flowers, plants and trees but not everything was in bloom - so I can only imagine how gorgeous it is in the spring!

From there it was a short walk uphill to the Park Retiro. I expected the park to be a lot like Central Park but instead found it to be more lush and peaceful. We stopped there for a picnic lunch and recharged our batteries since we were all a bit weary - I think yesterday's big travel day caught up to us!

RRR and Mr. RRR headed back to the hotel for a siesta and Mitch, Sharpie and I headed off to the Reina Sofia to enjoy some modern art. One of my favorites was Dali's Girl and the Sea and I did the touristy thing and bought a postcard of the painting in the museum gift shop. We also enjoyed Picasso's Guernica, a depiction of the 1937 attack on the small town in Northern Spain that Picasso painted for the 1937 World's Fair, and the sketches that lead to this work of art.

We eventually made our way back to the Hotel Opera and took a much needed siesta. We were a bit restless, so RRR, Mr. RRR, Sharpie and I took a short walk up the street and settled in at a sidewalk cafe for some drinks and to soak up the late afternoon sun. After blowing about twelve Euro on two plates of potato chips and a dish of olives (you would think we learned our lesson in Sintra) we enjoyed some potent sangria.

Later, we headed to the area of Salamanca and had tapas at Jose Luis. We shared a delicious tortilla (one of the better ones of the trip) which was served on toasts with a creamy potato center. We also had salmon with cheese on toasts, cured jamon, a couple of ham croquettes and our requisite shrimp and garlic.

We were going to order some more but our waiter told us that we had ordered enough for the five of us and basically our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. (Little does he know!) Mr. RRR departed from his usual meat-fest and enjoyed some delightful green beans with ham.

After a detour through Puerta de Sol we finished the evening off with a trip to Chocolateria San Gines in Royal Madrid for some wine, chocolate and churros. Much better than our churros in Sevilla! By this point the sangria and wine from dinner had gotten the best of me and I couldn't even finish my last glass of wine.

We stumbled home and I had a restless booze-filled sleep...

Portugal Day 6 aka Spain Day 9 - Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Woke up this morning and (finally) had a nice long workout with RRR and Sharpie. We made one final trip to the Sheraton's concierge lounge for breakfast. After we ate, we watched a few episodes of Queer Eye (which seems to be on an endless marathon in Portugal!) and headed out a bit early for the train station. This turned out to be a good thing since my timetable from Rail Europe was outdated and our train to Lisbon was 25 minutes earlier than we anticipated! We got on the correct express train (versus yesterday's 3 hour local train) and were on our way to Lisbon where we will be catching an evening flight to Madrid.

We got off the train and hopped in two cabs to the airport. I was a bit worried about security and customs in a country where I do not speak the language and was bringing farm products across borders but all was for naught. My bro-in-law, Mr. RRR, didn't fare so well, being cited for some water bottles that were in remote pockets of his knapsack. Nothing like being yelled at in a language you don't understand!

We had some time to kill so we ate at the self-service cafeteria. It actually wasn't that bad. I had a cured ham sandwich with some veggie soup with a carrot base and a few green beans, finished with a touch of cream. After lunch, we checked in and waited some more...eventually deciding to have some wine and chocolate - just to pass time of course!

It was finally time to board our plane which was very Jet Blue sans televisions. We all squeezed in a row and Sharpie and I mapped out a loose itinerary for our two days in Madrid.

We got to our hotel which was a bit dumpy but at least it was clean. We went to bed and got ready for an early day of exploring in Madrid.

Portugal Day 5 - Porto, Porto and more Porto

I think the past week and a half of eating and drinking to excess has finally caught up with me. I squeezed in a short mediocre workout (and of course this is the one gym that is fully loaded and modern!) and got ready for a huge day of port tasting.

The RRR's were catching up on some rest (we were all feeling a bit lethargic) and we decided to meet up with them a bit later at Taylor's. Mitch, Sharpie and I took the lead and our first stop was Ferriera, where we booked ourselves on a noon tour and tasting. With some time to kill before we met up with the marrieds, we made a pit stop at Croft.

We started our Croft tasting with Porto Bianco, a young white port drunk as an aperitif. It was smooth with a bit of a burn on the throat. We also tried a Porto Reserva 5 year port that wasn't overly sweet with more qualities of a wine than of a port.

We decided to forgo purchases here and continued up the cobblestone hill to Offley. The tasting room was quite picturesque and the gentlemen pouring for Mitch was quite friendly and knowledgeable and poured some great reserve ports. Mitch made a purchase here and then it was off to Taylor's to meet the RRR's. Little did we know, Taylor's was closed on Saturday's so when the RRR's arrived we headed to Burmester instead.

Burmester had a lovely tasting room a bit off the beaten path from Porto's other bodegas. We had an extra dry white port which was good but I was finding that I preferred the sweeter whites. I was really impressed with Burmester's 10 year Tawny and for 17 euro it seemed like a decent deal. (plus the sausage in my suitcase needed a travel companion).

We headed down to Ferriera and went on an informative tour. Of course there's always "that guy" who asked a million stupid questions but it was still enjoyable. We tasted some nice ports and Mitch went back and tasted some more of the reserves. After all this port, food was definitely in order!

We stopped at Tapas Douro on the water. RRR and I split a tortilla with potato and ham along with half a sandwich on doughy bread with spicy ham, a fried pepper and brie. It was quite good! I am still amazed when simplest of ingredients come together to make a great meal! Having refueled and soaked up some of the port, we walked across one of the bridges to the other side of the Duoro and booked ourselves on a river cruise.

With to to spare before our touristy adventure, we headed to the Salon de Porto for you guessed it, more port. After a long walk to the top of a hill, we eventually made it to the Salon and I enjoyed one of the sweeter white ports from Calem and a LBV (late bottle vintage) ruby from Niepoort. The salon was quite picturesque and I was certainly in need of a nap but there wasn't any time for that of course! Instead, we hopped in a taxi and headed back to the river for our six bridges in fifty minutes cruise.

After waiting on the hot dock for a bit the boat finally came and we piled on along with a bunch of Spanish senior citizen aged tourists. The group was led by a colorful older gentleman and they all started singing in Spanish. So much fun!

After all this drinking and touring, Sharpie decided to hang back at our super cool hotel while the rest of us headed to D.Tonho back along the Duoro. I ordered the grilled octopus in vinaigrette for a starter. There was a small ring of fat around the tentacles and it was so fresh and flavorful. I could have eaten this dish all day!

I followed this with the waitress's recommendation, fried salt cod with potato chips and cabbage with vinegar. The cod was topped with some pickled soft onions, green olives and a bit of grated cheese. I found this combination to be odd but when the tastes all came together complimented by a tarty punch from the cabbage it was absolutely delightful!

For dessert we split a rich chocolate mousse, spongier than most and drizzled with syrup. Just when I thought I didn't have room for another morsel, I certainly had to find room for this chocolate decadence!

We piled back in the cab and decided that tomorrow's plan was no plan since we had a HUGE travel day in front of us... planes, trains and automobiles!

Portugal Day 4 - From Lisbon to Porto

We skipped the gym (shocking I know!) and instead hit the breakfast buffet at the hotel. Mr. RRR was in his glory at the buffet; enough bacon to last for days!

Then the RRR's and I hopped in a cab and headed to Belem. It was a pretty area of West Lisbon full of lined streets with large houses. We started our journey at the Torre de Belem, the well-known defensive tower.

There was a convoy of tour buses and since we were short on time, we simply snapped a few pics and then walked along the river to the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, a monument created in 1960 for the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator.

The detail was stunning and there was a map in front of the monument showing the exploits of the explorers depicted in the monument. Interestingly enough, there wasn't a great depiction of Spain on the map, adding further proof to our guess that the Spanish and the Portuguese aren't exactly the best of friends.

From there it was a short walk over to the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, considered by some to be the greatest monument in Portugal.

There were even more tour groups here and we chose to visit the free church area versus fighting the crowds and long lines to see the cloister. The nave was beautiful and striking and the exterior of the south portal was simply breathtaking. This is also where the tomb of Vasco de Gama is along with the explorer Luis de Camoes. Poor Luis, he didn't draw nearly the crowds that Vasco did, it must stink to be the "other guy".

We decided it was time to get some lunch and start heading back to meet Mitch and Sharpie. When we asked our cab driver to take us to this one market area, he suggested another market, Mercado de Arroios, for a more authentic peek into Portuguese life. As he drove he gave us a bit of a tour and history of Lisbon and showed us areas including the Alcantara where my cousin had told me a lot of the clubs were. (since this isn't much of a club crowd, I knew this would be my only sight of the clubs)

We went into the market and after a few loops around stopped in Charcutario Imperio where I bought 44kg of jamon to smuggle back in my suitcase. ("I have nothing to declare Mr. Customs Agent...") The butcher gave us a few slices to taste and I was sucked in by its garlicky goodness. So was Mr. RRR - he was begging me to cut up my cryo-vac sealed bag! No way!

We rounded out this purchase with some fruit, cookies and olives and I snapped a few pictures along the way. One of the more interesting observations about this market was that the stalls were predominantly run by women; a bit of a departure from the markets in France. There were also some "convenience foods" to be had here - diced celery, carrots, onions, greens, etc. to make things easier on the busy home cook!

After the market it was off to lunch. We stopped in a small plaza near the hotel and I ordered the plancha grelhado with laranjas (grilled steak with oranges). It came thinly sliced, grilled and had a great flavor, due in part to a nice line of fat on the beef. My plate was full of white rice, potatoes, black olives, a small salad and of course a few oranges! The waiter was wondering why I didn't finish but the portion was so generous there was no way I could.

RRR had a nice grilled sandwich of jamon, cheese and butter and Mr. RRR's attempt at a decent cheeseburger was thwarted by the egg sitting top of it. (He's allergic) After finishing up our small bottle of 2006 Porto da Ravessa red wine, we met up with the girls and headed to the train station.

We grabbed some coffee and waited for the train. It was a bit harrowing since the train was packed and the cars were not well numbered. We finally found our seats and were on our way. I wound up sitting next to a lovely Portuguese businessman for some of the trip and found out not only that we were on a local train from Faro to Lisbon (partially explains why it wasn't as nice as this train ride) but got a bit of some history of the area as well. One thing I can say for sure was that all of the people we've met so far have been nothing but pleasant, friendly and really helpful.

We got to the Sheraton Porto and it was awesome! One of the more modern hotel I've even been to with glass elevators a la Marriott Marquis. We checked in and made a reservation that evening for the Bull & Bear Restaurant.

The restaurant was located in a more suburban part of town and had a casual bistro up front. Mitch went with the chef's menu and her almond vichyssoise was one of the many highlights of the meal. RRR, Lisa and Mitch all had the salmon tartare and I actually had a taste (loyal readers will know I am not a fan). The dill and fresh cream did give the salmon a very nice flavor and I barely tasted the salmon.

I started with the fresh pasta with shrimp, pesto and pine nuts. It was so flavorful that I continued to scoop up the slightly chewy pine nuts in the nutty oil sitting at the base of the dish. It also satisfied my craving for pasta; it's been way too long since I've indulged in this beautiful carbohydrate!

For a main course, I had the grilled hake with black bean and corn crust. It was sitting atop an herby puddle of sauce and the fish was perfectly cooked; firm and not too tough. It was a nice departure from the classic meat and potato dishes I've been having so far on our trip.

At this point, we were all pretty beat and RRR and Mr. RRR headed back to the hotel while we waited for Mitch's dessert course to arrive. Good things certainly come to those who wait and we were treated to a delicious molten chocolate cake on marscapone cream. They were nice enough to add an extra cake since the three of us were sharing Mitch's - how generous!

We left before we passed out at the table from exhaustion...what a long day!