Madrid, Spain

My friend Frank told me to ignore the rules about wine in Spain. I gave him the side eye before I responded. “Ok, what does that mean?”

“Just order the house wine. It doesn’t matter where you are. They reserve the best wines for the house. It is the opposite of the States.”

He was right.

We stayed at the Canopy by Hilton Madrid Castellana in the AZCA area. Of course, the first thing we did was test Frank’s suggestion. And he was right. The least expensive house wine on the list was the best we had the entire trip. It fostered a trip to a local wine store, where we stocked up for the trip home.

And then we wandered for several days while visiting with family.

As you can see, the art caught my eye. Madrid has a lot of public art and doesn’t hesitate to include the side of buildings in their portfolio.

I wanted the painting below, but my purse was not quite large enough.

So then I had to ask a question about the streets in Madrid. There are two versions: a full street with residents and tourists like the one below and empty streets with no humans for blocks (see further down). Why?

I was told it was because of the safety in numbers. The streets with people are safe. The ones with no people are not. It was that simple. Is it correct? I walked both and had no issue, but we were in the city for three days, which, as we all know, isn’t long enough to find the truth of anything.

We learned at tourist restaurants that while the menu may be extensive, if the food is not in season (or, apparently, if the cook does not wish to prepare it), the waiter will tell you they do not have it. In one very nice restaurant, because of this, I had a difficult time finding something to order. The next time I visit Madrid, I will go with friends from Spain.

As usual, most of my photos are of buildings. I like architecture. What can I say?

After two days in Madrid, I was anxious to see somewhere else in Spain, and this day trip sparked my interest to see more of Spain. We got in the car and drove for an hour or more outside the city until my husband randomly selected a town. We stopped for lunch and a walk.

And a traipse through a castle. I did not know the name of the town, the castle, or anything else until we arrived. This happens when we are goofing off. I just enjoy the scenery.

Welcome to Buitrago de Lozoya.

And the best part—horses.

This was a nice three-day trip to Spain. A good taste of more to come.