The Guideless Traveller

Day 139:
After my Español lesson (Tuesday, 21 November, 2016), we left for our road trip to Madrid. We stayed at the same Airbnb as last time....it really feels like home there. We arrived just after sunset but just before the rain came.

Ali's Madrid Road Trippin Playlist:

Sunset in Madrid, España

Airbnb apartment in Madrid

For dinner we got in contact with the restaurant, Casa Jaguar, to see if it would be OK to bring Coco with us. The cuisine is Latin American (with a Spanish twist of course). The food was great and the staff friendly! We find that a lot of restaurants in Madrid are dog friendly....if they don't have outdoor seating or if it is just too cold or rainy out, they welcome well-behaved dogs (and pet parents). One website we have found along our journeys that can help guide you to some of the dog friendly restaurants throughout parts of España is Sr. Perro.

Baldor 2014 syrah at Casa Jaguar

Bread and really good butter at Casa Jaguar

Patatas at Casa Jaguar

Sandwich at Casa Jaguar

Fish at Casa Jaguar

Day 140:
The first part of today was my shopping day! I love the shops in Madrid. Yes, there are a lot of chain stores but on the smaller, unique streets, there are many independent retailers. One of my favorites was Peseta which featured local artisans and one of a kind pieces. I got a small wallet here and talked for a while with the friendly woman at the shop who actually ended up inviting us out with her, her husband and her friends but when it got to that evening, there was too much rain and we ended up not going. After my shopping excursion (I also went to a few Natura Shops of course), I met Scott for lunch at the Thai place we like, Phuket Thai.

Carrot salad at Phuket Thai

Cucumber salad at Phuket Thai

Arzuaga vino tinto at Phuket Thai

Ginger chicken at Phuket Thai

Pad Thai at Phuket Thai

Crema de orujo chupito at Phuket Thai

When we got home to Coco, she was so excited to see us and since the rain had stopped, we decided to go for a walk in the Parque del Retiro. We walked trough a side of the park we have not been to as we walked to Chanel. Unfortunately when we got to Chanel, it looked like they were closing.

Parque del Retiro Madrid

Parque del Retiro

Parque del Retiro in Madrid

View of Madrid from Parque del Retiro

Parque del Retiro as the sunsets in Madrid

A common occurrence in Parque del Retiro

Church of San Manuel y San Benito

We went out for dinner at a restaurant we have been to before, Diurno. Unfortunately it was not as good as last time. I actually did not eat my meal and the waiter asked about it, so I told him other than it not being what I expected (on the menu it says tacos), it was not even edible. He was really nice and tried to make it up to me by bringing a couple other items. I really like the fact that we can bring Coco inside this restaurant and the service is good...the food on the other hand is not the best, but average.

Tacos de Salmon....um these are not tacos

Hamburger at Diurno

Scott at Diurno making me laugh

Gyozas at Diurno

Seabass at Diurno

Day 141:
It is Thanksgiving day for all of the Americans back home but no such thing exists here (except for the restaurants trying to attract Americans on vacation). The wine region, Ribera del Duero, is only about an hour or so from Madrid and one of our favorite wines, Emilio Moro, is there so we took a little day trip! What we did not anticipate was snow! Luckily it was not snowing while we were driving....

We see these Bulls all around España

Snow along the road to Ribera del Duero from Madrid

🎶It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...🎶

Hasta Pronto Madrid! See you soon...

Castillo de Peñafiel in Valladolid

Arriving at our destination, Bodegas Emilio Moro!

We brought Coco with us even though we don't expect she would be welcome inside. We find most wineries in España do not allow dogs. We only planned to do a quick tasting, buy some bottles and go to lunch in another town so it would be fine to leave Coco in the car for a little while. However, when we spoke to the man in charge, he told us we could bring her along if we wanted to do a tour and she would just have to go back in the car once we entered a certain part of the winery. So we went for it! And a couple hours later, with no food in my stomach, and on our way back to Madrid along the windy roads, I was vomiting in the snow....so that kind of ruined the rest of the day.

The winery was fantastic though! The guy who gave us the private tour had a lot of personality so it was a fun time. We got to try 5 wines at the end and he told us that as long as we don't leave with the open bottles, we are free to drink as much as we want. Once he opens a bottle, it is basically ours. So we did just that...we drank and drank and drank. He was so kind to have a plate of Jamon prepared for us (although it wasn't enough to satisfy my tummy). We eventually left, much later than we wanted to (it was practically evening by this point), and we bought 3 bottles that you won't find elsewhere.

Bodegas Emilio Moro

The tasting line-up at Emilio Moro!

Upon our return home in Madrid, we tried to have our Thanksgiving dinner of leftover Thai food but I was not able to enjoy. I did get to watch my Cowboys play, a tradition for me on Thanksgiving day. I was supposed to get another tattoo while we were here but because my body was so weak, I decided it's not a good idea....I wanted to do it another day but I never heard back from my guy when I was trying to coordinate a new day.

Day 142:
Since I had a not so great day yesterday, my stomach and body needed to recover and I was in the mood for sushi. I found a place called Sr. Ito. The service was great here as was the food. The space is small so the tables are quite tight. I really enjoyed my plate of ebi sushi and rolls. They also have a big tea selection so I enjoyed a Ginger tea (my throat was very sore from being sick yesterday). We did not bring Coco with us but we learned that she is actually welcome! It rained a lot the rest of the day so we decided to pop into the Prado museum. I have never seen it so I felt I needed to. It really was not anything spectacular....I mean there is A LOT of ancient art but that is just not my thing. The space itself was big and beautiful. I wanted to see it just to say I did. One thing to note about the Prado, for better or worse, everyday after 6pm entry is free. People start lining up at least an hour before and the line is incredibly long. I fear being stuck in the museum with all those people! We paid entry and got out before.

Weird wall art at Sr. Ito!

Ebi sushi and rolls at Sr. Ito

Chicken teriyaki at Sr. Ito

Ginger tea in a fascinating tea cup at Sr. Ito

My favorite art piece at the Prado....reminds me of Coco doing her meerkat

Day 143:
Saturday 26 November was quite rainy but we made it out to a very late lunch at a place just up the street from us, Gofio. We actually walked by this place earlier and saw the Sr. Perro sticker in their window, which means dogs are welcome. We were given a warm welcome by our new friend, Alberto, who seems like he runs the place! He explained to us the concept of Gofio and that everything, from the ingredients they cook with to the staff that works there, are from the Canary Islands. I was a bit nervous when he said that the food options were a surprise and we just have to decide if we want the small or large tasting menu. I was feeling daring and comfortable so we stayed and did the 5 course (small) tasting menu. Some of the fish items I did not care for but that is all about personal taste. After spending a few hours here, we dropped Coco at "home" and went to a local cocktail mixology bar that Alberto told us about, Salmon Guru. The vibe at Salmon Guru was fantastic! The bartenders were more like quirky artists and the ambiance was very much like a midtown Manhattan speakeasy.

Ready for the day...

Restaurante Gofio Madrid

El Grifo....bubbly from the Canary Island, Lanzarote

Olives marinated in cilantro lime

I believe this was fish...I cannot recall!

Rabbit empanada at Gofio

Loving the vibe at Gofio

Roast beef at Gofio

A small gathering of ice cream from the fruits of Canary Islands at Gofio

Cocktail bar, Salmon Guru

Mojito at Salmon Guru

A Salmon Guru original, Yellow Chili

Day 144:
We took Coco to lunch with us because according to Sr. Perro, Boho Bar allows dogs! I am really in love with the vibe at Boho Bar....it is very me, colorful, weird, bohemian etc...
The food here was on point. They have a variety of flavors which somehow all work together. There is a Moroccan influence all around España which compliments the food very well.

Hummus starter at Boho Bar

Vinda Negra 2013 Crianza from Rioja at Boho Bar

Decor at Boho Bar

Springs roll Appetizer at Boho Bar

Pollo Tikka Masala with rice at Boho Bar

Ensalada cous-cous, feta and veggies at Boho Bar

In continuing with her cuteness, Coco has her paws on both of our feet....she hopes for chicken at Boho Bar

The remainder of the day was full of rain so we did not do much but we ended up making our way to the best churro place, San Gines Chocolateria, and considered that our dinner. We then walked a bit through the city, avoiding rain! I have never seen the Palacio Real Madrid (Royal Palace of Madrid) so we headed over that way, even though it was late at night and closed. I really don't need to visit inside anyways....it's just another palace turned into a museum. The exterior was gorgeous! Lastly, we went back over to Salmon Guru for more cocktails.