This is a delayed daily diary of my life in España. Read at your own risk...rants and opinions do occur but so do beautiful photos and links of information!
Tuesday
España: Days 94-97 (Rioja to Madrid)
Day 94:
The day after our Birthday and I think we may be feeling a bit hungover + lacking sleep but it is time to hit the road. We finally make our way out and plan to make some stops before heading to Madrid!
First stop: Haro (in Rioja) to do a tasting at Muga. Unfortunately Coco was not allowed in so Scott kindly waited outside with her while Gabby and I did a 3 flight tasting. Since Coco could not come in and Scott was with her on a bench outside, Muga let me bring a glass to him. While we did the tasting, Gabby and I noticed the grape cluster earrings that we saw a few days back and we each bought a pair!
Deers this morning but we need to be on our A game to get a spot at the tasting counter at Muga
Tasting at Muga (from L to R): Muga Reserva Seleccion Especial (Tempranillo & Garnacha grapes), Torre Muga (Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano) and Muga Cava Conde de Haro (Viura and Malvasia grapes)
Exterior of Muga
Muga exterior
Next we wanted to check if this winery just up the street would allow Coco. We noticed Bodegas Goméz Cruzado when we were across the street at Viña Tondonia on our first day in Rioja and we we saw they had an outdoor seating area. The staff here was just as good as the wines we tried! They were all so friendly and even said they would allow Coco inside if we wanted to stay in but we opted for the outdoor area. We all agreed that we should get a couple bottles of the 2014 Pancrudo!
Our last stop before arriving to Madrid is a very special place. Gabby's last name is Trevino and this name comes from a long long time ago from her mama's side. Some of her Latin/Español roots are from this tiny town called Treviño. No joke. So, it was important to me and of course to her, that we visit this little town since we were only about 45 minutes from it. It was an incredible thing for me to watch my friend in a place where her ancestors once were. I hope to have that experience when Scott, Coco and I move on to Italia.
A Treviño arriving to Treviño
There is a cathedral in Treviño at the top of the hill but we were not sure how to access it so we parked closely to where we saw a little bar. The air was just so different here. It was crisp, fresh, clean and you can call me weird but I told everyone to just take a couple deep breaths to feel refreshed.
We walked over to the town's bar/cafe called Bar Roa. We were able to go in with Coco, no one cared...Actually people loved seeing her. There were some other women there with their dogs and they were on their way out but stopped to chat with us a bit! We had a tapa and drinks here then got some bocadillos to go. We walked around this cute little town a bit and enjoyed the views. Then it was off to Madrid!
In Madrid, we rented an Airbnb again. We were a little later than expected and I was under the impression that vehicles were not allowed access to the street so we went straight to the closest parking structure, parked and walked (what seemed like forever and uphill) to the apartment with all our luggage. We definitely looked and acted a little flustered upon arrival! We liked this place so much we are actually staying there again on our upcoming Madrid trip. Here is a link to the place and the copy of my review
We absolutely loved Eliana's place. The building was very secure and perfectly located...you are just a few steps away from everything (Shops, restaurants, Museums, Parks, etc)! We checked out one of the tapas bars, Los Gatos, that Eliana recommended and our bellies were very happy! Eliana gave clear instructions upon our arrival and communicated with us every step of the way. The apartment is extremely clean and comforting. All furniture is comfortable and I felt like I was at a luxury hotel at times with the quality of the linens. Three of us stayed here along with our little dog and there was a lot of room for everyone to have their own space but join centrally in the living room. We love Madrid and look forward to going back!
Me acting a fool as usual 😂
Interior of our Airbnb
I emailed a few restaurants ahead of time to see who would allow Coco and one said they would allow her inside! Diurno does not have an outdoor terrace but it seems as though they have a dedicated area to those who have well behaved pups. We made a reservation, which I highly recommend for this place as it gets really busy. Diurno is in a neighborhood called Chueca. If we did not have Coco with us we would probably go to bars around here. The drinks at Diurno were amazing (I had a strawberry mojito) and there were so many food options that it was hard to settle on something!
Another Birthday dinner! Diurno in Madrid
Strawberry mojito at Diurno
Scott and me at Diurno
Barbecue boneless pork with fries at Diurno
Hamburger at Diurno
Lubina (sea bass) with quinoa salad... a little too much sauce for my liking but it was still good
Day 95:
We did not really plan much during our time in Madrid, we just figured we would go with the flow. Gabby found this outdoor flea market that happens on Sundays and since it is Sunday (9th of Oct), we thought we should check it out. El Rastro is in the neighborhood called La Latina. Side note: I find it interesting that La Latina is a feminine name....let me explain why I find it interesting....I feel like everything in España is all about the men and many words in Español automatically revert to the masculine. Women are treated like second class citizens as far as I can see and as far as I have experienced. So who got to name this neighborhood La Latina and why didn't they go with El Latino? I was so curious, I just had to look it up and it turns out La Latina was a nickname for a woman named Beatriz Galindo. She was an educator, writer, humanist and the most educated woman of her time (late 1400's, early 1500). She was also a tutor to a Queen and was highly skilled in latin, which is why she was called La Latina. she founded a hospital in this neighborhood in Madrid and lived in the area. It was not until after she passed that this neighborhood was named for her.
So anyways, El Rastro market...well on our way I needed espresso and found a dog friendly place right up the street from our Airbnb. When we go back to Madrid I want to have a meal at Rayén Veganobecause it looks like a unique experience. The menu changes daily and everything is organic and handmade from scratch.
Dogs welcome at Rayén Vegano!
Fresh juice at Rayén Vegano
El Rastro market was very crowded and hectic but we got some great deals. I got a beautiful scarf for only 5€ and Scott and Gabby got hats! There was some beautiful handmade jewelry and artsy items but we were a little overwhelmed. At the end of the market we ran into a cool eclectic band and stopped to listen for a few minutes...
Gabby's stunning new hat from El Rastro
For lunch, we went to that Mexican place Scott and I were at a few days before, Taqueria Mi Ciudad. This experience was not as great as the time before but I will be back again, I'm sure. Our first issue was the fact that the two outdoor tables were occupied. My frustration grew as I did not receive much help from the guy working there. So we waited. And waited and as we waited, I stared angered at the couple occupying the table even after they finished eating, paying and having drinks. They had to sit there and smoke their cigarettes...
We finally got our table, ordered tacos and I ordered a round of tequila for us all to sip on. I had to ask a second time for that tequila because at least 20 minutes later, it never arrived. After we finished, I asked Scott to order another round of tequila and the employee said the kitchen is closed. This made no sense to me or any of us so Scott went back in to get an explanation since we noticed they were still serving others and all we want is (their most expensive) tequila! They were seriously rude to Scott, yelling at him. I do not understand and never will.
Our one and only round of tequila at Taqueria Mi Ciudad
Tonight is supposed to be our big night out in Madrid and Scott has decided to stay back with Coco and let us do a girls night out.
A classy pre-game... Pancrudo 2014 from Bodega Goméz Cruzado
We enjoy kaleidoscoping to the music of Europa FM 💃
Girls nights out in Madrid!
Gabby has a friend that got us on a list for a club....or so we thought. We waited in the "list line" for a while and had an interesting experience. People in front of us chatted with us for a few minutes and then the people behind us were talking about us in Español. I know this because Gabby can understand Español very well. As uncomfortable as we were feeling, we stayed in line (even though we kind of wanted to run off). Next, we have some random guy (certainly on something) act like he knows us so he can cut in line. We let it happen and he kept talking to us...about what? I'm not sure. He goes ahead of us and gets in. Next we are up and a lady with an ipad appears out of nowhere and asks our name, says we are not on the list but she never even looked at her ipad list. So Gabby shows this woman the message on her phone from her friend getting us on the list but she does not care, tells us 15 euro each. I said buh-bye. So what do we do now? We sit at a fountain to look at my phone to see where the next bar might be and as this was happening, we are approached by 2 men. At first they spoke in Spanish then they spoke in English asking if we knew where to go out around there. When we mentioned we were wondering the same thing, they said we should all find something together. There are a lot of people in plazas that will try to sell you on whatever club they are promoting so we let these guys do all the talking in order to find a good place. The 2 places we were taken to, were not our style so we said no thanks and went to a bar these guys went to the night before, called La Fiebre. This bar / restaurant was definitely better than the other places we checked out. There is a chill vibe here and the music was not too loud so you could actually have a conversation. The 2 guys we were hanging out with are originally from Cuba but they live in the States now. One of the Cubanos is in España to visit his parents who live in Alicante (city where we live). It was made clear before we even started hanging out with these 2, that I have a boyfriend so do not get any ideas. First we had some tequila and then after we realized since Gabby has been in Spain, she has not had sangria...what a bad friend I am! So I asked the bartender if they had any and they did not but he kindly said he would make some for us! We also had some shisha (hookah) but I was mainly the one who smoked it...these guys had never tried it before so I said it was a must! We all had a great time, talked a lot and then it turned into holy matrimony. Nelson "confessed his love" for Gabby and so we had a little silly ceremony at the bar. Her ring was a house key ring, it was a beautiful thing.
Nelson was very persistent and still wanted to hang out even though the bar is closing. We tried to get out of there but Nelson's friend went to the bathroom, for a long time and Gabby and I started talking to the bartender... Earlier the bartender asked Gabby why she put salt in her water (she put salt on the lime, not the water, at least I think 😉). The conversation was mostly in English because this guy spoke pretty well. We learned that he is a Tattoo artist and gave us his card. I joked with Gabby that we should get tattoos! We learned that the tattoo artist's name is Gabriel as well. Very nice Spaniard.
We walked around for a while with the Cubans, went to Nelson's hotel to get a bottle of wine he had and I suggested that we drink at a fountain or on steps somewhere. However, Nelson did not have a wine opener and Gabby and I were getting tired. It was at least 4am. So these guys walked us back to where we are staying but then Nelson wanted more time with Gabby so he begged to take her with him but I said no (and so did Gabby)!
New husband and wife (not really but we pretend)
The ring that made her say "I do" (a lovely keyring)
True love in Madrid
This is the last these two saw of each other...a beautiful couple, for a few hours
Day 96:
This morning, 10th of Oct, Gabby heard from the tattoo artist/bartender who wanted to get lunch at a Mexican place. I asked how she ended up hearing from him and she tells me she messaged him to ensure him that she never put salt in her water 😂 Scott said he would stay with Coco again and we could go have lunch together so we met Gabriel at a place called Rosa Negra. The nachos and tacos are a must here.
Sangrias at Rosa Negra
Nachos at Rosa Negra
Tacos at Rosa Negra
Fajitas at Rosa Negra
Gabriel's friends call him Gabi so pay attention to spelling to know which one I am talking about! Actually there were many of crazy similarities between the two (and all 3 of us). Gabi has a lot of tattoo's and each one has a story so I started asking about some that were visible. One that really stood out was a scale....turns out he is a libra just like us! His birthday is actually only a few days before ours. Gabby and I were both thinking the same thing, we should have Gabi give us both a libra tattoo. Gabby has never gotten a tattoo before but this felt right and she was seriously excited to do it.
Gabi and Gabby at Rosa Negra (so adorable, I must say)
Tequila at Rosa Negra
After lunch, Gabi wanted to show us a special beer shop (beer, wine etc). Mas Que Cerveza has a huge selection of beer, over 300 and they also had a great selection of wines. Since I am not a beer drinker, I got the best bottle of cava they had. The gentleman working there was extremely helpful and he also helped me find new wine opener.
Juvé y Camps 2012 Brut Nature Gran Reserva
Gabby and I left Gabi to head over to the Prado Museum but first we shopped at this cute clothing & accessories boutique called La Intrusa where I bought a shirt (and could have easily bought more but refrained!)
As we are walking up to the Prado museum, there is a very long line but we were not sure what is was for because it was away from the ticket box & entrance. We walked around the exterior to scope things out and I learned that the line is for free entry which starts at 6pm. It was 5:45 so we had a few options....1) we pay for a ticket now and go in (although crowds would soon be entering), 2) we wait in this awful line and get in for free or 3) we buy tickets online tonight and go first thing in the morning. We thought Gabby did not have to leave until 4pm tomorrow so we chose option #3. We soon learned that Gabby actually leaves at like 9am so we never had the chance to go. Oh well, neither of us were dying to go and we were enjoying our Madrid experience by doing the non-touristy things.
Cathedral near the Prado
I really wanted Gabby to at least see the Parque del Retiro and maybe we could rent a boat...well the boat rentals closed literally as we were walking up. That is fine, we enjoyed our time in the park just walking around, people watching, drinking and checking out some of the local jewelry for sale. Gabby found something beautiful for her mama...
Handmade necklace with Rose quartz
Parque del Retiro
Not us, but should have been!
Autumn in Madrid at Parque de Madrid (Parque del Retiro)
Sunset colors at Parque del Retiro
Sangria de Cava at one of the kiosk (cafés) in Parque de Madrid
You cannot deny the kaleidoscope
Park cat
These trees in Parque del Retiro look like broccoli florets!
Our last evening together in Madrid 😢
Casón del Buen Retiro (library and studies for Museo del Prado)
Cathedral San Jerónimo el Real Madrid
For dinner, we decided to go to the pintxos bar that is close (and was highly recommended) to us, Los Gatos! We had so much fun here...Gabby and I could not stop laughing and being silly. I was very impressed by her shrimp de-shelling skills. She got all that shrimp gear off in one little snap and was so kind to give us some! We went around the counter and picked our pintxos and had some great sangria. I will definitely be back to this place.
Los Gatos in Madrid
Mas Sangria at Los Gatos!
Pintxos at Los Gatos
Pintxos / tapas selection at Los Gatos
Gabby loving her scrimps at Los Gatos
From here we walked over to this famous churro place, Chocolateria San Gines. Best churros I have ever had!
Next time I will just get one of these at San Gines
Chocolate con churros at San Gines
Coco does not want Gabby to leave us
Gabby and I decided we are going to get our tattoos but it is a little tricky because she leaves in the morning. Gabi gets off of work at 3:30am and said he would do it at his place after work. We have no problem with this (other than it is a little far). The equipment is at his place and we could not go to the studio because it is not open at 4am. Gabi met us at our Airbnb and we took an Uber to his place just outside of the city center. Of course Gabby and I wanted to do the libra symbol ♎ and we actually had the same placement in mind...
The artist at work
And here it is! I decided on having mine done in hot pink because it is my favorite color and I love color!
Gabi is a really awesome tattoo artist and if ever in Madrid, I highly recommend. The name of the studio he works at (or at least during this time) is Sweet Ink Tattoo Madrid
I also have his contact info if interested! We did not really give him much to work with because for this, we wanted it to be simple and beautiful. I look forward to going back for more artwork but maybe this time at a normal hour.
After, we got a taxi back to the Airbnb and slept for a few more hours before Gabby had to leave 😭
Day 97:
The fun with a best friend now has to come to an end as we take Gabby to the airport. Of course I cried when saying goodbye, and I cried in the car after we left and I get teary when I write this. I am very grateful to have good people in my life.
Back into Madrid centro for the night
I think we went back and slept for a while, skipped lunch but went for churros again at San Gines and then we walked around centro.
Puerta del Sol
Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor
Last year when Scott and his friend were here, they went to a Thai restaurant (a couple times) that I am interested in trying so tonight, we went there. Unfortunately at Phuket Thai there is no outdoor seating so we had to leave Coco for a bit.
Carrot salad at Phuket Thai
Cucumber salad at Phuket Thai
Pad Thai at Phuket Thai
Thai Green Curry at Phuket Thai
Basil chicken Phuket Thai
I enjoy the art gallery of the streets much more than a museum!
Scott captured this shot and was a second too early (or I was a second too late)...me trying to fly through the shot with my middle finger 🖕
Kind of scary considering this store is closed
Coco is always sad when we leave her. It does not matter if it's 5 minutes or a couple hours...all the same to her.
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