Sangria, Siestas and Salvador Dali

When the opportunity arose for a mini vacation with Pam in Madrid, we both jumped on it. Sometime the universe aligns and you have to seize the opportunity. I was asked to present a sales workshop in Madrid just as Pam was ending an extended contract, We found an airline ticket within our budget and arranged a long weekend together in downtown Madrid.

Pam arrived on Friday afternoon as my training session ended. We shared a delightful dinner with a colleague and his wife at the Sanxenxo Seafood Restaurante. Pam and I walked to the restaurant then got a little lost on the way back, but had fun finding our way to the hotel. We had fresh seafood each evening in different parts of the city and stopped to sample tapas and Sangria at scenic sidewalk cafes.

The high point of our dinning experience was a small restaurant across from Retiro Park, called La Gamella, self described as an eclectic mix of Ibero-Anglican influences reflected in its “contemporary fusion cuisine”. From the start when our server, Jens recommended a wonderful, little known, Hedricks Gin, we were impressed. We were delighted as the staff split and served our appetizers and main courses individually with a grand finale of chocolate lava cake and porto. We savored every bite while chatting with the owner, Theresa and Jens about our respective journeys.

On our first excursion, we chose to wander around the city center and over to the Royal Palace. The architecture in Madrid was startling as we strolled to the Puerta de Alcalá and beyond to the impressive Metrópolis Building through to the Plaza Mayor, one of the classic European, grand plazas. We ended our journey that day at Almudena Cathedral and a tour of the magnificent Royal Palace.

We spent Sunday at Parque del Retiro (Retiro Park) and went rowing on the small lake. After wandering around the park, we set out to find the botanical gardens but were overwhelmed by the heat and lack of water. We soon learned about the Spanish tradition of siestas. During the heat of the day, businesses shut down and everyone takes a break. We found siestas added another dimension to our stay and necessary for late nights out watching Flamenco.

Our last two days were spent visiting the world famous Madrid museums. We started with the Museo del Prado which features many masterworks. I was stuck by Ruben’s Three Graces and Portrait of a Cardinal by Raphael, two of my favorite classics. Las Meninas, by Diego Velázquez and The Garden of Earthly Delights, by Hieronymus Bosch also stood out.

We visited the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía on our last day. As forewarned I was spellbound by Picasso’s Guernica, a graphic depiction of the Spanish civil war. Salvador Dali’s The Great Masturbator was a twisted insight into this genius. But it was the Juan Muñoz exhibition that amazed us. His use of three dimensional figures to depict the human condition proved to be a fit ending to our memorable stay in Madrid.

Click here to see a slide show of our Madrid pictures.

Bon Voyage, Jay