WINTER IN MADRID

Saturday, February 04, 2012

WINTER IN MADRID

Just got back from a week in Madrid to find our tortoise buried under two inches of bark chippings, a green flannel and a large bundle of straw. Shelby’s well prepared for the icy Siberian weather that has heralded the arrival of that unwanted guest, winter. I’ve transferred my holiday thermals from suitcase to the top drawer for work wear next week. As it’s too cold to contemplate anything other than clinging to the radiator, I’ve hunkered down in front of the PC with a cup of steaming hot tea to sift through my holiday photos, all 250 of them.

First impressions of Madrid – a great city with a proud heritage reflected in its grandiose buildings, stunning fountains and smartly dressed, fur coated citizens. Unlike Barcelona with its quirky, bohemian air, Madrid is a city full of mouth-watering jamon museums, beer bars and never ending cafes tempting you with chocolate and churros. If your heart chose to stop, you couldn’t have picked a better place to end up than face down in a plateful of freshly fried churros. There definitely was no point starting a post-Christmas diet whilst in Spain.

Jamon Museum - Has the tastiest exhibits in the city

But it’s not all cream tarts and tapas, Madrid is also a city of culture with plenty of interesting museums some large enough to age you by 5 years. We scoured El Prado for a glimpse of the famous ‘Maja’ whilst ear-wigging bizarre conversations relating to the absence of pubic hair in the 1800s. Well, I guess you do have to wonder what ladies did before Immac.

The Nude Maja by Goya

From the top of the tourist bus, we were able to get a good view of both the historic and modern parts of the city. Here’s our top 10 of places we saw in Madrid and a really good web site to look at if you're planning a visit: http://www.madrid-tourist-guide.com/