Madrid Spain

 Madrid, Spain

We had visited Barcelona in 2016, so upon disembarking from the ship, we took a High Speed Train to Madrid.  Reaching speeds of up to 186 mph, the countryside flew by.   We saw rolling hills of farms and later dryer lands with olive trees.  The train arrive early in about 2:45 min.  It was easy to catch an Uber to our apartment operated by a US company Sonder.   It’s nice to have a small kitchen and living room in contrast to our small cabin onboard the ship.   After unpacking it’s off to a Lidl Grocery to pick up breakfast and ingredients for two dinners.  Tomorrow we will go on a food tour, which we have learned is both fun, delicious and a good overview of a city.  

We have 10 nights in Madrid to see the city and a few day trips outside the City.   This post will cover our time in Madrid.  We will post our day trips separately.  

Dinner at a good restaurant near our place.

Secret Food Tour 

Is a company we used in Edinburgh and Singapore.   Again, we had a great guide here in Madrid.  It was a small group consisting of a young couple and a family.  In addition to 5 stops to taste the food of Madrid, our guide shared information on both the city today and its history.

EL Riojano 

Our first stop is a gorgeous wood and marble shop.  The front entrance looks like a pastry shop, but the back is small tea room.   We are here to bolster our energy for the day.  I’m talking sugar and caffeine! The sugar is a local variation on French toast.  Brioche bread soaked in milk cooked on the grill with a egg coating and a dusting of cinnamon powder.    Its consistency is almost custard like.   For caffeine you have the choice of Expresso or the specialty, Hot Chocolate.  Not being a coffee drinker, I went for the Hot Chocolate, which was like drinking a rich candy bar, it was that thick.  

 

Bartolome Gourmet

This is our stop to experience Iberian Ham.   Walking in, we knew they fed the pigs some nut.   Oh, it's not that simple.  The pigs are a particular breed and are raised free range along the border with Portugal. The ham is graded by a number of factors including male/female, cut and especially diet.  Bellota was our favorite.  Click here if you want to learn more.

Bar La Campana

Calamari like I have never had before served hot and tender.  They look like large onion rings on a fresh baguette.  They were fantastic hot with a squeeze of fresh lemon.  I who am not a fan of olives enjoyed the side of mild green olives too.  

Refra

I almost thought they sat a glass of iced tea in front of me.   It was dark and had a slice of lemon on the rim.   Spaniards like Vermouth and each restaurant is proud of their Vermouth.  This was slightly sweet. I enjoyed it very much.   I would have been in big trouble if I drank it like I do with iced tea.    We learned you should always order an alcoholic drink without any food as often the restaurant will bring you a Tapas to enjoy with it at no charge.  See below

Mirador Del Armco De Cuchilleros

For the Grand Finale, we started with a Spanish Cider.  It’s very dry and a little acidic.    Our guide demonstrated how it must be poured several feet into the glass as it wasn’t filtered, and the poring did something neither of us remembers.  It made a good show.   It’s best enjoyed with food, so we had a big spread of Cheese, Grilled Peppers, Blood Sausage and more.  To top all of that off, we could select from Cava, White or Red Wine or another Vermouth for another drink.   I enjoyed a nice Red Wine from La Rioja where we will travel to next week while Carol had Cava.  

During the tour, our guide shared how Madrid with 4 million residents in the city limits alone is a large city that has experienced Gentrification.   To preserve small family businesses, it grants a tax exemption to business of over 100 years of age, held by the same family and conducting the same type of business. They are also commemorated with a brass plaque.  One such business is Casa Hernanz which was established in 1860.  Carol purchased the shoes below.

Top right shows the materials used in the shoes
Left is the commemorative plaque
Right Carol’s new shoes

Exploring Central Madrid

We are staying in the old part of town, full of beautiful older buildings.   The are only 5 skyscrapers and they are all on the North side of town.  We enjoyed many hours of exploring the city.  

Behind me is the Cervantes Monument with his characters Don Quixote and his Squire Pancho Sancho Panza

Museo de National del Prado

The Prado Museum is over 200 years old and contains a vast collection of Spanish and European Art. We lingered in the galleries we found interesting and skipped or hurried through others as we find 2 hours is our limit.  I confess I broke the rules to capture images of the two table tops below.

Real Jardin Botanico de Madrid 

The Royal Botanical Gardens are next door to the Prado Museum.  We enjoyed a nice lunch before setting out to explore the gardens.   They were nice, but sadly some plants were not in good condition.  We were very impressed by the Bonsai, which I have a few images of in the collage below.  

Monastery of Las Descalzas Reales

This monastery is very unusual.  It was built in the mid 16th century.  It occupies the palace of Carlos I and Isabel of Portugal.  Their daughter Juana founded the monastery as a place for widowed or never married nobility.  She and her sister the widowed Queen are buried there. All of the Nuns brought a dowry which enabled the monastery to be adorned with incredible tapestries and paintings.  The tapestries are in the best condition we have ever seen.  I assume it is because of the care they received.   The grand stairway was overwhelming.  The top left and bottom images below show you how every inch of wall and ceiling are adorned.  While it is an active Monastery, the Pope granted that they may open it to the public to raise funds as wealthy nobility stopped joining the monastery.  

When we ordered tickets, we learned of a small problem to overcome.  Only guided tours of the Monastery are allowed, and they are in Spanish.   Before we went, I compared Google Translate and Apple Translate so we could understand what the guide was saying.   It was a good thing I selected the Apple App because another couple from Germany used Google which wanted to speak the translation rather than display text in a large easy to read font that we could both read.   Our only challenge was staying close enough to the guide to record his speech.   The App stopped listening if it couldn’t hear him sufficiently. 

Museo Nacional Centre de Art Reina Sofia

The Reina Sofia Museum is a modern art museum known for its large collection of modern and contemporary Spanish art.  We saw several works by Dali and Pablo Picasso including Picasso’s large mural Guernica.  It was created to commemorate the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.  It was odd that the government at the time allowed it and used it in an international exhibition.   The bombing occurred between the time the government commissioned him and the time of the event. The stages of creating it first in small scale were documented by a friend.  Did Picasso’s fame stay the hand of the government?  Madrid is known for food and its art scene.  There are 3 extremely well known art museums.  We visited 2 of the 3 because that was enough for us.  This one is considered to be the modern one, but to my chagrin no impressionist paintings at all.  I did enjoy the Picassos and Dalis.  Sorry, there were restrictions on taking photos.

They created a large atrium by enclosing the old museum with a modern new building.

Royal Palace of Madrid

The Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest in Western Europe.  It is in very good condition, partly because it was built in the 1700s after a fire burned the previous palace down.  Supposedly at the time all the top artisans came to Madrid to help build the new palace.  It is full of ceilings with lots of angels and cherubs painted on them and many gorgeous huge rooms.  Since this is still a working palace, we did not get to see everything.  We did see a huge (I do mean huge) dining room - seats 120 I think they said and there was easily 12 feet left at one end.  At one time, it was several rooms and made up the queen's quarters.  A few minutes later we wandered to a different area where we saw the new queen's quarters which too were quite nice.  Additionally, there is one room called the porcelain room literally everything in the room is porcelain.  They said the vines you see on the walls covered up the joints for putting the pieces together.

Cathedral de Santa Maria de Real de la Almudena

It was a long slow process.  The foundation was laid in 1883 as a Church, but then the plans were changed to make it a Cathedral.  Scope Creep! Then more the aesthetic requirements changed.  That’s how you get a never ending project folks.  It wasn’t finished until it was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993.  

Side of Cathedral facing palace

Palace on left, Cathedral on right

Alter has an impressive ceiling

Pope John Paul II on right
Impressive Chapel on left

El Ritro Park

On our last day in Madrid, we decided to wander around El Ritro Park.  We only wandered around part of it because it is bigger than Central Park in New York like a lot bigger, plus it was another hot day.  The park started life as a hunting ground for the king.  We saw lots of people running, dogs having a good time and kids enjoying playgrounds.  There were great views since where we were was up on top of a good-sized hill.  One oddity was an Egyptian temple.  It seems Egypt gave Spain a Temple that would have been covered by Aswan lake for helping build the Aswan dam.  We also saw a rose garden that had a shady path for part of it so we explored that area and then decided to call it a day before we melted!  

Temple of Debod, a gift from Eqypt

Miscellaneous

We mostly walked to get to places in Madrid meaning we got to know the neighborhood where we were staying so we visited the Lidle (grocery) down the block and the Mercado San Delfonso, and a couple of the little cafes riming the local park and I checked out a couple of the shops too.  A couple of places were part of our regular route to the sites such as the Gran Via and the Puerto del Sol Plaza and the Plaza de Mayor.  I put Gran Via and Puerto del Sol together because the square which is large (several streets come off of it) and Gran Via which is a pedestrian shopping street kind of became one in my mind.  When I hit them, I knew how to get home on my own.  Plus there were lots of sites in that area.  Puerto del Sol has a couple of statutes in it including one that is the symbol of Madrid - a bear climbing/eating a strawberry tree.  Our guide told us the tree is pretty much nonexistent today partially because its fruit was so fragile.  On Friday evening, we were tired and frustrated when we did that walk.  Somewhat to my chagrin there was a huger crowd around a business blocking the whole street say 30 - 50 feet deep.  Jeff could tell there were some professional dancers at the store.  I later learned I had passed by a very popular night spot so I guess I showed my age by not being interested that evening!

Symbol of Madrid

Madrid is a good place to go to eat as we learned on our food tour.  We did cook a couple of our dinners at "home".  We also had to learn to adjust to the local eating schedule.  In Madrid, siesta is common with shops and with cafes.  If it is open between around 2 till 4 ish then it is geared towards tourists.  If the restaurant was closed in the middle of the afternoon and did not open till 8ish then it was a place that catered more to locals.  We had several good meals.  The picture at the top is from a restaurant around the corner from our apartment that has been around for many years.  We had 2 very nice dinners there for a very reasonable price.  Another night we went to a restaurant our guide had recommended for suckling pig.  We got there a little after 7 and were their first guests of the night, shortly after a couple of other obvious tourists showed up.  The food was as good as our guide had promised.  Having a true sweet tooth, I also hunted out several dessert spots.

Attractive building with a Great location across from the park

Malta

Malta was the last stop on the cruise.  Go find it on a map - it is in the Mediterranean Sea.  Even knowing where it was, because of its small size I had trouble finding it on a map.  Hint if you are still looking, it is just south of Sardinia off of Italy.  Unfortunately, it was a very short stop for us so Jeff and I elected to just explore the area around the port on our own.  We enjoyed ourselves and definitely want to go back and spend some time in Malta.  Again, those crusading Knights of St John built things here so there are temples/halls/forts and churches to see and explore.  Also, since it is an island nation (well 3 main islands) it has lots of ports and beaches to explore too.

We were docked in the town of Valletta which is the capital city.  We headed out of the port and into a 16th century city, but with a nice new modern elevator to take you up the steep hill to the main town.  We quickly found ourselves in what had been a fort at one time and where there were now small merchants setting up booths.  It was officially called the Upper Barrakka Garden it had some old cannons on a level.  At noonish, one of those cannons were fired.  We heard cannons a couple of minutes before and after being fired from across the water, but did not see the smoke.

Top Left - Commemoration from FDR
Top Right - Maltese Falcon is a high tech sailing vessel

As I said we wandered around for a couple of hours, so we have miscellaneous pictures.  We did see their New Parliament Building which was quite unique.  We also saw signs for Lascaris War Rooms which are underground tunnels that Malta used to house its WWII defenses and where several key Mediterranean Sea battles were plotted such as the invasion of Sicily.  Well, we may have seen a little of it since it is partially old tunnels which we were wandering in for a while. 

Top - Entrance to old walled city
Bottom - New Parliament building just inside Entrance above

I also did a little shopping while we were there - they are known for silver and gold filigree work some of which was quite impressive.  I think jewelry when you say filigree, but they had bowls and plates and little sculptures too.  We ended our time with lunch at a restaurant on the docks known for their American style food - Brown's Diner (or something like that).  As soon as we finished lunch, it was time to back on the ship - like I said short shore day.

Jeff’s new foldable boat in white

Lunch stop under canopy

Sailing out of the port

Israel

Haifa at night

We have 3 days in Israel between 2 ports – Ashdod and Haifa.  Today it was Ashdod and we chose to visit the Masada and the Dead Sea which unfortunately had the horrid starting time of 6:45am.  New country new immigration/security procedures.  In Israel we are issued a B type visa that is a driver's license sized card with our passport picture on it and the dates we can be in the country and warned not to lose it or it would be much hassle and $400 to replace.  Go through the scanners show our ship card, that new card and our passport multiple times and we are on our bus on our way to Masada.

Along the way we see the land and learn about how there are tectonic plates in the area that were related to the recent earthquake in Turkey and how they usually have an earthquake here every 100 years and they are overdue, so we were kidding/hoping for no earthquake while we were on top of the mountain.  Happily, no issues there. 

Masada

 We take the cable car up to the top of the mountain.  It was built as a palace by Herod and is an impressive piece of construction for its time with multi levels and tiers and a cistern and baths all the good roman architecture stuff.  Oh, I should add it is atop of a large hill 1,424 feet above and overlooking the Dead Sea.  All that is nice, but its claim to fame happened after Herod was gone.  The Romans took over the country and there was an uprising by the Jews.  The Romans had squelched it all except for a bunch of Jewish zealots who were holed up in the palace (Masada) with their families.  The Romans decide it was time to get them in line so they come with an army of thousands and first build an earthen ramp to get up to the top of the hill and then with all the modern equipment of the time – catapults, burning arrows and a battering ram they waged battle.  The zealots were outnumbered and then the walls of their structure caught on fire and the battering ram did its job.  For whatever reason, the Romans decided to enjoy a night in their camps and then come get the people the next morning.  Well, that night the Jews all disappeared.  Per our guide and Jewish tradition, they killed their families and each other till the last one committed suicide – well 3 people were found alive.  Now the online resources I saw said that they have never found any proof of the Jews killing themselves (like bones, etc in the area).  So anyway, it is a neat UNESCO heritage site and we got to ride a cable car up the mountain. 

Dead Sea

After that it was on to a hotel for lunch and the beach.  Beach as in Dead Sea.  We were with Tom and Linda and another couple from our ride in Wadi Rum playing in the water.  Amazing things from a visit to the Dead Sea:  the bottom is salt – no sand so you get pieces of salt between your toes; you can NOT swim in it; since you can't get our body be face down; if the water is deep enough, you can stand up right floating – no touching the bottom; floating on your back is the thing to do and incredibly easy.  In short, you are very buoyant, and it is a unique experience.

white lines are salt harvesting sites

Jerusalem

Next day we are in a new port of Haifa and have planned a 12-hour day trip to Jerusalem and Bethlehem.  For some reason I am not very excited about this trip - maybe the long bus ride, or maybe foreboding I don't know, but the trip had problems as in bus trouble.  Go through the security lines and get on the bus to find some broken seats and a bus not in great shape - what I expected in some of the Asian countries not Israel.  Find acceptable seats and start on our way.  Make a "comfort stop" at a not so nice gas station and our troubles begin.  Come out to find the equivalent of a hood is up on the bus.  We get on and the guide tells us there is a maintenance issue and it will be a few minutes.  Happily, they seem to fix it and we are on our way.  Or not.  We pull over on the shoulder for a few minutes and the driver gets off does something and we are on our way again.  Or not.  Next time he pulls off on an exit ramp and admits defeat to somebody because our guide says a new bus will be coming so we sit.  Bus shows up faster than expected - yeah - oh one of the other tour buses has come to rescue us and get us to Jerusalem - hey I'll take it.  Our ride drops us off at the Jaffa Gate to the Old City.

Old City of Jerusalem 

The old city walls were built by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the mid 16th century.   Our guide tells us about how what we now see as a road was formerly the moat but it was converted for a wife of an Austrian king when they visited.   Then we walk down the road which is narrow and start seeing shops in the bazaar.  

Church of the Holy Sepulchre 

Various Christian groups, including the Greek, Roman, Armenian, and Coptic churches, control parts of the present church and conduct services regularly.  Our guide gives us advice as to which way to go within the church to see things and then sends us to fight the mobs.

The Alter of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

Edicule, The purported Tomb of Jesus Christ

At one point in the bazaar, we turn and join the Via Dolorosa which is the road pilgrims would take.  We pass several stations of the cross on the outside of the walls of the buildings.  

Temple Mount

Western Wall (aka Wailing Wall)

Dome of the Rock

Bethlehem 

Segregation of Israel

One thing I was clueless about before the trip to Bethlehem is that it is within the Palestine Territory.  The sign below was on the road as our bus entered a highway exit/roundabout.

Our bus parks and we head off to the Church of the Nativity.  It is here that we believe Jesus was born. It is built around the grotto.   Oh, I should add that you enter through the door of humility meaning we have to lean over to enter the door since it is low.  We see the alter with the 14-point star which is where Mary gave birth to Jesus and then nearby another small alter where the manger was located.  The church is multi-level and has many alters.  We wander around some more.

door of humility on the left

Original 1st Church flooring

The Manger

Grotto of the Nativity where its believed Jesus was born - see the star on the floor

People would kiss the floor under the Alter

Then it was time to head back to the ship.

Akko or Acre

I went solo on this excursion since it did not interest Jeff.  I figured I had followed in the footsteps of the Knights of the Crusades last year and I might as well keep following them!  Our tour started with a drive up the mountain right outside of the port.  Our bus driver made a point of letting us get several photo opportunities on the way up because this was the Bahai Gardens which are quite pretty as they make their way up the mountain.  

looking upward at the Bahai Gardens

The mountain is Mount Carmel which had vague meaning to me before the tour.  Seems that here is where there was a test of gods many years ago and God was here, and the fire took hold sorry bad description there.  Anyway, it is a spot that proved to many people there is only one God.  Bringing it all home was the fact that a group of nuns that had a monastery in Kirkwood had their main monastery here – the Carmelite nuns.  We had a photo stop at the top of the gardens after driving around the monastery.

Carmelite Monastery

looking down from top of hill at the Bahai Gardens

From there we drove north along the coast to the present-day town of Akko which was Acre when the 

The Knights of the Templar and the Hospitallers (Order of the Knights of the Hospital of St John) were here until they were run out by the Muslims.  There is a fortified town with a nice shady park, bazaars, underground tunnels, and a port.  We started out our tour by walking through the bazaar.  The bazaar is small shops under archways.  The archways were built to give stability to the foundation for a mosque which they are under. 

shady park at entrance

the bazaar and its arches

The Knights’ fort is a nice old gothic stone structure that is still in good condition. This was their kingdom from 1191 to 1291 until they were literally run out of town to the sea where many of them would perish.

Top Left
Top Right -fleur de lis on a support
Bottom Right - Excavation for lower floors

One of the last places we visited was the tunnel.  The Templars Tunnel to be exact.  The tunnel was built underground from the inside of the fortress/citadel to the sea (150 meters) and had two purposes.  The first was a sewage system and the second was an escape route if needed.  The tunnels would have been dark so as our guide pointed out they might have had torches with them or running in the dark to get to the sea on a slippery floor that was rather low at times.  The plan was for them to hop on their ships that were at sea, but the ships left before most of the knights got there so they were killed by the Muslims.

Top Left - The tunnel is very low, we must bend down to enter
As we travel they get larger
The tunnel exits into the port

As in most places in this part of the world, these buildings were rebuilt and re used many times.  One of the last uses for part of this fort was a prison by the British (1918-1948) when they ruled this part of the Middle East.  This was the largest prison and held many of the fighters of the Jewish underground.

this was where the prison was located

Today its a pretty port on the Mediterranean Sea