On our second consecutive rest day in Madrid, we chose to walk to a park with a temple and a massive rose garden (Parque del Oeste), and attend a Flamenco show.
We headed out from Plaza Sol in a new direction to see beautiful buildings and architecture. and walked through the theatre district, which really reminded me of the New York City theatre district. It was a lot of fun exploring the theatre marquees, buildings, and people walking around everywhere.
We made it to the park and saw a temple that Egypt gifted to Spain, Temple Debod. The park overlooked the city, and the views were amazing. In one direction, you could see an amusement park, and in the other, a Roman ruin, two cathedrals, and palaces. It was a very Zen place, as Bryan calls it. There was a busker in the park playing guitar who sounded like he was professionally trained. We sat on a park bench, listening to the music and looking out over the city of Madrid.
Jim wanted to find the statue of the author Cervantes and his fictional characters Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. So we strolled to Plaza de España where the famous writer and his pair of crazy heroes were immortalized.
Bryan had found a small brunch cafe called Adorado Cafe, so we stopped in there The food there was delicious. We ordered a variety of dishes: eggs Benedict with Jamón Iberico and salmon, the local breakfast plate with eggs, fruit, and a sweet with freshly-squeezed orange juice. Jim had a boring American breakfast with pancakes and bacon, and he seemed to love it. The Chai Tea Latte was delicious, as were the Cappuccinos. It was a quaint place with outstanding food and wonderful service.
After a short rest and full bellies, we walked to another park famous for its huge and beautiful rose garden.
There were plaques on some of the roses with dates on them. Not sure if that’s when the rose was first hybridized or when it was planted. Some of the roots were massive, so I know they have been there for more than a few years. We found some from the 2000s, the 1990s, 1980s, all the way back to the 1500s. It was really interesting.
We started our walk back home. About halfway, we were all hot and decided to stop at a sidewalk cafe to get some cold beverages. After ordering two beers and a jarra of Sangria, the waitress brought out a small plate of paella. We looked at her and said, “No, we didn’t order that.”
She looked confused, then walked away and brought back a bowl of olives. We ordered a second round and a tomato fruit salad, or perhaps a vegetable salad (we’re not sure) came with it. Again, we turned down the dish. Apparently, there are still cafes around Madrid where, if you order a round of drinks, a free tapas dish comes with it. We were unaware of this, so we just confused the heck out of our waitress. But we were all just too hot to eat and really needed hydration more than anything. After munching on crisps (potato chips) and olives and refreshing our drinks, we started back to our flat in Plaza Sol.
We had enough time to get back to our flat and dress for our Flamenco show. It was the longest-running Flamenco in Madrid in one of the oldest buildings. Legend has it that one of the ancient kings built a tunnel from the castle to the Flamenco building so he could watch the shows.
The show itself was simply breathtaking and mesmerizing. The musicians came out first. There were two classical guitarists. It was clear that one of them was the leader of the band. One of them played the saxophone and flute (not at the same time). One guy played and sat on a percussion box. There were two vocalists. The band played a tune for a few minutes, which was fantastic.
Then the dancers came out, and even though it was all in a language we don’t understand, we were completely captivated. The musicians watched the dancers’ feet to follow their tempo. They encouraged each other and smiled in approval when someone did something particularly impressive.
The Flamenco show was one of the most beautiful things any of us has ever seen. I glanced at my uncle during the first dance and saw tears on his cheek. Personally, I might have been a little biased since my grandmother on my daddy’s side was a Flamenco dancer. I kept imagining her — young, beautiful, and carefree, living the life of a Flamenco dancer.
We all enjoyed the show. When it was over, it felt to all of us like it had just started. An hour had passed quickly, and we were all speechless. It might have been my favorite thing we have done so far.
After the show, we found an outdoor cafe and enjoyed dinner, then made our way back to our flat. It was supposed to be a “rest” day for us, but we ended up walking a total of eight miles that day. Madrid is beautiful, and you have to just keep walking to see all the things!
Loving this Tracy 💜💜💚💚