Madrid: come hungry!

(click to enlarge - Plaza Mayor, Madrid , Spain)

I just spent a quick two days in Madrid on my way home from the UK. Here's some travel impressions:

-I can't believe that I took so long to get to Madrid. I've now been to 30 countries and just now got to the 3rd largest city in Europe (behind London & Paris.) It was definitely a mistake on my part. Madrid is waaaaay more interesting (and fun) than some of the 2nd tier cities that I've been to.

It did seem, though, that Madrid is a tiny bit off the beaten path. There are - for example - many more flights between the US and Paris or even Frankfurt than Madrid.

Also, Madrid lacks a signature event or icon. I had a great time in Madrid and really enjoyed the sights and the history, but there isn't a single prominent must-do/must-see, like the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, or the Duomo.

Most memorable in Madrid's case is the food & drink, or perhaps lifestyle. Not only are tapas tasty, but it is an insight into Spaniards way of life.

2 things surprised me about Spanish food: 1) it wasn't spicy at all, and 2) it tended to be very basic. For example, 2 of the most common tapas are patatas bravas and albondigas, which are roasted potatoes with ketchup (more or less) and meatballs in tomato sauce. (Not a complaint - I enjoyed them both.)

So to experience Madrid, come hungry. (And be sure to visit the Mercado de San Miguel, which provided the single best hour of touring that I've ever experienced. It's a market/food court that offers the best of Spanish food in a very accessible way/)


It's true what they say about Europeans taking the whole month of August off - the town was fairly quiet and there was wide availability at restaurants and hotels. It's also true about the proclivity for siestas in the afternoon.

As for trip specifics, I stayed at the Hotel Tryp Diana, a 4* hotel near the airport. The hotel was decent, and a 7 minute walk to the Alameda Olmos Metro stop on the end of line 5. (Line 5 running through the heart of the tourist districts.) The hotel area is nearly 100% residential, though there are a few restaurants/pubs focused on the locals, including 2 located inside the hotel.

I wish I could have spent more time in Madrid, and I'll definitely put a higher priority on exploring the rest of Spain.

Impressions of Belgium

Snack time at the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium

I crammed a quick trip to Belgium in at the front of a business trip to the UK. (trip via extra-quick Eurostar service from London to Lille, France.) Here's a few impressions, as I take the sloooowwwww train from Brussels to Lille.....

-hard to believe that Belgium is <200 years old. The monarchy was founded in 1831 based on a displaced German prince. I'm also not sure if Belgium should exist today - there are 3 distinct parts to the country (Walloonia, Flanders, and the capital, Brussels) none of which make sense together.

-amazing contrast between the French and Flemish parts of Belgium. The Flemish part seemed happier, taller, and the people were less likely to smoke. The French part was more global - many more Arabs, Turks, and Africans, and seemingly a bit poorer, both in Brussels and beyond.

-all that talk about Belgian frites (fries)? They're really only notable for their ubiquity - they're served with EVERYTHING. Frying the chips twice makes them slightly different and arguably slightly better, but not much different. They're often topped with different sauces (I saw as many as 16 different sauces), which adds to the uniqueness. My new favorite is Andalucian sauce. I have no idea what it is besides orange colored and slightly spicy.

-speaking of food, I discovered that I could live on doner kebaps and pain au chocolat - yum! Belgian waffles and beers were less impressive. I'd say crepes>waffles. I also tried a Flemish specialty flammades carbonnade. It's basically beef stew, cooked in beer with sugar, minus veggies, but of course with frites.

-here's something weird: Belgium regulates when retailers can have sales. Apparently July 1-July 31 is the permitted month of sales. Every clothing store has this screaming I their window.

-both Ghent and Antwerp were worthwhile side trips - I enjoyed both even more than Brussels. Both are picturesque, with Ghent's canals making the town special, and Antwerp with a very nice old town center.

-I walked through the EU area and was surprised at the small footprint of the EU, though there was a great deal of construction underway. Turns out that Brussels is one of 3 EU capitals (along with Strasbourg and Luxembourg.) If the EU was a stock, I'd short it. It is cumbersome, dysfunctional, and probably irrelevant. I had a chuckle when I saw the message on the outside of a parliamentary building: "Towards a stronger economic union." How about better, instead of stronger?