Madrid is an ancient city, no doubt about it. Still, you’ll find forward thinking people, including those operating this hotel near the Plaza Mayor. Look carefully at the roof.
It looks like they have an evacuated tube system for heating water and some photovoltaic panels to make electricity. Good idea. There’s plenty of sunshine in Madrid, might as well use the energy. I would have liked to talk to someone at the hotel to see how much energy they were saving. Alas, not enough time.
La Perejila is one of those old-time joints I enjoy most. It’s on Cava Baja Street in the old part of Madrid, Spain.
Here you can get a vermut, vino, or cerveza among local characters. The decor is from another time, including the caged bird at the entrance.
I’m not exactly sure what creates the atmosphere of places like this. Maybe it’s the age, or the clientele, or the little touches like the bird. Whatever it is, the process has to natural. In the United States, too many places try to force the vibe and fail miserably. Fortunately, we have jet travel to take us to places like Madrid where there are streets like Cava Baja and authentic places like La Perejila. Stop in, stay awhile, enjoy yourself.
Typical airport food can be awful. I don’t know, maybe it’s the security x-ray machine that ruins it. However, I must say that at the end of my recent journey through Spain, I found decent eats at the Madrid airpot. This was outside the secure area, but still in the terminal. I returned the rental car, went inside, and there was a cafeteria-style operation. They had pre-made sandwiches, salads, and even champagne. Opting for one of each, here’s how it turned out.
Despite being pre-assembled, those sandwiches were darn good. The salad was all fresh ingredients and tasty. The champagne, well, what better way to celebrate an awesome venture through a foreign land than popping the cork on a bottle of bubbly? So, it’s all good, especially when you go looking for it, even in the airport food court. Enjoy the journey.
Cava Baja Street in Madrid was mentioned earlier on this blog, and it will be be mentioned again. This time, let’s visit a restaurant that began as a mill and then a posada way back in 1642 at its present location. This would be the Posada de la Villa. During previous trips I passed by the restaurant but couldn’t work in a meal. Since it is well-known I thought it deserved a try and this trip I made it a point to get there. It was a fine meal, with very good service and wine. My wife started with the snails and they came in the shell in a bowl, which was different from what she’s used to. See…
Snails aren’t my thing, but she reports that they were tasty, and as stated, different from the usual. I stuck to a plate of grilled vegetables as an appetizer. They were well done as you see in the next photo.
Vegetables are part of any good meal, including breakfast, so I try not to miss them. Moving on to the main course, my wife ordered the sea bass, which came more or less whole.
That’s plenty of fish for any appetite. I went with a giant pork chop that was served on the hot stone to finish cooking to my liking. It worked out perfectly.
We especially enjoyed the hospitality at this place. At the end of our meal I noticed another couple speaking English just a few tables away. Turns out they were from North Carolina and I invited them to share dessert with us. They agreed and we enjoyed some laughs for the forty-five minutes or so. That’s another of the joys of travel, meeting new people and sharing the experience. On the way out, I snapped this photo of the oven, still in use after all these years.
That’s the way to do it. The only problem with a place like Cava Baja in Madrid is that there are literally a couple of dozen places to have a great meal and you’re only there for a few days. The solution: go back!
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