Madrid Cafe at Night ()
My father shed tears when he saw Picasso’s “Guernica.” The famous anti-war oil painting with its dramatic black, gray and white composition takes up an entire gallery wall at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid. Seeing it in person, decades after studying art in college, and following a long military career, was an emotional bucket-list moment for Dad.
More would follow. We saw works by Salvador Dalí and Joan Mirò, then went to the famous Museo del Prado to see paintings by Goya, Velázquez, Raphael, El Greco and my kids’ favorite “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch. My daughter loved finding the unique creatures in that one and we joyfully spent hours longer than we expected at art museums. But that is the beauty of Madrid. It is a city that invites you to stop, look and linger.
Picasso’s “Guernica” at the Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid ()
My parents joined me and my two young children in Madrid for a weekend. Following the museum, we took an afternoon break in the hotel. Yes, things really do close from 2 to 5 p.m. in Spain, and I love that it forced us to slow down and refresh. It also meant we were all revived for an evening out. Family time is all the time in Spain, so our multi-generational group was not out of the ordinary enjoying Madrid late into the evening.
Plaza Mayor is Madrid’s main square and the best place to stop for evening coffee or drinks while watching some of the city’s famous street performers. My children could not wait to show their grandparents the ‘goat guy’- a performer whose costume is primarily made of rainbow tinsel and a goat skull that snaps its jaws, whistles, rattles and dances with joy when money is placed in its pot. The plaza comes alive in the evening, but at 7 p.m. dinner was still a long way off and we were hungry.
Luckily, nearby is the Mercado de San Miguel. In the daytime, there are fresh produce and fish vendors at this glass-walled market, but at night the space comes alive with tapas counters. We wandered, chose a small bite or two from a glass case and moved on to the next stall where more delicious options were waiting. The kids loved croquetas (fried cheese and meat nuggets) and albondigas (meatballs), while I couldn’t turn down any beautiful pintxos (tapas made into finger food by putting it on a slice of baguette). Tapas at the market became our evening meal, so by 10 p.m. we were sleepily crashing in the hotel while the rest of Madrid finally sat down to dinner.
“Goat guy” street performer in Plaza Mayor, Madrid ()
On our second day in Madrid, we hit the ground running and took the subway to the ‘Opera’ station. We then promptly got serious with our desayuno (second breakfast) while people-watching near the Paseo de las Estatuas (Way of the Statues). The kids quickly got bored and ran around the statues of the Spanish royal family while we finished our coffee. Outdoor cafes are plentiful in Madrid and will happily serve coffee, caña (a small beer) and tostada all day. My favorite tostada is “con tomate,” which is toasted crusty bread topped with crushed tomato, but my parents enjoyed trying varieties with local Jamón or Manchego cheese.
We then happily made our way across the street on time for our pre-booked tickets for the Palacio Real de Madrid. It is the largest royal palace in Europe. The current building was constructed in 1735 to replace an older much-remodeled alcazar (fort) originally built during the 9th century when Spain was part of the Muslim state of al-Andalus. We chose tickets for a basic self-guided visit and purchased one audio guide at the entrance. This let us move at our own pace while one person listened and explained for the rest of us. Highlights were seeing the huge ornate and gilded dining room and the throne room which is still used today for official ceremonies. We also visited the adjacent Catedral de la Almudena for a one-euro donation. The cathedral is huge and has colorful interior paintings, plus there is a massive crypt for Spain’s royal family.
Interior of the Palacio Real de Madrid ()
After the palace, we grabbed picnic food at a local grocery store and hopped on the subway to ‘Retiro’ for a picnic lunch in the Parque de El Retiro. The huge park was designed in the 1600s to surround a royal residence and is now a cool, shady green space. We found a spot near the Great Pond to relax on the grass, eat and watch people paddling below the monument to Alfonso XII, the ‘peacemaker’ who helped stabilize the constitutional monarchy. Small row boats are available to rent and there is a larger Barco Solar that offers rides around the pond. Our goal, though, was a tour of the playgrounds along the east side of the park to tire out the kids. Then we wandered past all the peacocks in the Jardines de Cecilio Rodriguez and visited the rose garden. The park has plenty of small surprises like fountains and formal gardens, cafes and snack vendors.
For our final evening, we visited the Puerta del Sol plaza where we lingered, ice cream in hand, to watch more street performers – this time break dancing was the highlight. We took pictures with Madrid’s famous bear and tree statue. It was erected in 1967 and personifies the coat of arms of Madrid whose bear and tree icons date back to the 1200s. Then, we wandered along the shopping streets that fan out around the plaza, enjoying the smaller stores and souvenir stalls. We eventually found ourselves having dinner at an outdoor café and lingering late into the evening while the city bustled around us. That is what Madrid does best: bucket-list moments interspersed with time to relax and enjoy.
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