It's not every weekend you get to visit one of the shopping and art capitals of the world...
Oh, wait, for us it is!
Madrid is just a short half-hour metro ride from Alcalá and so we've ventured out of our little suburb to the big city these past two weekends. Even though it's been a little cold, we've seen some really cool things in this city whose architecture reflects history dating from Roman times through the Franco regime.
Our first stop last weekend was at this little chocolatería on a side street just off of the Plaza del Sol.
When Americans go out for hot chocolate, they usually expect to receive a drink with consistency just thicker than water. I would compare the hot chocolate here to melted semi-sweet chocolate chips with a little added milk and a loooooot of powerful flavor. We got some churros to dip into our chocolate, and unlike the sugar-cinnamon churros from home, they were almost savory. Deep-fried and perfectly crisp, these little treats were a perfect pair for the chocolate. If you ever find yourself in Madrid, DO NOT forget to indulge yourself at this little famous chocolatería.
Low-quality pic (we were sitting underneath an outdoor heater, hence the red light), high-quality chocolate.
Our next stop was the beautiful Basilica de San Francisco el Grande, which overlooks the entire city.
The convent was founded in the 13th century, but the building now on the site was completed in the late 18th century. This beautiful church has the largest dome in all of Spain, and it's one of the largest in the whole world. Upon entering the building, our jaws dropped to the floor...here's why:
INCREDIBLE. I'd never seen anything this detailed and just absolutely over-the-top.
After spending a whole lot of time gawking at this ornate church, we headed up the street to one of the newer buildings we've seen, the Madrid Cathedral, or the Catedral de Almudena.
Though built on a site that has been considered holy for over a thousand years, this cathedral was officially sanctioned by the Pope in 1993, making it the newest of any church we've seen yet. The interior reflects a much more modern style, and I actually really love the contrast of the very neutral gray with the colorful ceilings and stained glass windows.
The place felt a lot more bright and hopeful than the others that we've seen, which I think is why I really loved it. Also, look at that organ!!
Francisco Goya, one of Spain's most famous artists from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, is buried in Madrid. A sculpture of him sits just across the street from the little church that houses his tomb, and it appears that he is just forever staring at his own grave. This guy is a pretty big deal around here, and we're looking forward to seeing many of his original works tomorrow when we visit the world-famous Prado art museum.
Our last stop of the night was at this, the country's largest bullfighting stadium with a capacity for almost 24,000 spectators. It's a beautiful stadium on the outside, but Hayden and I are debating whether or not we should actually go to one of the gruesome events...yikes.
That was it for last weekend. This weekend we took a stroll down the famous Gran Vía in the center of the city and MAN, what a cool calle! We loved walking down the historic street that used to house a lot of the wealthy people in the city. The buildings that used to hold fabulous jewelry shops and expensive restaurants now hold some less-boujee stores, but there are still traces of the glamour of the 1930s, none more striking than the fanciest McDonald's in the city, and "maybe the world...";)
Had to get the little "McCafe" sign to prove that this is, in fact, a McDonald's. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we'd choose to eat at a McDonald's while in Europe where you can find some of the best food in the whole world. But how could we pass this up?
So posh. So glamorous. And look at the view!
Besides strolling around and eating yummy food, we didn't see too much else this trip. This week, not only are we going to the Prado, but we're going to have a tour of the Royal Palace and attend a Flamenco show! So, so Spanish haha. Until next week, adiós!
(Dad-gum white van ruining the pic:/)
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