Royal Madrid - El Palacio y El Jardín Botánico

I'm not sure whether it was the popularity of the Palacio Real as a tourist attraction or the price of the tickets that made me wait until my parents were with me in April to pay it a visit... All I can say is that I'm so glad I eventually got round to going as I was blown away by its shere gorgeousness! The irony is that we weren't allowed to take any photos inside the building so I'm unable to show you how truly magical it was. If you're someone who enjoys history, art or even just beautiful things in general then you really must experience the inside of this palace!

I'd walked past the building all the way back in October when Irene, a lovely intern from the museum where I worked, was showing me around:

 

It was a little cloudier on the day that I eventually got to see inside:

 

As I said my parents were over from England for a few days so we met up for a drink outside the Mercado de San Miguel to people watch and enjoy some olives/nibbles.

 

 

 

We then headed over to the Palace to queue for tickets and make our way into the first entrance hall.

 

 

 

This really doesn't do the rest of the building justice (we've all seen a few painted ceilings in our time) but I'm afraid this was the cut off point for photos. I tried to get a few sneaky snaps later on but was immediately cornered by a warden. The shere luxury that the royal family enjoyed is almost painful when you compare it to the life of a regular Spanish citizen in the 16th century. Every inch of floor, ceiling and wall space has been beautified to the point of ridiculousness; it was like standing inside a Fabergé egg. There are rooms that are inlaid with precious stones in swirling floral patterns across the walls and floor, others are entirely covered in gleaming ceramic tiles while still more are hung with jewel bright silk tapestries. Furniture and exotic ornaments from all around the world fill chambers lit by antique crystal chandeliers and ornate wall sconces. The soft ticking of an exquisitely made gold, silver or ebony clock can be heard almost everywhere throughout the palace. When the audio guide told me that the golden lions flanking the royal thrones had been there for 400 years my historian's heart rose to heaven - just think of all the history they've seen!

A couple of afternoons later we paid a visit to another Madrid attraction with royal connections - the Real Jardín Botánico.

 

 

The entrance to the garden is on the Paseo del Prado just a little way along from the Prado Museum. There's not much to say apart from the fact that it's full of beautiful plants and flowers. It was lovely to just wander about with my parents and take some photos:

 

 

 

 There are huge glass hothouses full of twisting vines and tropical trees:

 

Here's my attempt at an arty photo... I thought the reflections on the water made it look like the fish were swimming through the sky:

 

 

 

 

I can't recommend the Palacio Real enough for lovers of history and it's definitely worth the 11 euro ticket - though make sure to get an audio guide!! The Jardín Botánico is also definitely worth a visit if you're in the area and looking for a break from the traffic and bustle of Madrid's busy streets.



El Club Allard - A Michelin Star Experience!

Last week Chris came out to visit me again for the last time before I'm home for the summer. Seeing as I've lived here for 9 months it's unlikely that we'll be back in Madrid on holiday for a while so we thought we'd make the most of it and try one of the swankiest restaurants around; El Club Allard. This place has been awarded not one but two Michelin stars over the years and its popularity is attested by how hard it was to book a table (we nabbed the very last one!). We were led to our corner, our drinks were poured and then the fun began. A waitress brought over a small bowl of peanut dip and told us that the restaurant business cards on the table were actually the first course - though they looked like paper they were actually wafer thin potato! This was followed by a snack of crusty bread, rock salt and the most gorgeous olive oil I've ever tasted. The first starter was slivers of smoked eel with a light coconut sauce - I never thought I would have enjoyed eel but it was delicious.

 

 

The second starter (pictured above) was actually my favourite dish on the whole taster menu. Crispy fried sea urchins were accompanied by a tiny salad of quinoa and other crunchy vegetables sliced incredibly finely. The pipette was filled with a "sea urchin emulsion" which was also delicious.

 

The next course I was not so fond of. A shot of butter fish and white asparragus accompanied by a crisp bread and tiny jewel-like globules of olive oil. The shot or "chupito" was warm and frothy and the globules, though pretty, and I'm told difficult to make, were incredibly salty. This I think was my fault rather than the restaurant's as I'm particularly sensitive to salt and don't really put much on my food normally. Up next was a tiny "cupcake" or tart made of truffle and quail's eggs:

A beautiful flower made of incredibly thinly sliced fish in the Japanese Usuzukuri style was filled with a coriander foam and tomato chunks.

"Sea Rice" was accompanied by delicate green prawn crackers in the shape of shells and a seaweed salad.

 

The cod was so well cooked that it broke apart at the touch of a fork and the light tomato "infusion" was lovely. The "smearing" technique for food presentation seemed to be very much in fashion for these later dishes...

 

 

 

 The roasted pork was delicious and accompanied by a banana puree and a rice wafer. The next tiny dish or "pre-pudding" was designed to be a palette cleanser and was made up of a fresh hibiscus foam in a sugared flower with pistachio crumbs.

 

The first true pudding was called "petals" and was rose themed. A pink rose mousse was covered with a light sugar coating and sprinkled with candied rose petals. Peeking out from under the rose petal was a zesty lime sorbet and "orange air" which was a really interesting eating experience. You put a spoonful of the bubbles on your tongue and it was almost as if you were smelling the orange rather than tasting it.

The next pudding was called "chocolate rocks" and contained chunks of chocolate sponge, a scoop of cinnamon and pepper ice cream, mint "rocks" and cocoa crumbs. The ice cream was gorgeous - spicy but sweet at the same time.

The very last course on the taster menu was a black board with edible chalk and board rubbers. The chalk was made out of sugared passionfruit and the letters were candied ginger. After the meal was over we realised we'd been eating for over 3 hours! The restaurant was empty apart from us and the waiters were clearing tables and snuffing out candles.

 

When it comes to food I have pretty simple tastes; if it's tasty and there's lots of it I'm happy. I was fairly sceptical about the concept of a taster menu with all the teeny tiny dishes. What if I didn't like any of them? What if I was still hungry at the end? But I'm so glad I let Chris talk me into going (he's wanted to try Michelin star cooking for ages) and have discovered new foods like sea urchin that I never knew I liked.

 

The restaurant was super pricey but it was the last time we'd be in Madrid together and also our anniversary so we just went for it! It was a brilliant introduction to the world of fine dining and an insight into modern Spanish cooking. If you're in Madrid and looking for a great lunch or dinner experience with beautifully presented, tasty food then this is the place to be! I'd start saving the pennies now though...

El Club Allard can be found at Calle Ferraz, 2 with the nearest metro station being Plaza de España

Sevilla - A Spanish Dream!

Sevilla - the last leg of our Andalucían journey and my favourite city we passed through. There's something in the air in Sevilla; the streets are full of the scent of orange trees and jasmine while the sound of flamenco guitar drifts through the city.

Arriving in the first week of May meant that there was still a hint of feria in the air but that the sheer madness of the fiestas had died down. That didn't mean that there weren't any people about though! On our first night we left our things in the apartment and set off to find dinner through squares crowded with people talking and laughing. Out of all the cities I've visited so far this year Sevilla is the only one apart from Madrid where I felt I could have stayed for the year and been happy - the atmosphere is brilliant.

 

 

Everywhere you looked there were signs for fresh snails or caracoles in garlic oil and people were picking them out of small bowls to suck them from their shells.

 

 

 

 

We found some tapas and went home to discover that our hosts not only had a dog called Rufino but also a tiny hedgehog called Tomás who was allowed to run around the patio at night (he lived in the ensuite bathroom during the day).

 

Next morning we headed to the Real Alcázar de Sevilla (what seemed like our millionth alcázar but Andalucía is full of them!) and spent a couple of hours wandering around the gardens and courtyards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This next room with the incredible guilded ceiling was inside the Casa de Contratación where all trade and commerce with the new world was discussed at the time of Isabella and Ferdinand. Christopher Columbus met the royals inside the chapel adjoining this building to present the results of his second voyage to the Americas in the late 1400s (let it out fellow history students, let it out - I won't judge!)

 

 

 

 

Later on when the sun was starting to set and the light turned gold we set off on a quest to find the famous Plaza de España. The city at dusk is just beautiful with tumbling bougainvillea, ornate balconies and the horses stamping in the square - a Spanish dream come true!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It would seem that the Fiesta de Las Cruces was celebrated here too - we returned to this square later in the evening for a delicious meal of crispy grilled sea bream.

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By following the sound of a pretty bombastic brass band we finally emerged at the edge of the Plaza de España and stood in awe. I have to say that this is without doubt one of the most beautiful spaces I've come across in Spain. The sunset was casting shadows on the rippling water, the stone was turned fiery orange and the silver-grey mist from the fountains floated on the breeze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some girls added to the moment by rowing backwards round the lake unawares...

 

 

 

 

The last day of our trip was scorchingly hot with temperatures nudging 40 degrees. We unashamedly did absolutely nothing all day but hop from bar to bar in the shade letting the cooling mist sprayed from the awnings wash over us. An air conditioned taxi ferried us to the train station and after a fairly relaxed two hour journey we arrived back in good old Madrid. That night pizza, a film and sleep were in order - we'd seen so much and had a great time but 3 different cities in 6 days requires a certain amount of energy!

 

In the time it's taken me to post this last section of our Andalucía trip I've actually been lucky enough to go on holiday again. This time I spent a lovely weekend in San Sebastián with Annie and Cat - all our adventures and pictures coming soon!