Madrid, Madrid, Madrid

This city was probably my favorite city to visit in Spain so far, besides Seville, where I live and love because it is my home city, anyways the city of Madrid is amazingly fun and full of fantastic restaurants  bars, clubs, and shopping.  I visited famous art museums, stunning monuments and beautiful parks.  Mostly, the reason I fell in love with Madrid when I visited was the familiarity with my other favorite city Chicago!  The city was more modern and diverse than other cities in Spain.  Here are some highlights of Madrid.

The city:

Museo de jamon, in Madrid you can find these little shops everywhere! Jamon Iberico is very popular in Spain and most Spaniards eat jamon everyday.  It's basically cured ham and perseved with salt then the salt is washed off and the hams are hung to dry for about six months. Finally, the hams are hung in a cool, dry place for six to eighteen months, depending on the climate, as well as the size and type of ham being cured.  Then sliced very thin and can be eaten in a sandwich, on toast, or plain!

Plaza Mayor is located in the city center of Madrid and is a beautiful monument surrounded by residential buildings and the statute of Phillip III in the center.

Panoramic view of Plaza Mayor!

beautiful bridge in Madrid, that reminded me so much of home :)

I think the city was even more beautiful at night.  Another amazing plaza in the downtown area.

The Food:

When you travel to Madrid, visiting the famous El Tigre restaurant is a must!  When you order a drink, either a glass of red wine or a large mojito, they give you free plates of tapas along with your drink order! Not to mention the tapas was amazingly delicious.  For about only 4 euro you receive croquet's & ham on toast with fantastic paella (see below)!  

Paella

Paella originated in the southern coast of Spain and consists of rice, a combination of seafood, and occasionally meat.  This is truly a Spanish dish, however it is very similar to Cajun food (mainly jambalaya).  I love paella and once you try it you will love it too! 

Tapas in the famous La Latina neighborhood.

Churros con chocolate

Everybody loves churros and why not eat them for breakfast everyday?  Probably not the best food to have for breakfast but  the Spaniards eat them anyway!  

Churros are dipped in hot chocolate, but not the same hot chocolate we are used to having during the winter.  It is more of like a thick, fudge type of hot chocolate only used with the churros for dipping.

Great food with great friends! 

Mueso del Prado:

While in Madrid I visited the famous Mueso del Pardo Art museum with the world famous Picasso paintings.  This is Picasso's guernica. 

Also another Picasso painting that I found interesting.

Also, the famous Adam & Eve painting, here at the Mueso del Prado

La Latina:

 

La Latina is a famous neighborhood located about twenty minutes from the city center.  La Latina had fantastic food, people, and gorgeous parks.  La Latina was definitely my favorite part of Madrid. 

We also had the chance to visit the oldest restaurant in the world! However, we didn't get a chance to eat there, because it was the oldest restaurant in the world there was a long line of tourists.