Gastronomic Mercado de San Miguel

Madrid, Spain

In what better way could you actually experience something, may it be a delicacy, an event, a dance or an activity? Go to the place where it originated!

For us, Churros con Chocolate is what we were craving for and we would be a fool if we were not able to satisfy it given that we are actually in the food’s birthplace.

 

We tracked down the Churros in this quaint, covered market called Mercado de San Miguel. Mercado de San Miguel was constructed for almost a century now and has recently been refurbished giving the market a  modern vibe and a new concept of how a 21st century market should look like. The building in itself is already an attraction.

We headed to Horno San Onofre, which is a little kiosk, sprinkled with the color pink, found on one of the end corners of the market. They mainly offer and create breads, cakes and sweets that are in reference to Madrid. We got the Churros as promised. The sugary goodness of the doughnut dipped on the glass full of creamy chocolate was heaven! We did not left anything as even the chocolate had been gulped down to the last drop.

We roamed around some more to see what else does the market has to offer. It is a nice place to wander in, dine and to try different foods and culinary treats. From seafood, tapas, paella, wine, olives, desserts, jamon, sushi and fruit shakes, you name it, everything are there.

There are also a few kiosks there that offers merchandises other than food that are worth checking out.

The place is being flooded by tourists and locals alike all through the day so the market could really get a little bit crowded during any given time. Anyway, I do not see that as a turn-off at all because that is a serious indication of how great a certain place is.

If you could, check out Mercado de San Miguel as well during the night. The place is much vibrant on late hours.

Museums in Madrid

I may not be an expert when it comes to understanding art but I do know how to appreciate whenever I come across with one. While we were in Madrid, we made it a point to visit Museo del Prado and Museo Reina Sofia.

Museo Del Prado

Museo del Prado is regarded as one of the greatest museums in the world. Home to a first class collection of Spanish paintings and sculptures,  the museum also houses important works of the Flemish, Italian and German schools.

The museum is very spacious and it took us 2 hours to go around and cover the must-see masterpieces inside; lots of those were done by Velazquez, de Goya, Ribera, Rubens and Bosch. We rented an audio guide which helped us go through all the pieces easily and understand the story behind each and every paintings as well. But if you are an art enthusiast, navigating the museum for a day will not still be enough. The museum is a real feast for the eyes and senses.

I have seen a lot of religious paintings inside and interesting sculptures that made me think about life in general and how we are actually living it but what I have come to love most after I stepped out of the museum are the paintings of Bosch. Although his paintings may come of as a little bit off because of its dark and twisted nature and are mostly chaotic and very busy, it connected on a much higher and more spiritual note with me. For me, his paintings just tell us that we will only reap what we sow; meaning the good will be rewarded with good, and the evil will be rewarded with evil.

 

Reina Sofia

Reina Sofia, on the other hand, houses what the Museo del Prado lacks: modern and contemporary art pieces that even kids would enjoy looking at. For the modern art buffs and Picasso lovers out there, they will surely appreciate the place. Although modern art is not my cup of tea, to see Picasso’s Guernica was already enough for me. For whatever form it may be and cause it may have, war is still war and war is and will always be a tragedy. I do not believe in the values (if there is any, actually) of war and looking at the painting made me feel more the anguish felt by individuals that had been affected by war, particularly the innocent civilians.

Bullfighting

Bullfighting is one of the most known aspects of Spanish culture. Though the activity may had already been banned in other countries because of its bloody nature, Spain still patronizes it as they do not consider it as a senseless spectacle but a fine art that has already become a part of their life and tradition.

Plaza de Toros in East Madrid is considered as the home of bullfighting in Spain and are sold out during major bullfighting events.

Cibeles Square

Madrid, Spain (World Youth Day)

It was the day when Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Madrid. People of different nationalities waited expectantly for his coming. The majority clamoured to be as close to him as possible; some are more than contented to have a glimpse of his outline; a few is still in contemplation. However, none of those were coincidental. They came together in Cibeles Square for a reason, whether they know it or not, and for the same purpose: to celebrate one another’s differences and faith.

Of Burgers and Milkshakes in Madrid

Madrid, Spain / World Youth Day – Day 1

Coming from Toledo, we are rushing back to Madrid as we are scheduled to attend a Mass in Cibeles Square presided by the archbishop that evening. We were expecting that there will be a huge number of people attending since it was the first official mass of the World Youth Day and true enough, we were welcomed by a swarm of people the moment we arrived in the city!

 

Still one block away from the event location, we already accepted the fact that we could not anymore squeeze ourselves in due to the thickness of the crowd, so each of us just settled on the vacant spots in Puerta de Alcala that had a nice view of the big TV screen which showed the Mass. We laid our newspapers down, waited for it to start and heard mass together as one with the other pilgrims that night. You would not believe that the city fell silent during the whole mass despite the number of people who flocked in the place. It was solemn.

My stomach was already grumbling even before the mass ended so seeing the lengthy lines inside the restaurants after the Mass really made me cannibalistic crazy! Add to it the fact that most of the stations were closed at that time since they could only accommodate people by batches, leaving us no other choice but to walk, walk and walk some more until we find a restaurant where we can eat.

At long last, we ended up falling in line at Burger King! Though very long and crowded, the lines were moving. I chose the set with a burger, large fries and drink in it from the pilgrim menu and gobbled all up in a bat of an eye.

Realization after: Junk foods are lifesavers!

Toledo: The City of Three Cultures

Toledo, Spain

We woke up on a cold morning in Madrid with our heads still devoid of much needed sleep  the next day but disregarded it instantly because we are to take a day trip to Toledo!

A UNESCO World Heritage site because of its magnificent representations of Mudéjar style/architecture prominent in it, the famed city of Toledo is found 70 kms south of Madrid and approximately an hour drive from the capital of Spain. It is a very small and quaint city that sits on top of a hill, enveloped by the Tajo River and surrounded by thick, old city walls which left a medieval fortress vibe for me.
It could be accessed by entering the majestic stone gate, Puerta de Bisagra, leading up to its narrow cobbled streets that tourists came to have known Toledo for.

Toledo had a very unusual history and setup with regards to their people. If you must know, Christians, Jews and Muslims, the three major cultures that lived in Spain, had lived side by side with each other before in this town. It was really a symbiosis and they were living peacefully amid the huge differences. The brotherly union among the three cultures is deeply engraved and interwoven through their buildings and architecture as I have come to see Toledo step by step. It is in this union that the Mudéjar style, which combines Islamic aesthetics with Christian styles, came to light.

One of the things that Toledo was most known for for centuries was their steel. Toledo has been supplying Europe’s military force swords and shields right up until weapons had been upgraded to firearms. They still make good quality swords though which tourists could bring home from the lovely city as a memorabilia or still use when the need comes up.

A lengthy walk from the sword making site took us to the majestic Catedral Primada Santa Maria de Toledo, or fondly called Toledo Cathedral just to cut its long name short. Though inspired by the Gothic cathedrals of France, Toledo Cathedral is nevertheless a melting pot of styles, including the Spanish Renaissance, Mudéjar and other more.

The cathedral is really magnificent with all the elaborate carvings and furnishings inside and out, but one of the things that really stood out for me was El Transparente, which is situated behind the main altar. It is a wall of marble sculptures, delicately lit by the light of the sun coming from a skylight cut in the ceiling. It was really magical and ethereal when the rays strategically light up the angel sculptures placed high above the wall. My heart literally stopped in awe and appreciation of the grandeur that was standing right in front of me!

Another unique thing I appreciated inside was the red hats hanging from the ceiling dominantly situated in front of El Transparente. The red hats actually belonged to the cardinals who are buried in the tombs directly beneath and their hats will stay there until their bodies rot away completely. So, if you saw a red hat above you it only means you are stepping on the tomb of the cardinal who owned it!
It is also one of those moments when I became proud as a Filipino. There was this museum inside which features all religious and cultural artefacts obtained from different places around the world, all made in gold, and one of the biggest treasures inside the room came from us, the Philippines. I wonder then how much it is worth!

After taking in the magnificent sights offered by the Cathedral, we braved the heat outside and went directly to the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes. Monasteries are very close in Spain’s heart because Kings and Queens primarily have lived there and many important, historic events happened in these places.

The Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes is one of the best monasteries, in terms of its beauty and importance, in Spain and was founded by King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I during the 15th century to celebrate the birth of their son and their win over the battle of Toro. The monastery embodies Gothic style with Spanish and Flemish influences, dressed up by Mudéjar ornamentations. The most notable thing that you will see are the chains and shackles hanging on the exterior of the monastery. These shackles were once used by the Moors of Granada to chain Christians. Then during the last decade, when the Moors were expelled from Granada, Christians brought the chains in the monastery as a symbol of their triumph and faith.

The sun was blazing and hunger struck hard after the tour so my friends and I just walked in the first restaurant we saw that offers enough shade and at the same time serves Spanish cuisine. The place is called La Casita bar, which is quite a coincidence since we have this school canteen in our university before back in the Philippines that has the same name and I had eaten most of my lunches there during my college days.

All the food that we ordered were delicious. The duck meat was unbelievably soft, the Paella had the right kick into it, and the Callos was divine! The three of us left nothing of the meal! It was heaven sent that we dine in La Casita because it was in here that my view about Toledo’s food had really been moulded. I will go back here even just for the food! It was the best meal I had when I was in Spain.

 

We exited through this medieval bridge across the Tajo River which links the city of Toledo to the west. Puente de San Martin as they call it is where we bid our goodbyes in this lovely city of Toledo. I promised myself that I will come back here. I do not know when but I will surely make it a point to come back here and rekindle my feelings for this charming city.

Touchdown Madrid

Madrid, Spain

To be part of the World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain opened up a lot of first-times for me. It was my first time to go out of the continent, my first time to ride on a Boeing 777-300 ER and my first time to go out of the country without my family that is why the thought of going out of the country on my own, just with my friends, had not sank in deep within me until my feet touched the grounds of Madrid.

It took us a total of 14 hours of travel time + 9 hours stopover time  in Doha International Airport before we arrived at lunch time the next day in Madrid Airport Barajas. We were picked up by a coaster which brought us to our home for the next seven days.

The accommodation assigned to us was in this school called Republica de Panama which sits in San Blas, a district east of Madrid Capital. San Blas is a quieter part of Madrid since it is still quite far from the city center and is mostly residential.
Upon seeing the school as our accommodation, memories of my girls scout camping resurfaced. It feels like grade school camping once again with our luggages dumped on one corner of the gym, sleeping bags scattered on the floor, girls and ladies alike teaming up to establish their territory and the flags of each nations either plastered across the wall or put at the end of a stick as a sign that the place was already occupied! But different in a way since we are in another country, we are working as one and we are sharing it with other youths of different nationalities.

Since we came here not just as tourists but also as pilgrims, our first stop for the day was to go to Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena  in Central Madrid to hear mass. The closest metro station (San Blas) was just a 10-minute walk from our place , which  made travelling around Madrid a cinch.

It was already 3 pm when we arrived in the cathedral. Maybe it was because of fatigue, the scorching heat outside, the purely Spanish mass or a combination of all, but I have found myself dozing off more than what is tolerable! Anyway, when I can feel that I am about to doze off again, I just look up at the ceiling, around my surrounding and to see the magnificence around was already  enough to remind myself that I could not afford to close my eyes more than I should because it is not all the time that I could experience something like it.


I wish I could really eat like this, al fresco style in Manila in the streets.

Going around the heart of Madrid felt like walking in a huge, outdoor museum. Every little thing you focus on seems like art. Everywhere you pan your eyes to seems perfect and well structured.

We walked around some more and explored  until our bodies were already exhausted as hell. We went home at around 12 midnight, excited already for what will be in stored for us in the next seven days.

High Rise

Tsunami

My dad and I were watching video footages of the Indian Ocean tsunami which struck the globe last December 2004. I would not have recalled much about this if not for a single, vague memory of watching over and over again people scrambling around and running far away from the shore of Phuket to any high grounds that they could possibly go to quickly. Also toss in the fact that the tragedy happened a day after Christmas. Because of that memory, I thought Thailand got the hardest hit among all of the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean; it was Indonesia that got the worst hit.

The Indian Ocean tsunami is known to be one of the deadliest natural disasters recorded in history and the deadliest tsunami that had ever occurred by far. It killed over 230,000 people in fourteen countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India among others, and had caused permanent damage to cities and peninsulas greatly hit by its force and building - high waves.

Here are some of the before and after tsunami photos (aerial view) of the greatly hit city of Indonesia, Banda Aceh, the capital of the Aceh province that sent chill down my spine:

This is Meulaboh still located in Aceh province

And this is Meulaboh one year after the tragedy and has not yet recovered even then. The town, which had a small population of 120,000, was struck by seven waves instantly killing a third of its populace.

I shuddered while watching and looking at the videos and photos. This is ten times worse than what had transpired recently in Fukushima, Japan in terms of casualties and the wideness of its scope. But still, lives taken away are still lives gone, however small in number they are.

I fear being in the middle of a water body. Not that I do not know how to swim but I could not help but think about the unknown vastness present beneath me. I’d rather be standing on top of a tall building, looking down than be swimming in the ocean. At least they can still find my body when I fall down from a building!

Naku, seeing how the waves swept the people away worsen the irrational fear.

We already had two tsunamis and this century is just starting. Add to it the fact that one of these tsunamis also caused Fukushima’s nuclear power plant to spontaneously explode, causing twenty times worse danger to the people who survived and are still living there as well as the generation that will follow as compared to the Chernobyl disaster.

Thinking

I have been thinking a lot these past few months. Mostly about mundane things that are every day seeping and crawling in in my mind. On how little or how far I had climbed on my life’s ladder. Some about my current standing in life, in terms of every single aspect that I could think of and how I could better improve myself on each one of those. Little on the doubts and fears that have been clouding my mind then which further fuelled my psychotic imagination and concretized my typical standing. I’d like to think little though these two, doubts and fears per se, literally took the space that should had been reserved and took up by creative juices and optimism which I miss now more than ever. Few on an unequal list of good times and bad times. And a lot of snippets of randomness and ideas longing to be freed. Replaying and forwarding each and every single thoughts, again and again. But never playing. 

I really have been replaying memories a lot, been playing events that is still bound to happen. I have been defining my future based on what I perceive not on what I believe lately, been thinking a lot really. But then I stopped. Is it all there is in my life and dreams? Is my life meant to be spent just sitting still and wandering inside? Are my dreams meant to be contained only inside this small squishy and intestine-like thing of a brain rather than out playing and standing out amongst us? Are they?

But of course I know the answer. So I got off my chair and hit play.

Black Button

The Places We Should Have Gone

Blossom

I feel refreshed everytime I welcome the new year. A new year always emits a sense of renewal and hope. It feels like we had yet again cross a significant checkpoint of our life’s journey;  as if another fresh chapter of our magnificent existence is about to unfold and disclose, in which through time would fill our book of life with seemingly wonderful stories, our very own wonderful stories, sewn together to reveal a masterpiece that we, ourselves, could not and would not ever imagine in our lifetime.

I have welcomed again the new year with much needed optimism and I hope that this will not falter all through out. But if it does, I hope I will have then the persistence to reignite the fire and keep going. Here’s to a very meaningful year ahead! Happy new year everyone!

Photos by Ina