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.