Last Stop Madrid: Au Revoir, Adeus, Adios.

The train arrives in Madrid around 11. Finding the taxi rank is a bit like a game of Cluedo. We finally find it after about 2 flights of stairs. There is a queue of about 100 people at the rank, but a similar number of taxis, so the wait is not long. While check-in at our Airbnb is not until 3 pm, we're able to store our luggage there and go off exploring. It's been 9 years since we were last here, so it’s nice to re-familiarize ourselves with it.

We explore our immediate neighborhood, including Plaza Mayor, which is a 2-minute walk away. Then, we check in and rest a little ahead of our tapas walking tour in the evening. The tour starts at 6:30 pm, with the meeting point on a street corner in one of the more renowned foodie areas of Madrid. It’s an hour's walk to get there, so we head off a little early to give ourselves plenty of time.

We arrive at our walking tour meeting point half an hour early, so we grab

a beer at one of the nearby bars we passed on the way. At 6:30, we make our way back to the meeting point. There are two other people waiting, and we introduce ourselves. They are American. Then our guide, Sirsa, arrives—she is also American and has lived in Madrid for the past 5 years. Finally, the last guest arrives, also American. It’s a bit like “don’t mention the war.” In her welcome, Sirsa assures us that we will have a great time on the tour, and she was right. She starts by telling us why the district we’re in is the top foodie district in Madrid, and then we’re off. We visit four venues, all quite close together, so there’s not a lot of walking. In each venue, we try the house specialties, both in tapas and drinks. As the night progresses, the streets and venues get busier, with the locals not venturing out until late. At the end, Sirsa invites us to a local cocktail bar where we continue for a while. It was a fantastic tour, and we came away with a few ideas for Salty Plum Social.

On our second day in Madrid, we walked all day. From the Toledo Bridge to the Royal Palace, back to Plaza Mayor, and then to the Mercado de San Ildefonso in the Chueca district. When we were last in Madrid 9 years ago, we stayed in Chueca and ate at the Mercado. It was a great walk down memory lane, with many familiar streets. It’s Friday night, and most of the streets in central Madrid are closed to traffic, with masses of people filling the streets. Determined to get the most out of our Friday night, we explore one of the rooftop bars for a beer. Then we pass an Indian restaurant and give in to the temptation for a good curry. We end our night with churros and hot chocolate.

On Saturday morning, that’s our trip done. We find a nice, modern café for breakfast, then visit Plaza Mayor one last time. This is a historic square in

Madrid, with restaurants around the edge at ground level and residential levels above, all with balconies facing the square. It is always busy with tourists and has succumbed to the strange sight of people dressed as cartoon characters making money from photos. They stand in crass contrast to this culturally beautiful square. On our final morning there, we’re lucky to witness a display of traditional dancing. The dancers, both young and old, are graceful and proud in their performances. It’s a great memory to take with us as we leave Madrid.

Getting an Uber is a little tricky as the road closures are for the weekend not just Friday night. Once we find an open road we book the Uber to the airport. Go through security, take the internal train to the other end of rhe airport then suddenly we're heading home.

Next stop Doha, enroute Perth, enroute Broome.