oops ... madrid!

There's not much to say about our brief one-night stay in Madrid, except .... oops! Completely unexpected.  Aman and I had no intention of starting our European adventures in Spain.  We had planned to kick things off in Prague.  But after a hopelessly delayed flight leaving New York-JFK and a missed connection that was impossible to avoid (trust us, we tried), Aman and I found ourselves in Madrid on a perfectly sunny afternoon with two choices:  (a) board a same-day flight with one connection through London-Heathrow, or (b) wait for a next-day non-stop flight from Madrid to Prague. Another connecting flight??  Not an incredibly attractive option for two people who already had been traveling for a good 24 hours (from Mexico City through New York to Madrid). So we confirmed that the airline would foot the bill for our night of inconvenience and opted for the next-day direct flight.  Naturally, the airline put us up at a random hotel on the side of a highway in the middle of nowhere.  We got there at 3:05 p.m., local time, which was conveniently five minutes after the hotel restaurant stopped serving lunch.  So much for those meal vouchers...  We had a siesta instead.  When we awoke, three hours later, we decided that there was only one option:  it was time to get out and explore Madrid after dark.  Wouldn't you?  After all, it's not every day that an opportunity such as this drops into your lap on a Saturday night.  And Madrid nightlife is known as one of the city's best attractions.  Aman and I jumped in a cab and went straight to Plaza Mayor, the beautiful, 17th century public square.  It was bustling with people and full of activity when we arrived around sunset - people eating tapas and drinking wine at the cafes that line the inner rim of the square, people milling about and taking in the scene, a couple of amateur flamenco dancers and other street performers, a happy group of drunken Spaniards out for a friend's bachelor party... it was perfect.  Upon exiting the plaza, we stumbled upon the Mercado de San Miguel, which could not have been any more ideal. We looked at the market, we looked at each other... we were wide-eyed with excitement at thought of all the delicious food that was inside.  When we went in, you could barely walk, it was so crowded.  We surveyed counter after counter filled with trays of olives, cheese, cured meats, empanadas, pescado and mariscos, paella, gelato, dried fruit and nuts.  This must be what gastronomic heaven looks like, we thought.  In an epic display of self-restraint, we ordered nothing, but decided to continue scouting the narrow, twisting lanes of the neighborhood that surrounds Plaza Mayor, which was packed with restaurants, people and everything good that we had heard about Madrid's nightlife.  We found our way to the impressive Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almudena and Palacio Real, where we took a break to appreciate it all.... and then, we were somehow (shocker) back at the Mercado where we stayed late into the night, sampling plates of marinated octopus, olives stuffed with cheese, Iberian cured meats (absolutely amazing), and some of the most delightful white wine we have ever tried (Shaya Verdejo).  Glad we didn't fill up at lunch...

Plaza Mayor:

Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almudena:

Mercado de San Miguel: