Sticking to the Spanish theme of my recent blog post, here’s another post about my fleeting return to Madrid in March. I made the trip back to visit friends there also working as language assistants. It was lovely immersing myself in Spanish again after having been so long in France at this point.
Obviously, after having spent last summer in Madrid, I know the city well. This marked my third time in the city and there are still things to explore. Something that always strikes me about Spanish cities is how vibrant and energised they feel. Whereas Paris is arguably more cosmopolitan, Madrid lacks the often stuffy work-centric feeling that Paris has. I have always personally found Madrid to feel young and evolving. It’s a city that prioritises and focuses on enjoyment of life. As a result, there are always new cool places to be discovered. These are often admittedly food or drink-related places as let’s not forget that this is Spain where sitting on a terraza with a tinto or cerveza is such an integral part of the culture.
Fortunately for me, I had two friends to show me all of their favourite finds. First of all, La Rollerie. There are two branches of this wonderful café in Madrid; one of which is perfectly located just round the corner from my friend’s apartment in the district of Chamberí. The menu is abundant with breakfast, brunch and lunch options: paninis, soups, quiches, pasta dishes, hamburgers, cakes, ice creams… the list goes on! It also has a really quirky and unique décor. It’s ideal for brunch thanks to all the options on the menu.
Another great recommendation from my friends were two restaurants belonging to the same restaurant group: the eponymous La Musa and Ojalá. My favourite was Ojalá because of the pure wackiness of its dining experience. Ensure to make the slightly cryptic request to go downstairs. There, you will sit on cushions on a bed of sand all the while accompanied by colour-shifting lighting and amazing tapas. La Musa was an enjoyable experience despite my friend being given croquetas de jamón despite the fact she ordered the vegetarian croquetas. Ah, good old Spain where ham is considered part of the vegetarian diet.
Finally I didn’t go here this time but a particular favourite of mine is Maria’s Bakery on Calle Zurbano. This has the BEST cakes. It also sells bread although I can’t comment on the quality of this. If you have a sweet tooth however, this is heaven. Especially in Spain which suffers from an unnerving lack of desserts. I can only describe this predicament in two words. Fundamentally. Strange. Spain, sort yourselves out PLEASE!
I was also excessively overjoyed to be reunited with Spanish shops. Firstly Aristocrazy which is a jewellery shop perfect if you want a statement piece. Certainly not the cheapest but their jewellery definitely adds a cool touch to your outfit. They even have a Game of Thrones collection at the moment. If you don’t think this is cool, I only have one thing to say to you. Winter is coming for you my friend.
Similar to Aristocrazy is Bimba y Lola. I’ll confess to avidly detesting some of the designs created by this shop but they are also great for statement pieces. Known for their vivid colours and patterns, it doesn’t have the same sleek appeal as Aristocrazy. This can border on excessive even making me want to gouge my eyes out at times. Nowhere near as bad as Desigual though. Pattern so hallucinatory that you think you’ve been transported to the 70s and taken LSD. I would willingly volunteer to have a lobotomy if anyone was ever sadistic enough to lock me in that shop.
There is the cheap and cheerful Lefties which is sort of similar to Primark. Similar in the sense that the only shopping experience you have in there is manic and that you have to sift through a lot of polyester junk to find good buys. Of course, there is also the entire Inditex group – Zara, Mango, Stradivarius, Pull & Bear – you name it, it’s Inditex. Obviously these are worldwide now but they are still worth going in however. Sometimes there are different items in the Spanish collection and of course it’s less expensive in euros. One thing that Inditex hasn’t got its mitts on is Sfera. Owned by Spain’s national treasure, the department store El Corte Inglés, it is perfect if you have a more sophisticated style. Think well-tailored jackets and stylish jewellery for very affordable prices. I always stock up on earrings and necklaces here.
For anyone who is a skincare junkie like me and obsessed with trying out random crap, you HAVE to go to Primor. This shop has the worst interior design I have ever seen. Some parts of the floor are tiled, others are carpeted for some mysterious reason. But look past this and you’ll discover some great products. Last time, I bought some hydrating masks by a Korean brand Skin 79. These are hyaluronic acid-infused cotton masks that make you look like Hannibal Lecter for 10 minutes but afterwards give you skin as radiant as a Disney princess. They also stock a brand of nail polishes called RARE. These are the best one euro nail polishes you will ever try and have a wide range of colours so they’re perfect if you want to try out a new colour. My particular favourites are Smoothie and Cotton Candy. It’s worth going to Primor frankly for its location in the Principe Pio shopping centre which is a fabulously spectacular converted train station. It is also just next door to Madrid Rio where there is an artificially created river and a few nice little cafés.
Anyway, Madrid – same old, same old. The best thing about this trip is that I finally got the chance to visit Toledo. As a Spanish Golden Age obsessive, this has long been on my list of places to visit. It is just beautiful although Hell on earth if you hate climbing steep hills. The old part of the city with all of the tourist landmarks is located on the top of a mountaintop. This obviously means that you are eventually rewarded with toned thighs and heavenly views. This unfortunately also led to the sheer tights I was wearing becoming quite unsightly with ladders and holes. Look of the day: streetwalker chic. Damn uphill lunges!
Aside from my damaged vanity, the city is certainly worth visiting if you are interested in Spanish history/culture. It is the meeting point of all the different demographics that make up this country’s history: Jews, Catholics and Muslims. In such a Catholic country, it was almost refreshing to visit the Jewish quarter and be surrounded by synagogues rather than cathedrals! Admittedly though, I did enjoy the Roman Catholic Cathedral best out of all the tourist attractions we visited. Both the exterior and interior are magnificent and unbelievably inspiring. Every single detail of the interior décor is just spectacular.
It was wonderful being back in Spain and revived mi amor for the country and desire to be reunited immediately.
Addresses:
La Rollerie
Atocha 20, 20218
Metro: Vodafone Sol + Tirso de Molina + Antón Martín
Guzmán el Bueno 105, 28003
Metro: Islas Filipinas
La Musa
Calle Manuela Malasaña, 18 – 28004 Madrid
Restaurante Ojalá
Calle San Andrés, 1 – 28004 Madrid
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- View of Toledo’s old city
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- Stunning details in Toledo Cathedral
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- View of Toledo
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- In the Botanical Gardens, Madrid
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- Templo de Debod
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- My good friend Cervantes and I
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- Toledo Cathedral
Mon Fabuleux Destin 