I am extremely fortunate to travel for work. Every so often, I attend meetings overseas. This is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to experience a new city. It amazes me that so many people travel for work and do not plan any additional time off to explore the city - or at the very least schedule an evening adventure.
Traveling for work sometimes is overlooked as an opportunity for adventure because many people are fearful or anxious, or possibly even slightly embarrassed (yes, you, who can't stand to eat dinner in a restaurant alone!) to do it on their own. My best tip here is to join a walking food tour of the city in question. Win/win. You get to explore parts of the city that I guarantee you wouldn't have known about on your own, enjoy dinner, and meet people from all over the world.
In May of this year I traveled to Spain to attend a meeting at the naval base in Rota, which is on the Bay of Cadiz in the south of the country. I fortunately am able to arrange my own accomodations and flights on these trips, and therefore planned to fly into the country two days early for a visit to Madrid.
Before this trip, I knew little to nothing about Madrid. I have been to Barcelona, but never to the capital city. I expected a lot of history, to eat all kinds of tapas, and to drink good Spanish red wine. In advance of my trip, I booked two experiences that I was sure I didn't want to miss out on - seeing a real Flamenco show, and eating like a Spaniard. I also was sure to do a ton of research on where to stay, and found that there were two areas I was most interested in - on Calle Gran Via and the Barrio Salamanca district, fancy and upscale, similar to Beverly Hills.
Iberostar Las Letras Gran Via - Centro
This hotel was within walking distance to so much! It was so charming, and right on the busy street of Calle Gran Via. I walked a short distance to view various buildings such as City Hall and the Alcala Gate.
Madrid's City Hall
Alcala Gate - Commissioned by King Carlos II in 1764.
Plaza Puerta del Sol - "The Puerta is located in the very heart of Madrid. Immediately to the southwest lies the Plaza Mayor; the Palacio Real, the official home of the Royal Family, is further west. Parliament and the museum district are to the east and the train station Atocha is to the southeast."
At this plaza I ate at a restaurant with tables set up right in the middle of the plaza. It was hectic, even though I speak basic Spanish! Be prepared to point at the menus and order quickly - there are tons of people waiting to grab a good table. I was fascinated by all of the children playing in the little park areas, well after 10 pm. Madrid is definitely a lively city.
Cardamomo Flamenco Show
On the first evening, I went to one of the most recommended Flamenco shows in Madrid. It was just a short walk from my hotel. The admission was fairly inexpensive and included one drink. I opted not to eat dinner here, but rather to sit back and enjoy the show. I've never experienced Flamenco before, and absolutely loved the music and intensity of the dancers. Highly recommended for a nice evening out. Plus, there were tables of other single travelers, so I didn't feel excluded from the event at all. They gave me a prime seat in the first row, too!
Madrid Food Tour
The highlight of my weekend in Madrid was the walking food tour I joined, called the "Tapas, Taverns, and History Tour." Our group of ten met in at the Plaza Isabel II, which was a wonderful fifteen minute walk from my hotel, through streets of Madrid I probably wouldn't have found on my own. Our guide, who was originally from the Netherlands but has lived in Spain with her significant other for many years, was absolutely amazing. We walked through Plaza Mayor (built during Philip III's reign (1598–1621) and home to many bullfights and public hangings), saw the world's oldest restaurant (Botin), learned about nuns that sold 'heavenly' cookies from their convent, visited the Royal Place, and learned all about the many artists whose remains have gone missing in the city! We tried tapas and the specialty drink at six different traditional tapas bars - standing room only! We ate stuffed mushrooms, Iberico ham and Manchengo cheese, tons of olives, squid, garlic shrimp, and much more. I thoroughly enjoyed this tour, and highly recommend it. Our group was lovely and I met wonderful people from Tokyo to London to India.
Iberico Ham - Tastes like acorns! Absolutely delish. And a really labor intensive industry.
After my busy weekend, I had a lot more travel to do to arrive in Rota. Monday morning I took a five hour high speed train from the Atocha station in Madrid to Puerto de Santa Maria. (Highly recommend buying train tickets a day early if you can help it - the lines for customer service are very long!). From this station I had a minor setback, where a miscommunication with a rental car company ended in me taking a taxi to Rota..... the miscommunication being my inability to drive stick shift! ---Another point to make about traveling anywhere in Europe - it's difficult to get an automatic transmission! ---
I was lucky to spend my week in this gorgeous hotel, called the Duque de Najera, while in Rota. During the summers, this is a happening beach holiday spot but during my stay it was not busy at all. I wish I had more of an opportunity to explore Rota, but was extremely busy with 11-12 hour days...next time!
Duque de Najera - Marina View
By the way, work went great that week. :)
When my work week was completed I once again opted to take the train back to Madrid (you can also fly to Madrid from Cadiz). I had one more night in the city before my plane took off early the next morning, and I decided to stay in Barrio Salamanca. I knew I would be busy catching up on work, and wanted to stay in a little but of a luxury suite and treat myself to a nice dinner at the hotel. This hotel fit the bill! Gorgeous, within walking distance of many luxury shops and parks including the Buen Retiro Park, which is heavenly.
Gran Melia Fenix - Barrio Salamanca
Buen Retiro Park
On my list for my next trip to Madrid are a visit to the Prado and the Madrid Cathedral!
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