Madrid

Madrid

Tapas Tapas Tapas Tapas Tapas!

We arrived in Madrid Monday evening and before we even left the airport Charlie was literally jumping up and down with excitement in anticipation of the tapas. The bocodilla de jamon that we had on the layover to Morocco wasn’t even close to given the fix! At the suggestion and direction of a lovely Australian couple we met on the plane we took the Metro into the center of the city to Maria Carmen’s apartment. Charlie and H had taken cabs or lifts on previous visits and the Metro is super simple and efficient in Madrid. Maria Carmen is a friend Charlie met through H on his last trip to Spain in 2007. She was generous enough to put us up for 3 days, MUCHAS GRACIAS AMIGA! The three of us headed out for a tapas adventure in old Madrid for the evening, well at the standard dinner hour in Madrid, 10:00. Chirizo, jamón and acetunas (olives) were our first stop. The tapas culture in Madrid is wonderful and an excellent way to try lots of amazing foods without sitting and gorging at a single sitting. You stop by a taparilla, order a drink and a little bite to eat and enjoy them while standing at a counter people watching. After South America and Morocco it was nice to see so many fashionable people. Although Rawson was wishing she had some Carlisle with her. The black fleece is only so versatile. Off to taparilla #2. Maria Carmen is quite connected in Madrid, so we slipped into one of the most popular spots, Lucio, that was jam packed and were immediately greeted by the maitre’d who gave us a prime counter spot. Croquettes and more jamón… all fabulous. We’re hooked.

Tuesday we started with Cordatos (Spanish style coffee like a café ole, but less milk, more coffee) and a little “business” on the computer at Maria Carmen’s, then off for more tapas, claro! We stopped off at a place Charlie had been talking about since before we left San Francisco. He’d been there with H and Maria Carmen in 2007 and just could not stop praising it. We looked around and finally spotted the old school taparilla in Maria Carmen’s neighborhood. We ordered pimientos de pardon (a uniquely Spanish green pepper they grill and salt and looks similar to a jalapeño but isn’t hot) and some pulpo (octopus), a Caña (small draft beer) for Charlie and Rawson wanted a white wine. A pitcher came full of wine to be served in little dishes, similar to what you would put soy sauce in at a sushi restaurant. Rawson was skeptical but quickly caught on and loved it. Very typical Spanish lunch with a beverage accompaniment! We were off on foot to explore Madrid. We explored the old city including Plaza Mayor, Puerto Del Sol and the Royal Palace. The weather was fabulous and we mostly enjoyed strolling around looking at the spring flowers and the 1000 year old architecture. We took an obligatory siesta prior to meeting up with Maria Carmen around 8:00. She took us on a little walking tour of the city surrounding the Prado and Botanical Gardens where her office is. We stopped in a tapas restaurant for the most delicious olives ever! After a little chirizo and some gambas (shrimp) Yeni and Conchita arrived. These sisters are also friends from the trip in 2007 with H. We had some more tapas here then off to taparilla #2 and lots of catching up. The señoritas all had early mornings at work so we headed home around 1:00. Yes 1 AM and that is early for Madrid. No wonder everyone lives the siesta life!

After a slow start on Wednesday we walked across town (again perfect spring weather) to meet up with all of the girls for a paella lunch on the park near Pintor Rosales, a beautiful tree lined boulevard. We had a fabulous meal at Casa de Valencia, superb service, but mostly the company was grand. Back to work after lunch for those who are employed, and we walked back to Maria Carmen’s to freshen up for visiting the Prado Museum that evening prior to dinner. Well, we had a little detour along the way that took up the rest of our afternoon and evening. Our credit card was compromised at a vendor, sadly, and we had to spend some time dealing with the destruction. We had just enough time to freshen up before heading out to meet Maria Carmen at her office at 8:30. Our fabulous guide showed us another barrio, or district, of Madrid, Salamanca where Greg Cox and H lived when they were in Madrid right after Thunderbird, with more tapas. This taparilla, Rincon, was apparently Greg’s favorite and had the BEST chorizo yet, and it was free. After we’d had our fill Maria Carmen took us on a little driving tour of the city at night, her favorite time in Madrid. The lights were stunning on the centuries old buildings. We headed home early; our flight to Mallorca was on Thursday.

We thank Maria Carmen for putting us up and being such an amazing hostess. We look forward to seeing her, Yeni and Conchita again soon, maybe back in San Francisco. We had a grand time, Gracias a todo!

Majorca

Having met one of Dan Ford’s good buddies, Yuri Burka, only in January, we were blown away by his gracious offer for us to come to his home in Majorca (just a short flight of the coast of Barcelona). Yuri and his lovely wife Cristina live in the gorgeous little town of Valldemossa with their ever smiling 8 month old boy, Niko. Yuri and Cristina have made the unusual but (in our estimation) incredibly well thought out approach to life of buying their retirement home first. So, they live in an incredible country home that they completely gutted to keep all the charm, yet add all the amenities. Bravo! Majorca is a medium size island, but has every topography and luxury you could want. Yuri moved there in the early 2000’s and he and Cristina got married almost exactly a year before us in the nearby town of Deia (pronounced Day-ya). Our first afternoon, we walked Niko in his 4 wheel-drive stroller through the cobblestone streets of Valldemossa on a tour with the beautiful little town of 1800 permanent residents. That night, Yuri took us out in Palma (only 25 minutes away) the largest town on Majorca at 300,000 residents. A bustling little city in its own right, this is also the location of a bar Yuri is part owner in, Agua Bar. Great little Rolling Stones-blasting dive bar if you ever end up in Palma! Several drinks later, we let the smart one who didn’t indulge, Rawson, drive back!

Friday we packed up Niko and some beach gear and the 5 of us headed to the Cala in Deia. This cove hosts crystal clear water and a generations old family restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean. What a gem Yuri and Cristina have found in this spot. We had some fabulous fresh seafood and cava sangria. Following a relaxing lunch the water was calling Yuri for his first swim of the year. Charlie was kind enough to capture the shock of the 18 degree, celsius of course, water when Yuri jumped in, Brrr! After a first 24 hours graciously hosted at chez’ Yuri y Cristina, we were joined by Anthony Zarr and his girlfriend Rebecca who live in London. The 4 of us took residence for the weekend at an AMAZING place recommended by Yuri just outside of Deia, Costa d’Or. This arguably 4 star place is in off season, so we were lucky to get great prices for the weekend after sicking Rebecca on them for negotiating purposes. They didn’t stand a chance! Thanks Rebecca! We headed into Palma to fetch Anthony and Rebecca and for dinner. We sent Anthony into a luxury boutique hotel to get the 411 on the best taparilla from the concierge. She steered us to a typical Madrid style taparilla which was perfecto! Magnifico! Estupendo! We took the long drive back to Deia and called it a night.

Saturday sadly was just not the sunny day that Friday was. Costa d’Or started our day out right with a massive buffet breakfast. Rebecca indulged in the dulces as they were plentiful. We explored the village of Deia and as we walked up the cobblestone streets toward the ancient church where Yuri and Cristina were married we stumbled upon some French children selling lemonade, very appropriate for the Gulicks. We stopped and bought two lemonades, sin asucar. After we choked those down we found the church and the quaint little cemetery at the top of the hill. Deia had a gastronomic festival going on in the village center so we took part while we were strolling around. Even though the weather was not prime, we headed back to the Cala for lunch and the boys took in a couple of obligatory games of backgammon. Shockingly another siesta was in order, so we moseyed back to the Costa d’Or. We met up with Yuri and Cristina for a late dinner in Deia at Sebastian for a top quality meal. Yuri insisted we see the town’s local bar, singular. So we took in one last drink before retiring for the night. This bar has a rich history dating back to the 60’s when Deia was first “discovered” by expat musicians and artist. The bar is known to rock it out, but after a quick drink, we headed home for the night.

Sunday following another lovely breakfast we packed up and drove around the island a bit before heading into Palma to take Anthony and Rebecca to the airport, they were off to London to get ready for another week of hard work, (we’re not sure what that is anymore). We said Adios to our good friends and met up with the Burkas and some of their good friends and Cristina’s sister Laura, at an ocean side Paella restaurant. Another great meal and more wonderful people! Yuri and Cristina have a fun group of friends! We headed back to Valldemossa to relax at the Burka’s. That evening we celebrated our new friendship with a bottle of Champagne and an American style BBQ on their asado.

We had such a wonderful time in Mallorca and will definitely go back. This place is so tranquil and beautiful. Our hosts we amazingly generous. We hope to return the favor very soon!

Off to Sofia!

Ciao!