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| Madrid's Plaza Mayor |
Tuesday, November 5, 2019 Madrid
Our AIA group continued our walking tour of central Madrid. As we left the Royal Plaza, we walked east to visit the San Miguel Market and the Plaza Mayor. The Plaza Mayor is a major public space in the heart of Madrid and was once the center of Old Madrid. It's construction began in 1617, during the reign of Felipe III.
Our AIA group walked a bit further to stop for a tapas lunch at Los Galayos. The restaurant has been serving patrons since 1894 and is located close to the Plaza Mayor. We enjoyed marinated olives, manchego cheese, deep friend asparagus spears, shrimp in aioli sauce, ham and cheese croquettes and fruit for dessert.
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| Over the centuries, the Plaza has hosted bullfights, executions and markets |
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| The Casa de la Panaderia is a decorative section on the north side of the Plaza |
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| The original frescos of the Casa de la Panaderia were replaced in the 1980's with mythologic representations |
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| Cafes and al fresco restaurants line the Plaza Mayor |
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| The Plaza is filled with lots of popular entertainment, including this headless businessman |
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| A sign identified this character as El Gordo Tarantula ("Fat Spiderman") |
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Our AIA group walked a bit further to stop for a tapas lunch at Los Galayos. The restaurant has been serving patrons since 1894 and is located close to the Plaza Mayor. We enjoyed marinated olives, manchego cheese, deep friend asparagus spears, shrimp in aioli sauce, ham and cheese croquettes and fruit for dessert.
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| Los Galayos restaurant hosted our AIA group for a tapas lunch |
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| The restaurant is located right off the Plaza Mayor and specializes in traditional Madrid cuisine |
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| Some of our 20 AIA tour colleagues |
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| Serving the ever popular manchego cheese with crackers |
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| Traditional country scenes decorate the restaurant |
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| Delicious shrimp in aioli sauce |
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| Upstairs rooms at Los Galayos restaurant |
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| Our last lunch together on the AIA tour |
After lunch, we took the bus back to the hotel and worked for the afternoon, until it was time for dinner. We are going out tonight with Kathryn and Charlie to a celebrated restaurant, Casa Lucio. At around 6 PM, our foursome took a taxi to the restaurant near Plaza Mayor. This is a renowned and traditional old restaurant with multiple small rooms, low ceilings, very atmospheric – it is reputed to be a favorite of Spain’s previous king. As we were shown to our table, we walked past a sturgeon as big as Caleb and other things in the cool case at the entrance. Our waiter suggested a great local white wine and we started with appetizers of local cheese and a Russian salad with topped with salmon.
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| Our dinner restaurant is famous for celebrity sightings and reported to be a favorite of the former King of Spain |
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| Lucio - of "Casa Lucio" fame - typically is found cruising the tables and visiting with the guests |
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| You could choose this fish - larger than the width of our table! |
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| Rustic decor with lovely linens and glassware |
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| Our waiter made a great recommendation for local wines |
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| Charlie & Kathryn - with connections to the Upper Peninsula - what a lovely couple |
Mike had sole, Kathryn and I both had cochinillo – a traditional dish of milk-fed suckling pig roasted for eight hours. Cochinillo’s claim to fame is tender meat, with an amazing the crispy skin, which is thin, golden and crunchy like a potato chip. Well, I’d say it’s worth trying once.
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