Nobal Glomad

Ask any Europe loving traveller their Spanish destination of choice and I’ll guarantee you most reply “Where else… Barcelona”. I recently spent two weeks in the ‘B’ studying Espanol, enjoying her temperate blue-skied autumn days, strolling from park to Gothic Quarter to Gaudi creation to next anchovie’d tapas experience, navigating the length and breadth of every Rambla and backstreet determined not to miss a beat. Finally when departing at the airport I was the screaming tantrum at the local park, refusing to let go of my much loved slippery slide.

I understand this Barcelona focus. There’s enough boulevard skirting architecture (classic and out there contemporary), exhibitions, gastronomy, retail, night spots, park benches, pick pockets, over-boutique’d hotels and Catalan preservation to keep the most discerning travellers in their happy place. The ‘B’ is perfectly framed by the surrounding hill-scape and hemmed by delicious Mediterranean beaches. You’ll never need to ski to work. Make this your only Spain stop-off though and you’ll miss riding the white stallion on the merry-go-round… Madrid.

Madrid sit’s smack bang central in the heart of Spain. It’s her biggest city and the 3rd largest in Europe after Paris and London. Strolling the streets is a scrolling visual museum of embellished yet formal Renaissance styles, all sparked by Mohammad I of Córdoba who, back in the 9th Century built the city’s first palace on the site where today sits Palacio Real.

The culture is one more of glamour mixed with the sleepless clamour of multi-national bureaus, financial epicentres, lifestyle vultures, students, style, and the voice of a more internationally focused crowd. Walk down the main boulevard of Passage de la Castellana and you’ll feel a world apart from the reality of Spains’ EU economic landslide.

Thanks to Madrid’s Mayor, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón’s continued commitment to urban refinement, what has been achieved to date is more than good, it’s jaw droppingly great and has won Madrid a major award this year for forward thinking Green planning.

And there’s plenty of green to talk about. The mammoth central Parque del Retiro is semi-formal and the perfect get lost in escape… it’s central Palacio de Cristal glass atrium is a must book for your next international soiree. With 1,000s of varieties of tree and shrub spilling onto the streets the city is not contained in its abundance of green space. There’s endless rows of leaf-lined road-ways, wall-scaling vertical planteries, man-made lakes and less formal parklands.

Feasting first impressions will lead you to Mercat de San Miguel. If only I could downsize this recently refurbished world of providers to carry-on size for Sydney relocation. Laneways of local diners sharing rations of olives, oysters, langoustine, gambari, anchovies (how I love to go on about these tasty ones), coffee, vino, cheese, tarts and tortillas all in abundance… it’s here that you realise why the Spanish love a long lunch. I’m taking a siesta’d leaf out of their books for the next few weeks of Spain o’clock.

Make sure you pre-check the what’s on Gallery agenda before arrival. There’s exhibitions and rockstar venues on heat and Madrid is considered one of the top European arteries. Thyssen Bornemisza Museum is a personal favourite, mostly made up of private collection pieces and the occasional Testino offering (see my previous post for a full review).

And how could I leave until last the retail? There’s a heady mix of international couture, local curated stores with a good balance of guy and girl all available in small lane-way boutiques and high street multilevelled fields of fashion. There’s gastronomic fabulous in all that is Spanish but, like most European cities except perhaps London it could do with some serious evolution of it’s Global offerings… Bain marie Thai is a crime against humanity. And don’t get me started about that restaurant Bazaar in Chueca… an amateur hour dining experience that my microwave could out cook anyday.

There wasn’t time for Bull fights, Stadium screaming ball games or Flamenco-offs but Madrid is a 10-tiered wedding cake with layers of deliciously sweet to-do’s. It’s a nice change to not entirely tick-list a destination and have a good excuse to return. I can already feel a repeat I don’t want to leave tantrum at the airport upon departure.