Day 2 - Madrid

After an overnight flight we arrived in Madrid early in the morning and checked into the Hotel Orfila - a very nice Relais Chateau Hotel downtown. After settling in and a short nap, we walked down Paseo de Recoletos to take in the sites (although we did not go in) including the Museo Thyssen and the Museo del Prado. The last time we were in Madrid there was a transportation strike and we were unable to see much of the city. However, we do remember the beautiful architecture, wrought iron fences, gates, railings and al fresco dining.

Spain is very welcoming to refugees. In fact, the official policy of the Spanish government is to openly invite refugees into the country. Many believe that this policy owes itself to the location of the country and its proximity to the African continent and countries in the Mediterranean.

After an al fresco lunch at Estado Puro we walked over to the old part of the city ending up at Plaza Mayor and the Mercado de San Miguel which was a delight of the senses. It is actually a food and beverage market with wonderful, fruit, vegetables, meats, appetizers, wine, mixed drinks and beer vendors. One of our most fun purchases was a glass of wine from a young man who had a vendor tray attached to himself and walked around the facility selling excellent Rioja Reserva. The vendor tray actually looked like the old trays that hostesses used in the 50's in nightclubs to walk around and sell "cigars, cigarettes and tipperillos." We also purchased some wonderful olive appetizers for the evening.

After returning to the hotel to recover for a while we returned to the Plaza Mayor neighborhood for dinner at Botin - the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world (Guinness Book of World Records). One of their specialties is a suckling pig served whole at the table. We were not expecting much from this very touristy restaurant but were surprised by the attentive service and the excellent food.

Tomorrow we start the actual Bark to Bottle tour.