After they got settled into their air-conditioned apartment (super jealous) we took a stroll to the Royal Palace. Being tight fisted Scottish bastards, we went between 6pm-8pm when its free for EU citizens. I haven't yet had the chance to go since I've been living here so it was a first for me also. It's pretty much like any other palace I've seen. Big, ostentatious and decorated with hideous matching wallpaper and curtains, not dissimilar to what you may find in the living room of my parents. If you've been to their house, you'll know the curtains in question. Anyway, its a worth if a visit if you're not paying for it.
That evening I took them on a tapas tour of some of my favourite joints, beginning with La Casa del Abuelo. This is a place I'd visited a few years before when I visited Madrid with some friends. Their speciality is garlic prawns and, although more expensive than dishes elsewhere, it's totally worth the money! You don't even need the prawns really, just a bowl of the garlic oil and a piece of bread to soak it up with. We actually ended up going back here for lunch on their final day since it was the unanimous favourite. After prawns I took them to Casa Alberto, a very typical Spanish tapas bar. The barman here has a bit of a thing for me and usually gives me free beer. But that's not the only reason it's my favourite. Here we ordered two of my usual dishes - battered cod and peppers stuffed with ox tail. Dad also ordered some bocarones (white anchovies) which i wouldn't go near. Give me fried snake and tarantulas any day of the week! Last on the tapas tour was Casa Gonzalez, which is famed for its cheese, ham and wine (the three best things in life). Dad and I shared a plate of manchego cheese and Iberico ham, while mum ordered a plate of crepes (no surprises there).
Tuesday was spent being proper tourists on the hop on hop off tour bus. The temperatures have soared in the city yet again and on that particular day reached around 37/8 degrees. Basically its too hot to walk around the city all day. Turns out it's also too hot to sit on an open top bus in Madrid traffic....anyway, its a good way of seeing all the main sights of the city with minimal effort. Tuesday night dinner was La Alhambra, another institution here in Madrid. We shared a gigantic plate of patatas bravas (some of the better ones I've had here) in addition to deep fried goats cheese with a blackberry sauce. The heat had pretty much zonked everyone so it was a fairly early night after that!
On Wednesday the folks took a day trip to Toledo and we reconvened in my favourite Irish bar, La Fontana de Oro, in the afternoon to watch Andy Murray's painful quarter final defeat. In the evening we took a stroll to Malasana neighbourhood where we had some of the best tortilla in Spain (at La Ardossa) followed by some of the best croquettes (Casa Julio). Suitably stuffed, the parents went to see some live music at the Irish bar, and no doubt show off their dancing skills. Unfortunately I was not there to capture the whole thing on video and broadcast to Facebook. However, I did catch a small clip of them doing a very mediocre tango in Parque del Retiro. To be fair, the music they were working with was pretty shit. By Thursday the rents were pining for cool Scottish weather, and after a lovely breakfast of churros at Chocolaterie San Gines, I sent them on their way.
After this week I'm considering starting my own Tapas Tours out here. I'm going to call it Tiny Hands Tapas & Tales, which will basically involve me taking a bunch of people to my favourite spots where I regale them with tales of all of the awful dates I've had in each location. Speaking of awful dates, I've had a fairly welcome break from the dating scene with my parents being here. As much as I liked spending time with Enrique, it was never going to last and he is now back in Barcelona. My hopes soared, as did my mothers, when I met a seemingly charming and handsome catholic guy called Juan. We had a nice first date together when we had a couple of beers and some food. The first warning signs appeared when he was too sensitive to my jokes. As I'm sure you all know, I'm very sarcastic. He mistook this for me being mean to him and asked if I could be nicer. No easy task. The next day he picked me up on his motorbike where I enjoyed 5 pleasurable minutes groping his heavenly chest and abs. However, things quickly turned south when we got to the park and started talking. First he tells me that he only dates catholic women. Although I am a catholic, I MAY have lied when I told him I go to church every Sunday. Also, I find the whole thing extremely close minded. Religion does not define a person. I could see our future together quite clearly, and I didn't like what I saw. Him nudging me awake at 9am for Sunday morning mass and me with my makeup smeared down my face having rolled in from the bar two hours prior. Nae thanks pal. I'm not the girl for you.
Tomorrow morning I'm up early to take a train to Cordoba. I'm spending one night there before hopping on the train to Malaga for two nights (and for a much needed coastal breeze) before hopping on the bus and spending two days in Granada. I love Madrid, but the heat right now is stifling and I need to get away for a bit. Plus all my rooms have air conditioning. That's probably what I'm looking forward to most. Until next week...
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