#36: Madrid on My Mind

Where I shopped, sipped tinto de verano and sampled briny shellfish.

A trait I’m consistently guilty of is proclaiming a city somewhere I could live, shortly after arriving and being treated to even a few hours of vitamin D and a hearty meal.

That’s exactly what happened in Madrid, which I visited for the first time this month with my family. Apparently, it’s a quintessentially millennial tendency, but my mum — no millennial and a much more discerning person, city-wise — voiced the opinion even before I did, so there.

Though that alone should be enough to convince you of the Spanish capital’s appeal, I’m thinking the below might nudge you towards planning a trip, or if you’re already Madrid-bound, make your time there even more hedonistic than originally planned. We definitely took it easy and prioritised food over everything else, but if trotting around sun-dappled (and as mum stressed, generally very clean) streets after gorging yourself on cured meats and vermouth isn’t your idea of a good time, I don’t know what to tell you.

Restaurants, Bars

• El Cisne Azul: Our first meal of the trip was at a spot known for seasonal mushrooms. We dined al fresco as the Champions League final* blared inside, and it was everything you’d want while on holiday in Spain: big, briny clams; unctuous grilled red prawns that would cost you £15 each in London (x2, as the first round was so good); asparagus with cheese; said mushrooms topped with a fried egg; tomato salad. We eyed our neighbour’s jamon and cheese plate too.