Madrid's Mercado San Miguel

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Just outside Madrid’s famed Plaza Mayor, the Mercado San Miguel stands serene. A refurbished historic building made of glass and iron, it is among the oldest covered markets in Madrid.

 The illusion of calm dissolves, however, the moment you step inside. Food stalls line the inside of the Mercado, selling delicacies from all over Spain and it is nearly impossible to walk a straight line at any sort of pace. Visitors and locals crowd the spaces between vendors – tourists with guidebooks open and cameras aloft, groups of teenagers, couples with young children, and Madrileños of all ages greeting each other exuberantly.

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 The cheese vendor proffers nearly 100 types of queso, sold by the chunk with bread. This particular stall has the most (and perhaps only) orderly line – each patron takes a number and then waits dutifully for their turn. Just a few paces away, an entire stall is dedicated solely to olives – herbed, slightly spicy, stuffed, or skewered on long wooden sticks with hot peppers, mussels, tuna, pickled onions, and of course jamon. Across the way, oyster shuckers are conveniently located next to the cava bar, which also sells wine – tinto, blanco, or rosado?

 If you are in the mood for a seafood delicacy, try the carabinero at the pescadería at the far end of the market, El Señor Martín. Bright red off the grill and sprinkled with rock salt, this oversized gamba is sweeter than lobster. Rip off the head and suck out the juices if you dare.

 The Mercado San Miguel is as good a place as any to learn that Spaniards don’t bother with personal space; they have no problem leaning over you and talking around you. If there’s an inch of unused space, they’re sure to squeeze in… and here’s the key: you can and should do the same. Grab a couple of plates, a caña (small beer), or a short glass of dry vermouth, and look for a place settle and enjoy.

Gulas al Ajillo

 The best bet is to squeeze in at one of the high tables in the center of the Mercado. Not only are you likely to make a few friends but it’s a good spot for people watching… and checking out other peopl’es food for ideas as to what to get next: perhaps the Galician-style pulpo, sautéed ciervo (deer) wild mushroom sauce of toasted bread, or warm gulas (mock baby eels) gently secured in puff pastry with a bit of cream cheese.

 Not only is Mercado San Miguel the place to go in Madrid if you suffer from (and want to indulge in) food envy, it’s a chance to understand what Madrileños are all about.  The close environment, the energy and noise, the food – all are what eating is all about in Spain: enjoyment with friends and family.

Sevilla

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“The air soft as that of Seville in April, and so fragrant that it was delicious to breathe it.”
— Christopher Columbus.
orange blossom in April

orange blossom in April

For a taste of true Southern Spain, one only has to get to Sevilla, where the number of churches equal that of orange trees and the streets are a heady mix of orange blossom and incense de alma. 

It is a city on the plain of the Guadalquiver river, full of sun and a uniquely relaxed lifestyle, where bullfighters are celebrities and Sevillanos are brought to tears at the sight of their two virgins Macarena and Esperanza de Triana.


Things to see...

  • If you have time for only one stop in Sevilla, than it must be the Alcazar -- which is akin to Granda's Alhambra, but minus the crowds.  In fact, the Alcazar is the one tourist spot to which locals will readily agree to visit.  And the reason is clear: the Alcazar is a relaxing stroll through a collection of royal palaces (some still in use today) of various architectural influences -- from mudéjar to gothic -- and cool corridors and sunny patios.  And the luxurious gardens may be the siren that takes your afternoon.
Patio de los Levíes, Alcazar

Patio de los Levíes, Alcazar

  • The Sevilla Cathedral is massive (the largest Gothic cathedral in the world) and houses a staggering amount of gold.  It also happens to be where Christopher Columbus is buried.  For an extra fee, you can climb up the Giralda tower for a view of the entire city.
  • Whether you are a fan of bullfighting or not, the ring -- the Plaza de Toros -- is magnificent.  (But, if you are squeamish, perhaps skip a visit during bullfighting season?)
La Giralda de Catedral de Sevilla

La Giralda de Catedral de Sevilla

Plaza de España in Sevilla

Plaza de España in Sevilla

  • If you happen to be a fan of Lawrence of Arabia and/or Star Wars -- or better yet simply of beauty itself -- visit the Plaza de España in the Parque de María Luisa.  Built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Expo, the plaza was used to showcase the country's industry and technology exhibits.  It's now home to government offices.

Eating...

Sevilla is full of food.  At most tapas bars in Sevilla, the bill is tallied up in chalk on the bar as orders are placed.  Some things to enjoy -- along with a glass of fino (dry sherry), manzanilla sherry, vino, or a caña -- include jamón and queso (of course) but also espinacas con garbanzos (spinach with chickpeas), salmorejo, and caña de lomo (cured pork tenderloin).

  • At La Moderna, try the chipirones a la plancha (small grilled squid) and the salmorejo.
  • Then head over to Bodega Santa Cruz (catty-corner from Moderna) for another beer and, if you are still hungry, a montadito, a small (and delicious) sandwich filled with whatever you want: cheese, salmon, sobrasada, calamares, tortilla, anchoas y Queso, chorizo picante.  Sobrasada in particular is good for a hangover :)
  • If you are on the walking tour of old Sevilla (routes given out by the tourist office), stop at Casa Romón near the Alcazar for solomillo iberico al whiskey con patatas.
caracoles

caracoles

chipirones a la plancha

chipirones a la plancha

Coquinas

Coquinas

And for a drink...

  • in the afternoon, go to Plaza de El Salvador for a beer in the sun with a big crowd of Sevillanos, and try some of the best potato chips in town from the stand in the corner (just look around, you won't miss it.) . 
  • in the evening, head to the rooftop bar, El Eme Hotel. Their specialties are an exceptional view of the Giralda tower and an array of mojitos.

And after all that eating and drinking, head down to the river for a walk and enjoy some sweet evening air...

Puente de Triana, Sevilla

Puente de Triana, Sevilla

Listing towards Mogrovejo

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Lists.  Everybody loves them.  (Okay, mass generalization right there.  I am bound to get an email now from someone who does not enjoy lists.)  So, sure, lists can be confining.  But they can also be immensely helpful in two ways:

  • Being Productive.  Lists help you focus.  And focus helps you get things done.  Particularly at the office on a beautiful sunny day when you’d rather be outside enjoying the Madrileño sunshine or on a rainy day when you’d rather be under the covers at home.  Such lists also make it so you don’t have to think too hard (aka stress reduction.)  You’ve already done the work of figuring out what needs to be accomplished and in what order.  All that's left is to take a look at the prioritized items and do them.
  • Brainstorming.  Look at another person's list and take advantage of their experience.  Someone else has put in the time and come up with a top ten of blues recordings (Amazon is filled with this sort of thing) or the top ten novels about the civil war.  These lists give you an idea as to where to start – a place to begin and then branch out to develop your own opinion.

Why am I going on about lists?  Oh yes, because this list of Spain’s most beautiful villages and towns, (not cities) brought me to Mogrovejo.

Mogrovejo is this teeny tiny little pueblo in Cantabria, Spain, high up in the Peaks of Europe.  Built mostly between the 16th and 18th centuries, the village is quiet and sleepy and seemingly unaware of its status as one of the most beautiful in Spain.  The villagers, the sheep, the cows, the cattle dogs…they all just go about their business surrounded by some of the most breathtaking mountains and valleys I have ever seen.

It’s well worth a side trip if you are within a hundred (or two) miles.

 
 

Visiting Gehry in Northern Spain

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A documentary everyone should see is “Sketches of Frank Gehry” directed by Sydney Pollack. Gehry can be inspiring, but he can also make huge, ugly, expensive mistakes.  I used to drive by one such mistake in Cambridge, Massachusetts on a regular basis.  A beautiful, intriguing building which got him sued by MIT of all places for negligence – the complex filled with cracks, mold, drainage issues.  But it sure was nice to drive by.

On a recent trip to Northern Spain, I had the pleasure of visiting two buildings by the paper architect in two very different settings: Bilbao and La Rioja.

Bilbao, of course, is home to the new Guggenheim museum and the building is magnificent.  (My use of adjectives with Gehry is a bit appalling isn’t it?)  But, seriously, this building is huge enough to hold gigantic installations and canvases.  And the curator has done an incredible job of it.  There are big rooms with just a few paintings – the first room visitors tend towards has a deKooning, a Rothko, a Still, and two Motherwells.  It was perfect just to stand in the center of this room. Another has a long series of Twombly, “Nine Discourses on Commodus,” which made my heart stop – and in that same room, a Rauschenberg across from a large work filled with International Klein Blue across from a Warhol of Marilyn Monroe.  Never before have I really appreciated Warhol.  I find him boring (except when David Bowie plays him), but next to everyone else... I finally got it.  Got it and appreciated it.

Upstairs were two exhibits: very late Rauschenberg and Anish Kapoor.  The Rauschenberg rooms were filled with pieces he made out of scrap metal.  The rooms were empty of people so perhaps I am alone in loving them, but I finally felt a sense of peace in my relationship with Rauschenberg, whose later work I had come to find repetitive.  The Kapoor exhibit I had seen before in Boston.  Still strange.

Before Bilboa we had hit the La Rioja area and visited the Marqués de Riscal Winery in Elciego which commissioned Gehry to design a hotel on their vineyard.

Here are the two Gehry buildings:

Elciego

Elciego

Elceigo

Elceigo

The Elciego building is a hotel, not the winery, and someday it would be nice to stay there…eat at their fine restaurant and take advantage of their spa offerings while sipping wine and watching this beautiful countryside: