I started my day at the legendary El Rastro flea market just south of Madrid's city center. It is by far Madrid's most popular and largest market. It was a short 10-minute walk from the hotel and with the forecast calling for high 60's, low 70's and no clouds, it was a perfect morning for a stroll. As expected, the market was jammed. It features a dozen streets or more of nonstop stalls with clothes, books, gifts, furniture, second-hand clothes and a variety of other goods.
The main street of El Rastro market was packed with both locals and visitors looking for good deals.
El Rastro market takes place every Sunday from morning until early evening.
After I walked around for an hour or so I stopped off in this small traditional tapas place for a quick bite. It was a family-owned spot with the dad and son running the counter and the mom in the kitchen by herself whipping up the tapas.
This is basically Madrid's version of fast food, but it normally involves alcohol. You order a beer, wine, coffee or tea and along with that you get three or four small tapas such as chorizo, sausage, ham, etc. Similar to how bread comes with a meal in the U.S., tapas come with your drinks in Madrid.
My breakfast...I ordered a coffee and got some salami and bread...simple but delicious.
The elder lady I was standing next to asked where I was from and I gave her the full story (in Spanish mostly) and she insisted since it was my first time in Spain that I try the Tortilla Espanola. It's basically a potato pie made with eggs, onions, and potatoes (there may be cheese also). It was spectacular.
Plates of tapas waiting to be served. Spain has a deep-rooted tradition of pork products, so tapas normally consist of ham, sausage, chorizo, salami and more.
After I finished up at the market and finally filled up on pork tapas and tortillas espanolas, I made my way back to the hotel to change up and get ready for the pre-game festivities. Kickoff was at 7:50pm local time (10:50am PT) but I had a few pre-game festivities plannd that started at 4:30pm.
This match was unique because I was able to bring two special guests. A few weeks back I met two lovely Spanish girls in Los Angeles named Rocio and Maria and after introducing them to the beautiful game of beer pong I told them I'd be in Madrid in early September and we should stay in touch. We did just that and now we were all meeting up to go to the Real Madrid match. Since they were local they picked Mercado de San Anton as the place to start things off. It reminded me of the Santa Monica Place mall's new outside drinking and eating area. It was on a rooftop with a full bar, food, and lounge seating. A perfect way to get things started.
Rocio, Maria and I pre-gaming at Mercado de San Anton.
Maria, Rocio and I con los cerditos (piglets). As I mentioned, Madrid has a deep-rooted tradition with pigs.
I tried to ride this little piggy all the way to the stadium.
We left Mercado de San Anton and made our way toward the stadium were we met up with a few friends from the Real Madrid marketing department who were having beers across the street from the stadium.
Thania, Maria, Rocio and I counting down to kickoff.
Starting to feel the energy and atmosphere of the match.
Fans grabbing drinks before the match.
Javi from Real Madrid took care of us all match and made it a fantastic experience all the way around.
Finally, with several drinks in our system it was time to head into the stadium. Game time! This is the third match of the season for Madrid so it's still early, but with La Liga (the Spanish league) being so competitive between Real Madrid and Barcelona, every match is big. They needed a win against Granada to keep up with their rivals from the north.
Walking up to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
VAMOS!!
We were treated to a VIP experience...as I said Javi took care of us big time.
Luxury suite!
The Bernabeu holds around 85k and it was near capacity.
The upper-level seats go straight up so even if you're sitting at the top you still have a good view.
Cristiano Ronaldo in his traditional free kick stance. He scored twice in the match.
Final score Real Madrid 3, Granada 0
After the 3-0 domination by Real Madrid it was time to hit the town to celebrate. Rocio, Maria and I made our way to La Latina district to meet up with some of their friends.
We grabbed a table on a rooftop bar in La Latina district. A big drink in Madrid, or at least the one I've been enjoying, is a "whiskey con limon," which is a whiskey with lemonade. It's a perfect drink for the warm weather. Even at night it's been in the 60s.
El Matador!
Maria and Rocio's friends were more than hospitable. They showed me around and told me a variety of fun places to check out and sites to see. Muchas gracias hombres.
We were all nice and cuddly by the end of the evening.
"Open All Night." Got to love seeing this sign outside a pizza stand when you're on your walk back to the hotel.
It was another fantastic match-day experience. Thanks to Javi and Pablo Camino at Real Madrid for taking care of us. And a big thanks to Rocio and Maria for coming along to the match and for teaching me some new Spanish slang such as "Bien Jugado," which means "Well Played." You're welcome for the English lessons I tought you such as the life-changing experience of a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich - they didn't know those two went together - and for explaining such classy American terms as "Mierda Cara."
I now have two full days in Madrid to explore the museums, plazas, and parks as well as to eat, relax and take numerous ciestas (mid-day naps).
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