I was in Madrid about four months ago so it feels like I’m visiting an old friend by coming back here. Well, technically I did visit an old friend as I caught up with Mirela over tapas! It was great to see her because the next time I see her could be many months away.

I was keen to see what summer in Madrid had to offer which was different to Madrid of winter though I think actually I was quite lucky when I came here last as it was not bad weather then. The main difference I’ve seen this time around is that there are a heck of a lot more people eating and sitting outside than the last time I visited so where some squares were empty now they were covered in tables and chairs!

Photos, Photos, Photos.

Visiting Madrid felt kind of strange because in effect I was only here for a day and then I’d be flying back to London which would bring me to the end of my summer holiday 🙁 so actually I wasn’t really feeling as much of a tourist as I had in previous cities. One of Teesh’s ex-workmates had generously offered us the use of their flat too so that made me feel even more of a local. Their flat was absolutely amazing and I wanted to stay there forever! Ha ha.

Teesh and I walked a fair bit around the city but in hindsight didn’t really do much more than that. Oh, other than having some very lovely meals!! Naturally. I finally managed to eat at the oldest restaurant in the world, Botín, which I’d tried to get to last time. Actually we were pretty luck that our walking tour took us into the restaurant during the day (and we got to see them preparing the roast suckling pigs for which they are famous and also Hemingway’s table) so we managed to score a booking for later that evening. And just to prove that the world really is a small place – we ran into this guy that I’d met on my tour to Belgium last year. I couldn’t believe he was actually seated next to us!

There is one thing I want to go back to Madrid for – to find the nunnery where they make their own candy! So we spent a couple of hours tracking down this elusive nunnery. According to our tour guide there is this nunnery whose members have never seen or been seen by the outside world. The way it works is that you buzz a door to ask for the sweets, once inside there is a dark hallway you walk to the end of, there is a turntable of sorts where you drop your money and then it spins around and there are your sweets! Unfortunately they proved elusive to us on this occasion …