A Weekend in Madrid.

This week in Outbound Train, catch another el cheapo Ryanair flight and spend the weekend living like a Madrileño, which means no sleep until you get back to Paris.

Madrid, the capital of Spain, does not sleep until around 4 o'clock in the morning, if at all, which means that you’ll have ample opportunity to eat and drink your way through the weekend.

Picasso

You can find Picasso’s most important and moving work at the beautiful Museo Nacional Reina Sofia, which is similar to the Musée d’Orsay in that it houses modern art. Guernica is almost eight meters long and, not surprisingly (it was actually defaced in the 70s), is under serious protection. Made for the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 World Fair in Paris, strict instructions from Picasso ensured that the painting would only make it to Spanish soil after Franco’s death. The painting was moved from the MOMA in New York to Madrid in 1981. The price of the ticket into the museum pays for itself just seeing this piece of art, but there are innumerable other magnificent pieces to see.

Casa Mingo

Casa Mingo is a Madrid institution, but it’s still not overrated. A large restaurant filled with Madrileños and tourists sharing tables, this is where you go for a lunch or dinner of roasted chicken and Asturian sparkling sidra. They bottle their sidra from the Miravalles sidreria (located in Villaviciosa, Asturias) and it’s magnificent. Order it by the bottle. It’s more like a dry champagne rather than a French cider. It’s fruity, but not bitter. I actually don’t like French cider, but I love Casa Mingo sidra. Ask the waiter to pour it for you. The Spanish roquefort goes very well with the tender chicken. Casa Mingo is located at Paseo de la Florida, 34. Take the metro to the Principe Pio station.

After lunch, go to number 5 on the same street to see the breathtaking San Antonio de Florida chapel, the ceiling of which is a fresco painted by Goya (who is also buried there). Admission is free and it’s usually open until 8 p.m.

El Rastro

Spain’s largest market—held only on Sundays—is a must-see. Apparently dating from the 16^th century, El Rastro is huge and hopping and you can easily spend the morning people-watching and bargaining for bric-a-brac. You can buy anything from the usual trinkets you can get here at a Paris market to distinctively Spanish items, including lace fans, hand-painted tiles and a gazillion different types of marinated olives (I strongly suggest you try the raw, marinated garlic cloves, too). You can also find antiques and original artwork, even oil paintings small enough to fit in your suitcase.

You can find El Rastro market on Ribero de Curtidores and it usually bursts onto adjacent streets, so don’t forget to explore the side street action.

Bullfighting

Love it or hate it, if you’re in Spain during bullfighting season (late March to early October), you really shouldn’t miss this sport. Madrid’s Las Ventas is the largest bullring in Spain (the one in Mexico City seats twice as many people) and is the center of the Spanish sport. There are different pricing options depending on where you sit, including whether or not you’re in the shade. It’s worth it to splurge for the most expensive seats. You will see three different bullfighters battle at least six different bulls.

The surrounding pomp and circumstance is truly impressive—from the picador who rides out on a horse to sever the neck nerves of the bull so as to numb the pain to the master of the bullfight with his white handkerchief in case he needs to stop the fight. If you go to a bullfight, either take a Spaniard with you to explain everything as it happens or print out a wiki on it. Think of it like a sport—it’s not just some guy going out and killing a bull; there are roles and rules involved and it’s far more complicated and artistic than it would seem.

What age is appropriate for attending a bullfight? I don't know, but I do know that I won’t take my kids until they’re a lot older!

Nightlife

The center of Madrid’s nightlife, which persists until and through the madrugada (the early morning hours), is around the bright Tio Pepe sign at the Puerta del Sol, where night shopping is a major pastime. For drinks and tapas, go to the string of “Mesones” that surround the Plaza Mayor. These taverns are the perfect place to catch some traditional live Spanish guitar music.