Days 3 and 4: Foggy Days and Brunch Buffets

On our third full day in Madrid, we got up to visit two towns--Toledo and Conseguera. Toledo dates back to Roman times, and you drive past ruins to get into the city; it's also known as the city of three cultures, since Jews, Christians, and Arabs all lived there together in the Middle Ages. There are mosques, synagogues, and churches inside the city walls, as well as an El Greco museum if you're into art. It's also quite high up--we took a series of elevators to get into the city--but the heavy curtains of fogs made it hard to see anything. (Below is a picture from the car, right before we reached Toledo.) What's strange is that in Madrid it was brightly sunny by about 9 a.m...it was just a few miles out that the dense fog hit. 

Since the fog hadn't burned off by about 11:30, we pulled the plug on Conseguera, which has the best preserved windmills in Spain (specifically, the ones Don Quixote tilted at). I'm always sad to miss a literary landmark, but since I would have literally missed them in the fog, I guess it's okay. Until next time, Conseguera. 

Defeated by the fog, we returned to Madrid to ramble around and wait for our Christmas Eve gala dinner. Did you know Madrid has a Taco Bell? We can now add this city to the list of places I could happily live. 

We also went to a sweets market, which was selling hot chocolate and flavored churros as well as gigantic donuts. The market also had a variety of sugared fruits and cakes, and flavored nuts and seeds. 

Finally, it was time for the meal I'd been fasting for all day--the Christmas Eve gala dinner at the hotel. The lobby was full of old Spanish ladies in fur coats, while a string band set up in the corner. The starter course was a Bloody Mary gelee with mussels, and then a mango salmorejo with a little packet of Iberian ham to drop in. Salmorejo was a possible factor in my own previous episode of Spanish Horror Story: Food Poisoning, so that was a little rough for me.  

We also had lobster on papaya tartar, wild mushroom ramen, and a turbot filet with champagne muslin (whatever that means...I don't eat fish, so that remained beautiful and untouched on my plate). 

The final entree course was a veal tenderloin with pepper seasoning and herbed rice, and then came the best part of all meals--the dessert. First was a rhubarb, cardamom, and strawberry smoothie with hazelnut candy, and then second was a pear baked in phyllo dough and filled with chocolate and liquer. I ate mine, and then I ate Taylor's. The menu is below, for anyone interested in the details of the food. 

Finally, the very last course was a row of glittery, porous chocolate that melted away when you put it in your mouth. Each course also came with a wine pairing, so after dinner it was time for me to go to bed for many, many hours. 

Next morning first thing was an opera and champagne brunch! (I'm going to do something cultural eventually, I promise.) It was held in the rotunda of the hotel, which is topped by a beautiful glass dome. The two opera singers started about midway through the brunch, singing both Christmas songs and Italian arias. And there was SO MUCH food, most of it meant to be eaten in one to two bites so that you can try almost everything. Since I'm an adult, I primarily ate dessert, of which there were about 15 different kinds. The best was an egg custard with a crumble on top, though of the savory foods the best was the goat cheese with balsamic and raspberry, and the breaded manchego with wasabi peas. 

A video of the opera singer, if you're inclined to listen. 

In Madrid, almost everything shuts down for Christmas Eve and Christmas, so there's not much else to do except take a stroll and enjoy the Christmas lights (along with what seems like every other person in Madrid). Some people mentioned being worried about going to a big city in Europe, but there's a heavy police presence everywhere and the main roads are blocked off, so it feels very safe. The display windows, however, seem to point to some strange minds. My favorites were the winged bunny with his crucifix and the horned mannequin with the rose skirt.

Blurry...blame my photographer. 

The final picture is our hotel, which is located right across from the Prado and the Parque de Buen Retiro...I keep forgetting to take a picture of it in the daytime. Tomorrow we plan to go to Avila and Segovia, so hopefully we're not plagued by another foggy day.