There are a few sprinkles on Saturday as the taxi whisks me from the airport to my new home in the Salamanca area of Madrid. What a pleasant surprise when we pull up to an elegant building on a tree- lined street. I meet the first of 4 doormen I will soon come to know..…Alejandro. Through the lobby, I enter a charming courtyard and then quickly I am in my apartment being shown around by Rebecca. Very modern with two big bedrooms, 3 elegant bathrooms, a super kitchen ( including a washer/dryer and dishwasher) and a gorgeous living room with a balcony to the tree-lined street. Ahhh- it’s perfect!

A shower and change of clothes and then I’m off to a dinner reservation nearby at Baraccuda MX. I always make a nice dinner reservation ahead of time for my first night. That way I stay up and get on local time, plus there is nothing worse than getting to a strange city and trying to figure out where to go for dinner.

It’s only a 6 minute walk, but the rain has really started coming down so I’m a bit soaked when I arrive. No problem, though. I meet bartenders Alhan and Danny and hostess Daniella makes sure I get a nice seat at the bar. To make up for my sogginess, they send over little treats, including chips and very spicy jalapeño chili sauce. After a glass of Verdejo and a conversation with Alhan ( mostly about his girlfriend who has returned to Minnesota, but also his suggestions for some great bars in Madrid), I choose the Carracci Ibérico pastor tacos with tomatillo and chipotle sauce.

It’s a great start to Shirleyfest even though I did get drenched on that run back to the apartment.

The next day is Sunday and I want to check out Mercado San Miguel, a covered market originally built in 1916. Vendors are selling olives, tapas, gorgeous pastries and lots of different drinks.

I’m getting civic alerts every 15 minutes on my phone that Madrid is having a serious rainstorm, but to me it just seems like the storms we used to have in Indiana. Ignoring the alert that people should stay home, I’m in search of Casa Lucio in the La Latina district to see if I can get in for lunch. The restaurant has a storied past and a glamorous present. It was once home to a hundred year old restaurant where Lucio Blázquez began to work at age 12. Many years later the original owner sold the restaurant to Lucio. The King of Spain, movie stars, US presidents and just regular folks all love it. I love that despite no reservation I was able to score a seat at the bar. A plate of olives and one plump anchovy are brought to me as I study the menu. I already know I have to have the Spanish omelette with its three perfect ingredients: eggs, onions and new potatoes.

Next to me are a delightful couple, Elena and Andres from Zaragoza. Between google translate and broken Spanish and English we have a fun conversation.

After lunch, I explore the La Latina area thru lightening and thunder. Later that night, I have dinner in my neighborhood and as I’m walking home I see this:

A donut shop! Donuts were a food group when I was growing up and I can’t pass up this opportunity. I meet 23 year old Max (in his last year of university) who has started this shop and it’s taking off!

So that’s how the first 24 hours looks on this year’s Shirleyfest.

In the subsequent 3 days I manage to walk miles and miles, eat so much good food and laugh a great deal. Here are some of the highlights.

Monday

A walking tour with Enrique. Standard procedure for me is to book a walking tour early on. Enrique is quite informative and very funny. Some of the things I see on our tour:

The tour is over and I’m starving. Suddenly I recall seeing that there is a Michelin restaurant next door to my apartment. Mudra. Again I get lucky and waltz right in. Here’s my ricotta stuffed pasta.

Later that evening I go for a short walk in the sunshine to the museum Reine Sofia

I leave the museum and head to a pool and rooftop bar called Oscars for a little dinner and drinks.

Tuesday

I stroll through Retiro park which is minutes from my apartment. Reminds me of Central Park.

After the park, I visit the Church of San Jerónimo de Real which is the remaining structure of the Hieronymite monastery that once stood beside the royal palace of Buen Retiro

Time for lunch! Is it pressing my luck to try the nearby Vinoteca Moratin! Nope. The owner Marcos Gil warmly greets me as if I’m an old friend. He gives me the window table and then proceeds to go over the menu in great detail. I leave it up to him and I’m glad I do.

I am really impressed with this restaurant and Marcos and his small staff. Every table is taken but there is a calmness that makes dining here such a joy. After coffee Marcos and I take a picture together.

Now I do some shopping in this area known as Barrio de las Letras. I need to get home pretty soon as tonight I get to do one of my favorite things I do on Shirleyfest—-meet someone new that lives here. In all my Shirleyfests this has proven the most rewarding and enduring element. Not only do I get to understand what it is like to live in my host city, many of these new acquaintances become friends that I see after I leave.

My friend Patricia in California has kindly connected me with her friend Christopher, a Brit who has lived and worked in Madrid since 2012. We meet first for drinks at a local tapas place where it is readily apparent that while Christopher may be British, his Spanish is nothing short of perfection. I mean when you can tell a waiter that a fly has landed in my glass of wine and have a new glass of wine quickly procured, you are fluent! That’s not the sort of sentence you learn in Duolingo. Christopher learned that I love middle eastern food so he kindly has gotten us into Barganzo, a popular and quite lively Israeli restaurant. You would think I couldn’t eat again after that lunch, but I had more than my share of the many delicious dishes we ordered. Christopher is so much fun and we have lots of laughs! We part knowing we will see each other again during my stay.

Wednesday

My friends Sharon and Dan mentioned they enjoyed Museo Sorolla so I decide to walk up there. I wasn’t disappointed! It was the garden, home and studio of the famous Spanish painter Joaquin Sorolla y Bastia and houses the largest collection of his works. Many of his paintings are people and landscapes under the bright sunlight of Spain and Spanish beaches.

Since I’ve already walked up to the Chamberi neighborhood I decide to explore Mercado Vallehermosa. It’s smaller than Mercado San Miguel but in many ways I like it better. It has some excellent restaurants but it also sells fish, vegetables and produce.

Time to start the long walk back to my neighborhood. Fortunately halfway home is a tapas restaurant that I want to try. It’s called La Musa. I had a selection of small plates and I can highly recommend it for a tasty lunch.

The shopping on the second half of my walk back was exceptional in the Salamanca neighborhood. So was the gelato I get later this night.

So that my friends is the first 4 days of Shirleyfest Madrid. I’m glad I have many more days to enjoy this fantastic city! Please follow along with me as I explore this delightful city.