Many times we listen to the advice of travel writers, but not for skipping lunch in Plaza Mayor. Lunch in Spain is hard, as most places either are open from noon to two, or one to three, or 12:30 to 2:10, or just ridiculous non-friendly hours.
(Speaking of which, I saw where a Spaniard mocked Americans for eating lunch at noon and dinner at 5pm. Let me be clear -- no one eating dinner at 5pm is traveling to Europe. I'm not saying nobody eats dinner at 5pm, but that nobody who does is leaving the old folks home to gallivant around the world.)
Plaza Mayor is a compelling place. It dates back to the 1600s, and considered the most Mayor of all Plaza Mayors in Spain (Plaza Mayor translated is "Major Square" although they tend to be rectangles). If a literalist like me were in charge of language, as I should be, they would be known as "Rectangulo Mayor," which would be a LOT of fun to constantly say in Spain.
While my favorite Plaza Mayor is in Salamanca (see this short video from our VRBO's balcony in 2023 to understand why), Plaza Mayor is wonderful.
There is an equestrian statue of Philip III who made Plaza Mayor the centerpiece of Madrid in 1619 (his dad, the colorfully named Philip II moved the capital to Madrid from Toledo).
Plaza Mayor is 100 yards wide and 140 yards long (hence "Rectangulo Mayor,") and is surrounded by four-story buildings featuring symmetrical windows, balconies, steepled towers, and slate roofs. Each side of square rectangle is uniform, giving a stately air to the enclosed plaza. Our last time in Madrid (2023) we walked over a mile and found every restaurant closed or fully booked at lunchtime until we got to Plaza Mayor where we had a delightful lunch of some of our favorite tapas.
Editor: Okay, we get it. You can stop with the square/rectangle thing. Writer: Well, if you get the joke by now, all of my readers will have too, so I will honor your snotty request.
The Plaza has held major bullfights, Carnaval, royal pageants, the Spanish Inquisition (Jews get blamed for a lot of stuff, such as fighting for their lives and to free the hostages after October 7, 2023 -- sorry to bring politics in, but after Harrisburg, DC, and now Boulder, this anti-Semitic crap has got to stop).
Anyhow, it's a delightful square, and Carol and I enjoy having a lunch there when in Madrid. With the exception of Migas, it's exceedingly difficult to find bad food in Spain.
There was some festival or another going on in Madrid -- I think it was nighttime concerts, so there was a stage up in the middle of the plaza and it wasn't as picturesque as normal. Making it less picturesque was the row of port-o-johns right by the King Philip III statue.
We ate at the Museo del Jamon, located on the west side of the Plaza. Normally we eat on the east side, but I always let Carol choose where to have lunch in Madrid, and she went with the Museo. It is not a museum -- it is a restaurant, and they aren't trying to trick you. I mean there are menus, and outdoor tables, and plates, forks, and knives. So anyone who is fooled into thinking it is an actual museum is a fool. At every museum I've been to, you don't get to order and the displays. Not surprisingly, they do offer a lot of options for jamon.
Lunch was solid. After that we walked back to our hotel by Atocha train station -- about 1.2 miles. It was a good way to walk off lunch.
Before we left, I took one last panoramic picture of Plaza Mayor. Unfortunately because of the stage set up and the various portajohns, etc. the photo is a bit more compressed.
The long part of the building prior
to the corners of the photo is 140
yards long. Some of the arcades
lead out of the plaza, but most
lead to restaurants or shops. Click
on the photo to get a large look.
No comments:
Post a Comment