The Food in Madrid

This year for Thanksgiving Break, we went to Madrid, the capital of Spain. There was so much history and so many gorgeous sights and wonderful architecture there, but most of all, there was a lot of delicious food. Our first day in Spain, we got to experience the city through a food tour, where they took us to original tapas places. I really enjoyed the tour and here are some of my experiences!

Tapas mean “small plates” and are similar to more hearty snacks that vary based on the region in Spain where they’re served. All the places we went to were original, having been in one family for multiple generations- where they’ve perfected a recipe/recipes. We went on the Devour Tour for Madrid.

Firstly, we went to Taberna Real, a restaurant famous for their jamon iberico (Iberian ham) where we also tried olives, almonds, and pan con tomate (bread with tomato). The ham was delicious, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a taste that wasn’t incredibly meaty. The bread was also perfect and overall, I really enjoyed it.

Second, we went to Meson del Champinon, which was known for their stuffed mushrooms. The mushrooms were made with butter, garlic, and chorizo and were delightful. I really enjoyed them, as well as their other popular dishes- tuna + red bell pepper and piquillo peppers.

Finally, we reached La Casa del Abuelo, a place famous for their revolutionary recipe- Gambas al Ajillo or shrimps in garlic. The shrimps were brought to us in bubbling dishes, still being cooked. Once they finished boiling, we dug in with relish, also tasting the sauce with the bread given. It was such a delicious meal and other “gambas al ajillo” that we had didn’t measure up at all.

Overall, I really enjoy Madrid’s food and getting to experience all of it!

The Beatles Tour

During our Manchester trip, we got to go to Liverpool, where I got to visit the Beatles Museum. This was an amazing opportunity as I really enjoy the Beatles’ music. The museum was filled with information from their childhood to (some of) their deaths. It was also decorated beautifully, with certain rooms dedicated to a certain song or album and other rooms showing how they became such a popular band.

After that, we decided to go on a hop on-hop off style bus tour of famous Beatles locations. This included Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, and the Beatles’ childhood homes. It was amazing to see how each of these places inspired the 4 so much that they went on to write award-winning songs about them.