Cordoba and Madrid Trip Report April 2025

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

It is all fun and games until the credit card machines stop working. LOL!
I arrived in Cordoba a few days back and it was sunny, cool and beautiful. Love the rail system in this country all electrified and fast. More on that later.

Hit La Maceta for tapas after arriving, the bar was heaving but the waitress listened carefully to my horrific Spanish and delivered my Vermouth and Habitas Baby con Huevo (baby fava beans with egg, I love that name in Spanish) and I was good to go. Really a good dish that you do not see on the tourist menus in Malaga. When i got confused presenting my card she smiled and responded in better English than my Spanish.

I took a quick siesta then started walking around town. The streets here are much narrower, taxis have to pull in their mirrors on some of them. Half of the horse drawn carriages have horses that trot beautifully, just proud animals. Love them.
The amount of tourists is a bit less than Malaga but still there are a passel of us in the touristy old city. I had heard of a taberna called Bodegas Mezquita de Cespide and I went there. Ran into the much maligned menu online. Which is a pain to navigate, and the building is solid stone so my signal was weak to boot. But I ordered the stew of the day (Guiso del dia) lentejas, and it was a bit long on bland. Rats. Good vermouth.

Retreated to my overchilled room. Thermostat not working and the AC is on full blast. Turn it off and the room gets stuffy. Open the window and I hear the party next door.

Woke to a beautiful day and took off walking right into a huge police presence. I am looking around for the dignitary blocking the streets when I see a small herd of horses moving my way. A Parade!!! I am good to go! Led by a couple rather impressive horseflesh…

Nothing runs like a Deere.

And the floats were all full of older folks singing and throwing flowers. Very few kids riding. Interesting.

The police officer was a favorite of quite a few of the ladies.

Last but not least…

Then it was off to the architecture highlights. Another gorgeous city!!

Did I mention gorgeous? Ran into these young ladies and a pack of photographers. Wow. I was admiring the one in white, took my picture, she smiled and I nearly dropped my phone. LOL!

Then it was back to the Mezquita Catedral.

Then I went to another Bodegas Mezquita , Corregidor this time and had a cold Salmorejo soup and Chipirones with a cold beer. Very nice! The baby squid/calamari was a bit bland but nicely fresh.

So I am really enjoying my short stay in Cordoba! Then the lights went out. And I realized I had no idea how much cash I had on me since I was using my credit card almost exclusively. And the card machines are definitely down. And the train system that I need to use tomorrow to get to Madrid is powered by electricity.
And my refrigerator had a small amount of Russian Salad, a canned cappuccino and a bottle of water.
Far from home with no food. All I need is for it to be cold and rainy with me outside and this might become an adventure. Seriously, though, these things happen. Not a big deal. I am curious to see when the power comes back on though. My hotel has its own generator but most do not seem to have one. Cafes and tabernas are open but they are only accepting cash. That works.

[linguafood (Natascha)]

Great report! And a parade in your honor!

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

I had not presumed so, but you never know! LOL! The great thing about walking around a lot is that you stumble on to stuff you would never know about, otherwise.

[linguafood (Natascha)]

It’s what I enjoy most about traveling to cities. Just drifting around and discovering stuff randomly.

[PedroPero (PETER)]

Will you be checking out any flamenco shows?

[damiano]

Major, major power cut in Spain!

Spain and Portugal power cut live: Spanish PM hopes power will return soon...

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

Power and data are back up at 0230. Not sure if the entire network in Spain is back up or if my hotel generator just kicked back in. But data coming back up after 6 hours down is a good sign.
I am supposed to be on a train to Madrid in 9 hours, but they are all electric, no diesel, so not sure what will happen.
I may just try to get to central France, rumor mill has it that they are back up.
I think i will enjoy a few more hours of sleep and play it by ear later in the morning.

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

Everything is slowly getting back up to speed. Having AC and data had me so happy i had port with breakfast!

Things got a trifle fraught last night around 8pm when many of the tourists realized they had little cash and neither the tavernas, the cafes or the hotels were able to process credit cards. My hotel, the Selu was one of the only places w generators and the NH and others were full of people sitting around. The usual clamor was more of a murmur, LOL.
I saw a tienda selling beer, water and empanadas at a ferocious pace last night so i bought 2 beers and two empanadas. The owner is from Argentina and knew what to do in power outages so she was teaching as she wrote down the sales and counted the coins and bills. I thanked her for what she was doing as she gave me my food and she lit up. It reminded me to always thank those foing their job or helping others when things are not going well. All too often i forget to do so.

But today the power is on and the trains are delayed by less than 30 minutes in most cases, so life is drifting back to normal.

Then I called my hotel in Madrid, they have power, so it was off to the archeological museum. Beautiful sculptures, impressive Corinthian columns w Moorish decoration, and a beautiful courtyard w small pool in the middle.

Then it was a short walk through the Garden of Agriculture to the train station.

[digga]

Here’s what the NYT is reporting:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/world/europe/power-outage-spain-portugal-france.html?unlocked_article_code=1.DU8.JNBJ.xvM5ABfiCTE8&smid=url-share

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/world/europe/spain-power-outage-photos.html?unlocked_article_code=1.DU8.EInr.cwxoLwiE8SK-&smid=url-share

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/world/europe/spain-portugal-power-outage-what-we-know.html?unlocked_article_code=1.DU8.HgZf.AcRaJJhsU_rq&smid=url-share

[Maribel]

Hope your train from Córdoba to Madrid will be running today on time!

Yesterday was quite a day here! Some poor passenger was trapped for a full 26 hours in her quest to reach Albacete via train from Barcelona and had to sleep (well, attempt to sleep) in her train car. Difficult stories abound but also “feel good” stories of neighbors helping neighbors, people living close to Atocha rail station emptying out their refrigerators and distributing food to those stranded at the rail station, even people offering rail passengers a night’s sleep in their homes.

We were very lucky, caught here at home (free standing home, no elevator needed) with 2 fridges filled with food, plenty of wine and two barbecue grills. But the 86-year old patriarch of our family had to climb 8 flights of steps carrying groceries to reach his Madrid apartment after his mid-morning daily shopping excursion. And a friend here on business had to walk from his business meeting downtown all the way to Barajas airport. Once he arrived they canceled his flight back to Geneva.

At any rate, hope your train was on time and that you find beautiful, sunny weather here in Madrid during your stay! That walk through the Jardines de la Victoria to Córdoba’s rail station is a beautiful one.

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

Thank you, Maribel! I am looking forward to a few days in Madrid.
It is always good to hear about people helping others in need. There were cardboard “beds” on the floor of the train station at Cordoba and bags of baguettes/pastries that the Army brought to stranded travelers.
My train was only an hour and a half late which i think is pretty decent considering what happened. I finished my second empanada from yesterday as i waited for the train. I hope the Argentinian shop owner who made the empanada is having a better, lower stress day today!

[Maribel]

Very sleek high speed trains we have here, no?
Glad you snagged those empanadas. I too hope the shopkeeper is having a much better day!

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

Trains were delayed a bit the day after the power outage but I got to Madrid eventually. Dropped my bag at the hotel and walked down Paseo de Recoletos to Bareto Alcala for Gildas and some form of scallop dish that I have forgotten the name of. The Gildas was small but good, olives, chili pepper and a small herring (?) on a tooth pick. Not bad at all, though the potato chips were a bit robust. Ordered a scallop dish next and it was only ok. But a nice walk followed by a cold drink and a snack. Not a bad first couple hours in Madrid.

Walked to the Fountain of the Cibeles and the Madrid City Hall was painted brilliantly in the early evening light. What a sight! It was right up there with St. Pauls in London, for me.

Ordered Cappuccino for breakfast in my room. Just right two tiny pastries come with it, almost identical to my favorites from Bossa in Naxos/ Greece.

Love the view from the 5th floor of Hotel Sardinero.

Then it was off to Casa Dani. Stood in line for a short time. Ordered in Spanish and was rolling. My waiter was laughing, he knew he was hearing all my Spanish and played along. I got almost all my order in and realized I had no Spanish for black pudding. He stage whispered “Morcilla” to me and I was like “Y una media racion de morcilla, tambien.” It may sound silly to multilingual people, but finally getting through an entire order really made my day. More on that later. But this tortilla Espanol de patata was simply outstanding compared to the version I got in Malaga. Really well prepared. And when the morcilla and fries arrived I was in heaven. This was one of my favorite meals of my trip so far.

Next day I could not get into La Casa de Abuelo because it opened late for the holiday, so I went to La Mallorquina for Torrijas and Spanish hot chocolate. They said ten minutes for the chocolate so I ordered a Cortado instead. I really want to try some European Chocolate before I go home but keep forgetting. I got the Torrijas without the extra krema on top and it was still rich and super sweet. My Cortado turned into a Cafe con Leche because I did not stop my waiter with the pitcher of hot milk fast enough. Still good. But this was where my Spanish broke down and I could not make myself understood. From the Ecstasy to the Agony in just 14 hours. LOL!!

Walked around Goya for a while hoping the Mercado de la Paz was open, no joy. So I went back to La Casa de Abuelo again and they were open even though I was the first person to go in. And just like that, my Spanish was back! All 100 words and 2 tenses! I memorized a phrase that uses 3 different negative words, so “Mi español es pobre. Me vocabulario is malo pero mi gramatica is peor.” The first time I used it I realized it was the wrong thing to say because it makes it sound like my spanish is actually much better than it really is. I use it because the root words are recognizable and it was easy to remember.
But the bar tender/waiter at de Abuelo laughed and played along speaking slowly in simple Spanish. When he brought out the bubbling bowl of Gambas de Ajillo I burst out with an honest “Outstanding!” which he didn’t need a translation for. Complimenting their food is one way to get on anyones good side. It turned out the dish was good not great ( nice amount of garlic but a bit too much salt ) but I enjoyed it, and chatted, haltingly, with the waiter who came by to check on me.
I would go back and try a la plancha next time.

Then I tried Mercado de la Paz again, still closed. No ventresca for me today. Walked by Viandas de Salamanca and saw Hornazo de Salamanca and decided I had to come back later for one. Easter Bread? Not sure if they are seasonal or not but they look delicious.

I spent 4 hours in Museo del Prado and loved it. We had a guide that made it really come alive. Esther was just outstanding! I really, really wish I could have taken photos. It is interesting that I had 5 artists that I really wanted to see in person but the painting that made the biggest impression on me was Tintoretto’s Christ Washing the Disciples’ Feet. Just an amazing work and the altering of the perspective as you walk along it was intriguing.
Last time I was in Madrid I was here for 47 hours and slept for 34 of them. Not sure what was up but this time I feel a lot better and have gotten in a few really good meals and seen places I wanted to go.

[Maribel]

Glad you finally made it to Casa Dani for its wonderful, creamy tortilla, one of the best in this city (and even better for me than the ones from the Cañadío group). Funny story about the morcilla.

And I see from your photo that you found the new La Mallorquina at the corner of Hermosilla and Velázquez, which we prefer to the madhouse that is the one at the Puerta del Sol.

That meat pie, hornazo de Salamanca, is sold in the shops of Salamanca city and province all year long, but probably is considered an Easter treat here, since traditionally it was served on Easter Monday, Lunes de Aguas.

Was your guide one of the Prado guides that does the twice daily official English speaking tour? I think not, since that tour lasts only 90 minutes.

Looks like you may be in PedroPero’s favorite room at the Hotel Sardinero!

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

Casa Dani was an excellent meal, I really enjoyed it. And it did not hurt that my Spanish was just barely capable of getting my order understood. Unfortunately, though the food was good at Maloquina, my Spanish was lagging. Work is needed!
My tour at del Prado was supposed to be shorter ( I think they have shortened it to an official 60 minutes) but we ended up talking with Esther for nearly 2 hours. Then I took off and visited some of the artwork we did not have time to see with the group. I really wanted to see several of Goya’s works (Third of May especially!), Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, as well as works by El Greco, Velazquez, Raphael, Rubens and Titian. But as I mentioned, the Tintoretto grabbed my attention in much the same way that Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party did years ago in Washington DC. I must have walked by it a couple times but somehow I managed to miss Velazquez’ Surrender of Breda. I have read a bit of Perez-Reverte’s work and always wanted to see that painting since Perez-Reverte claimed Captain Alatriste is in it!
I am not sure if I am in PedroPero’s favorite room, I think it may be on the 5th of 6th floor. I am just on the 4th floor but I like it a lot and the 5th floor observation decks look east and south, which is pretty nice.

[Maribel]

If tomorrow you find yourself hungry around your hotel and wish to practice your Spanish, we often go to Cervecería el Santo at Calle Fernando el Santo near the corner of Almagro. The owner appears at first glance rather taciturn, but I now get a smile out of him. Its walls are adorned with bullfighting memorabilia, is spotless and a classic Madrid taberna. Low prices, simple but very good grub and a locals’ only type place.

It may be closed tomorrow because of the holiday, though, and is always closed on Sat/Sun.

[PedroPero (PETER)]

Well done! I’ve stayed at Hotel Sardinero twice now, first in 2022 where I splurged on the tower suite, which was mind blowing with not 1, but 2 terraces. The second time was 2024 and booked the Premium terrace with only one terrace , just kidding , great hotel and when I booked in 2022 a fantastic deal for that tower suite. Fantastic location as well. Prices, like everywhere else have increased substantially and I think the rooms are in need of some tlc. Still a very nice property. Enjoy the rest of your stay!

[erica1]

I’m relishing your report, the terrific photos, and the hilarious reenactment of your Spanish conversational escapades!! It’s great to follow along with a traveler having so much fun in the small, and well as the grand bits.

I’ve never been to CASA DE ABUELO but your photos, and many others I’ve seen, keep puling me towards their outposts. Maribel, I’m sure there are many lists of "the best’ gambas al ajillo in Madrid, but which to places would you steer a visitor, besides CASA DEL ABUELO?? I’ve been to Spain so many times but have not had more than a few renditions of the dish; I remember having it in Cordoba at CUCHARA DE SAN LORENZO (I think) where they kept the heads on; I loved that, but the traditional way is without heads, right? Is this a “pan-Spanish” dish, a signature Madrid plate or, rather, which city/area is best known for it?

So glad you stayed at HOTEL SARDINERO. I’ve walked by that building, in awe, so many times, and a few years ago I did step iside for a peek inside the lobby. I wish I had asked to see a room…it’s ag great location and an architectural masterpiece. I think there is another hotel with glorious architecture very close to the SARDINERO; I’ve admired that one, as well, from then outside but can’t remember the name.

The photos of Madrid Town Hall…my goodness…your photos are just marvelous!!

Did you book the Prado English tour online, with a time slot? I’ve never taken a tour there and want to do that next time I’m in Madrid.

Eager to read more!! Have you had your bocadillo de calamaris yet?

[Maribel]

Erica,
The other hotel architecturally interesting next to the Sardinero but on Santa Engracia rather than the Alonso Martínez square is the Avani Alonso Martínez, which I know, but other than that fantastic exterior, the interiors are rather pop art, trendy and for me uninspiring and don´t fit the classic architecture of the building.

Yes, we both had the gambas al ajillo at the Cuchara de San Lorenzo and I thought it was a delightful dish, just oozing with garlic, as it should be.
The traditional way in Madrid is with smaller shrimp and without the heads. It´s a signature Madrid tavern dish. Casa del Abuelo is the most internationally know (TV programs, YouTube videos…) taberna whose signature dish is gambas al ajillo but there are other less tourist-oriented tabernas that serve this iconic dish, just not as “famous”. Casa del Abuelo now has 7 branches. The one I prefer is at Goya 57, near ECI.

[Maribel]

erica1
Info about the guided tours of the Prado, conducted by the Prado’s art historians:

https://www.museodelprado.es/en/resource/guided-tours-of-the-collection/f58a547a-d81b-774b-fa47-863052ccdbd7