August 2021
We caught the train from Malaga to Madrid on Sunday the 8th. I’m tempted to gush when it comes to train travel here because it is simply the 100% flip side of air travel. Relaxing and actually enjoyable is what it is. The high speed train from Malaga to Madrid takes a little over 2 hours (Tix at Renfe.com Quiet Car, 65€ each with our senior discount card.)
We taxied to our hotel, the Aloft (120€ per night) right off Gran Via, where we stayed for 2 nights before picking up our rental car. Madrid was much quieter than expected, and very green compared to Malaga. It was also, however, hot as a firecracker. Spaniards tend to take vacations in August so a lot of restaurants were closed. We ate lunch at the wonderful Mercado San Miguel and Tapa-ed and Spritz-ed our way around town. We visited the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum for the air conditioning and the art was pretty decent as well.
Spain has a fantastic system of hotels called Paradores, that are situated in historic buildings around the country. First established in the 1920’s by King Alfonso XIII as a way to encourage tourism and preserve palaces, convents, and fortresses, these government-owned sites can be expensive but are accessible for everyone to visit. On our first day out of Madrid, we drove north to the village of Lerma to have lunch at the Parador there. It’s a ducal palace from the Hapsburg era, not far from the village’s medieval quarter. It’s only 2 hours from Madrid, otherwise we might have stayed for the atmosphere. Would we return? Yes, to stay in the hotel.
We drove on to Burgos for our first night. Checked into the AC Burgos (around 100€ per night). We had no idea what to expect from Burgos but just around the corner from the hotel was the incredible Gothic Cathedral of St Mary and a whole medieval quarter. A few factoids about Burgos: People (I use the term loosely) first lived in this area up to 800,000 years ago! And then it went downhill from there. Celts, Visigoths, Romans, Christians, blah blah blah. During the Spanish Civil War, Burgos was the base of General Franco’s fascist government. But it is still pretty, we don’t hold a grudge, and there are lovely walks along the River Arlanzón. Worth a return? Absolutely!
Next update, on the road north to Basque Country!
Want to learn about Spain’s iconic bulls, located on the highways all over the country? Read on here.
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