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Our
first stop was the Casa Paco, where we started
the night with a choice of red or white
wine.
Our next stop was
La Taperia de la Abuela. This
was the highlight of the evening for my
family.
| Andre and I
have put together an
informational page on "La
Taperia" . |
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When
visiting Spain by myself, I have always
been apprehensive about exploring the
nightlife of Madrid. I'm not much of a
late night person, but "Walks of
Spain" seemed like an excellent way
to introduce my family and me to one of
the standard Madrid night activities, the
"tapas crawl."
We
met Andre at the Plaza Mayor
at 8:30 p.m. and then went off to Casa
Paco to meet another "Walks of
Madrid" compatriot, Mira. In
traditional Spanish custom we stood at
the bar talking and drinking our wine.
What are
Tapas?
Tapas are the (sometimes free)
little side dishes received with
a drink order from a bar. Free
tapas I have had include potato chips,
green olives, small bits of
rabbit with garbanzo beans, and a
large bowl of snails cooked in a
tomato sauce. Tapas can also be
ordered off the menu and are
often a better buy than the
"raciones". |
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My son particularly
liked the ox meat cooked on hot stones.
The tapas were excellent here, as was the
sangría.
| Note: Sangría
is usually served during parties.
It is avialable all year long at
some of the tourist bars in
Madrid, but Andre says it
generally isn't found in a non-tourist
bar like La Taperia. |
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My
wife, me, and Mira cooking ox meat on hot
stones at La Taperia de la Abuela. |
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Here you can see
the preheated stones that are brought to the
table and the cooking of the ox meat.
I always forget
to photograph the food. Once I am done with a
meal, I almost always say, "Gee, that was a
good meal. Why didn't I take a photo of it?"
Before the ox meat we had a
very nice tapas of tuna and tomato sauce cooked
in little patties. Sorry no photo; it was very
good ;-)
| Leaving La Taperia, we
found darkness had fallen on Madrid.
Andre gave us a nighttime tour of the
area and then we heard music coming from
the Plaza de Oriente, where
we discovered a free concert in progress.
Going
on to the next tapas bar, we met up with
more Walks of Madrid alumni.
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From left
to right Andre, Mira, and Alfonso. |
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Our last stop for the evening was at a bar where
amateur flamenco is often performed. No seats were
available, so we stood and listened to the singer for a
while. Andre explained there were no paid performers
here. The musicians, singers, and dancers were all
visitors to the bar.
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Once these amateurs are done performing, a
hat will be passed for tips. Come back tomorrow
night and all the performers will be different. At
12:30 my family decided to call it a night. By
Madrid standards we pooped out really early!
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If you are interest in joining one of Andre's Madrid events, check out his offerings at Walks of Madrid
Old Madrid secret restaurants, tapas & wine walking tour
If
you are booking your Spain accommodations through
Madrid & Beyond (A
Spain Travel Agent ), have
them make tapas tour arrangements for you.
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