Around the World in Reality: Madrid and Lisbon

It’s been nearly six months since our last international adventure together, but the Priests are back! ICYMI, we visited London, Amsterdam, Panamá and South Africa earlier this year. This time, we headed to Madrid, Spain and Lisbon, Portugal. With this trip, we were excited to visit our fifth new country this year, Portugal, to celebrate five years of marriage.

Day 1 – Wednesday, November 23

HIGHLIGHTS: Vega + 360º Rooftop + GastroVia 61

After a 6-hour flight from JFK, we landed in Madrid. The immigration process was pretty simple, and by having our Osprey 40L backpacks as carryons, we were able to get through in about 30 minutes. When traveling to a new city, I always try to utilize public transit if it’s an option. In Madrid, the public transit system is very convenient, so we purchased two 4-day travel passes and caught the metro to our hotel in Gran Via.

We arrived at our hotel, the Riu Plaza España, well before our check-in time, but we were able to get into our room without waiting. The hotel itself was beautiful and already decorated for the holidays. It is in a great location with a metro stop practically a rock’s throw from the front door.

We got to our room, and it was spacious. A lovely feature of this room was its wrap-around terrace. Though we would’ve taken full advantage of the terrace if it was warmer outside, it was still nice to spend a moment every day taking in the views.

For lunch, we headed to Vega, a vegan restaurant nearby. It’s always exciting to find vegan or vegetarian restaurants while traveling, and Madrid had no shortage of them. We arrived before Madrid’s traditional lunchtime, so we were one of the first patrons there. We took our time and people watched as the restaurant filled up. While we waited on our meal, we were brought a flavorful broth. I had the cheeseburger with caramelized onions and smoked mayonnaise served with brown potatoes and a delicious aioli sauce. It was very good. The texture was very unique to me for a vegan burger, but I really enjoyed it. The caramelized onions really added a lot of flavor. Donnell had the Mexican bowl which consisted of greens, rice, beans, corn, avocados, tomatoes and a flavorful sauce. Though Donnell didn’t expect the dish to be cold, he really enjoyed it as well. It was a great meal to start off our time in Madrid.

We headed back to the hotel to take a break and get ready for the evening. One amazing feature of this hotel is its 360º Rooftop. As a hotel guest, you’re able to visit the rooftop for free. We decided to head to the rooftop for sunset, and apparently, everyone else had the same idea. It was full of people! Luckily, we were able to sit and enjoy. I will forever be a sucker for sunsets, and my photos don’t do this one justice.

For dinner, we walked to a nearby hotel restaurant, GastroVia 61. I typically don’t frequent hotel restaurants, but I was looking for a location close by, and this restaurant had good ratings. To begin the evening, I ordered what I thought would be a glass of white wine, but it ended up being a bottle of white wine. Oops! Nonetheless, the local wine, Tagonius Blanc, paired nicely with the meal.

For an appetizer, we had grilled octopus with “Pisto” and an Italian red pepper. It was absolutely scrumptious. It easily could’ve been my meal, but we both enjoyed it. For our main entrees, Donnell ordered the gratin cod loin with a citric “aioli” on top of a carpaccio of orange and green onion, and I ordered the grilled sea bass with a marinade of mussels with a crunch of purple carrots and sea grapes. We ended up swapping meals because my husband liked the “look” of the sea bass better than the cod. Well, looks can be deceiving because the cod was delicious. The gratin crust on the cod actually made the dish. Donnell was also pleased with his sea bass. For dessert, Donnell had a homemade carrot cake with English cream. He loves a good carrot cake, and apparently, this one was pretty good. To finish off the evening, the waiter brought out shots of something (I still don’t know what it was) and mini raspberry desserts. A perfect way to end the night.

Day 2 – Thursday, November 24

HIGHLIGHTS: Royal Palace of Madrid + Bodega de los Secretos + Flamenco Show + Mad Mad Vegan

Our first full day began with the Royal Palace of Madrid. It is the largest royal palace in Western Europe and one of the largest in the world. Though there weren’t tours in English, we were able to buy an audioguide to use as we explored the palace. The details in the palace were beautiful. Everything was intricately designed and delicately placed. I caught myself frequently looking up as the ceilings were stunning.

After the Royal Palace of Madrid, we made our way to lunch at Bodega de los Secretos, a restaurant located in the oldest winery in Madrid centre. The alcoves, previously used to age wine, were turned into intimate dining spaces. I absolutely loved the uniqueness of this restaurant. We began lunch with eggplant tempura and pepper hummus. For our entrees, I had the mushroom ravioli, and Donnell had the pumpkin and gouda ravioli. We enjoyed both entrees. To finish lunch, we had the “Torrija” milk bread, a Spanish dessert that reminded me of a bread pudding. I really enjoyed the dessert, but Donnell didn’t care for the texture.

After lunch, we came back to the hotel to get dressed for the Centro Cultural Flamenco Show. We had the pleasure of viewing our first flamenco show in Barcelona back in 2019, and we were eager to see another. We arrived early and decided to grab a drink nearby while we waited. After our drink, we headed back to a packed house. Nonetheless, I loved this venue because there wasn’t a bad seat in the place, and it was very intimate. The hour-long show was fabulous! It was full of energy and passion. We both loved every minute of it.

For dinner, we hit up another vegan restaurant, Mad Mad Vegan. It was a cute little place that specializes in burgers. We didn’t have a reservation, but luckily, they were able to get us seated without waiting. Here we decided to try the Mad Signature, a burger with Beyond Meat, vegan cheese, a mix of red and crispy onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles and MAD sauce, and the Mad Nashville, a crunchy chick’n burger bathed in sweet sauce slightly spicy, served with pickles and American coleslaw. They are both easily in my top three of best vegan burger/sandwiches EVER. Everything was a hit at Mad Mad Vegan.

When we left the hotel to head to the flamenco show, we saw large crowds of people gathered near our hotel and by the metro stop, but we weren’t sure why. It was apparent when we returned as the Christmas tree in Plaza de Espana was lit along with the other lights around the city. It was really lovely to see!

Day 3 – Friday, November 25

HIGHLIGHTS: Cooking Class + El Retiro + Wine Tasting + Ástor Puerta Cerrada

We woke up and grabbed breakfast from the hotel and lounged around Friday morning. Anyone who knows me knows how hard this was for me to do, but I wanted to honor Donnell’s wish for lighter travel days.

Our first activity of the day was a cooking class. I was very excited about this as I’m typically unable to fit a cooking class into our schedule. We met our host, Paloma, and two other couples at the corner store and took a short walk to her home where the cooking class would take place.

We began by making sangria. The authentic version was so delicious. None of us could put it down. We then moved on to making a Spanish tortilla that consisted of egg, potato, onion, olive oil, and salt. We finished up the class by making two types of paella. Paloma was such a great teacher. She did a fabulous job making sure each of us participated in each part of the process. We finished up by eating everything we cooked, drinking more sangria and conversing with our classmates. It was very special to take part in this class, and we would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Madrid.

After our cooking class, we felt like we needed a siesta, but instead, we decided to visit El Retiro, one of the largest parks in Madrid. We walked into the park and instantly noticed the beautiful lake filled with row boats. We had limited time, but on a future visit, we would love to rent a row boat and spend some time on the water. Everyone looked to be enjoying themselves.

One thing to note is there are public bathrooms here, but you must bring your own toilet tissue. Luckily, I learned that before making a mistake, and a kind lady who sensed my confusion offered me some.

The more I travel the more I’ve become interested in architecture. So while at El Retiro, I had to visit the Palacio de Cristal. It was originally built to serve as a greenhouse but is currently used for temporary exhibitions. Something about this crystal palace was stunning. I was even more impressed that I didn’t see any broken glass within the beautiful structure. I hope on our next trip back we can view an exhibit here.

After our stroll through the park, we caught the metro to our wine tasting class at Madrid & Darracott. We arrived early and were able to chat with our tablemates for a bit. To our surprise, one of them lived in Charlotte. She had an extensive knowledge of wine, and it was great to be seated with her.

This experience began with an overview of the wine regions in Spain. Our instructor clearly had a deep love for Spanish wines, and he did a great job providing a thorough overview. We tasted three different wines, Juan Gil Blanco 2021, Honoro Vera Garnacha 2021 and La Atalaya del Camino 2020. I thoroughly enjoyed each one, and Donnell enjoyed the first two. It was a great wine tasting that we would highly recommend.

After visiting the different Christmas markets in Paris last year, I was eager to visit the one in Plaza Mayor. Today was opening day, and my pocketbook was ready. Unfortunately, this market was different than what I expected. There were many of the same items at every booth as opposed to the unique items. Though it wasn’t for me, it was packed, so others clearly found value in the vendors. If in Madrid during the holiday season, I would encourage you to visit to determine if there might be something there for you.

We made our way back to the hotel to pass some time before our dinner reservation and that was a huge mistake. I thought our reservation was 30 minutes later than it was, and we ended up missing our reservation time. It took us over 30 minutes to get there, and I was devastated. Luckily, there was another Astor restaurant within walking distance that was owned by the same couple. The owner was kind enough to call ahead and reserve a spot for us. We walked over as fast as we could and were welcomed with kindness.

To begin the meal, we received two little cheese balls. I wish I knew the proper name for them, but they were so tasty! We asked if we could purchase more, and our waitress kindly brought us more for free. As a starter, we shared the Ástor salad which consisted of arugula, red cabbage, and seasonal fruit with ginger and honey dressing. It was also very good. For our entree, we had salmon on Velute garlic. The gravy like garlic sauce was so savory and delicious, the salmon was cooked to perfection, and the mashed potatoes paired perfectly. To wrap up dinner, our waitress brought us mini cocktails, and again, I’m not sure what was in them, maybe limoncello, but they were good.

Day 4 – Saturday, November 26

HIGHLIGHTS: Sála de João Sá

On our last day in Madrid, we grabbed breakfast and took our time getting ready. I really wanted to visit the rooftop when it wasn’t busy, so I headed up as soon as it opened. The rooftop was very peaceful as only a few people were there. I took in the views of Madrid for one last time from every direction. It was so serene. On every trip, I always try to find that one place where I can just be. This was that place. I wrapped up my time on the rooftop, and we headed to the airport for our next adventure.

We arrived at the airport with a couple of hours to spare, so we decided to take advantage of the lounge. This lounge had a lot of great food options which I really appreciated because not all lounge experiences are the same. It was the perfect time for a mimosa, so I looked around for a bar with a bartender. To my surprise, I couldn’t find one. What I did find was a self-service bar with spirits. Well played, MAD.

After a short flight, we landed in Lisbon, Portugal. It was so exciting to finally be in our fifth new country of the year. On our way out of the airport, we picked up our Lisboa Card, a pass that included unlimited travel by public transit and free or discounted entry to Lisbon´s best museums and attractions. We immediately put our cards to use and caught the metro to the hotel.

On our way to check in, we instantly noticed there were hills, hills everywhere. I was glad we had our backpacks because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t have made it without catching a taxi or rideshare. We finally arrived at 54 Santa Catarina boutique aparthotel, and we were greeted with…. stairs. Luckily, we only had two flights to climb.

Our apartment was wonderful. It was very spacious and had a kitchen, living area and separate bedroom. The only downside was the wood floors. We could hear guests walking above us which meant others could hear us below. Otherwise, we really liked the space.

We caught our breath and then headed to our dinner reservation. We did notice Lisbon’s public transit seemed to be a bit more inconsistent than what we experienced in Madrid. We waited on a bus for twenty minutes that came as soon as we were walking to catch a tram nearby. However, the tram experience was something everyone should experience at least once. It felt like taking a trip back in time. I must say those things have some serious brakes on them, and I’m grateful for that.

Luckily, we arrived right on time at Sala. We were offered sparkling wine or sparkling water to begin the meal. We quickly noticed how attentive the staff was, and this was consistent throughout the meal. We opted for the seven-course tasting menu that also came with a few surprises. Every dish that come out was very creative and innovative. Though I enjoyed every one of them, if I had to choose, I would say the lobster was my favorite. We also paired dinner with two different wine choices. All in all, we were there for about three hours. Nothing felt rushed, and we were able to truly savor each dish and the moment.

Day 5 – Sunday, November 27

HIGHLIGHTS: Fauna & Flora + Jerónimos Monastery + Belém Tower + Frade Dos Mares + Rossio Christmas Market + Federico

We started our only full day in Lisbon with brunch at Fauna & Flora. I had the acai bowl with bananas, strawberries, kiwis, granola and coconut, and Donnell had a vegan birds nest which consisted of two avocado halves baked in the oven with tomato, spinach, sesame seeds, basil leaves, nuts and seeds over a crunchy kataifi nest. My acai bowl was one of the best I’ve ever had, and Donnell really enjoyed his vegan birds nest.

Next, we headed to the Jerónimos Monastery. Luckily, we had better luck with the public transit system on day two. When we arrived, there was a short line, but it moved pretty fast. We were able to visit for free with our Lisbon Cards.

I always love to see World UNESCO Heritage sites, and the monastery was proclaimed as one in 1983. If you’re into architecture, you would enjoy this beautiful place. Though it was lovely to view, I wish there was an audiobook or a tour associated with it to explain more of the history.

A short bus ride away was the Belém Tower, yet another UNESCO World Heritage. This historical site was also included with our Lisbon Cards. The tower itself was beautifully designed and had lovely views. However, I’m not sure I would suggest actually going to the top. We went because we were curious and had the time, but the rooms we empty, and there wasn’t any additional view that significantly differed from the main level. Overall, we still enjoyed our time here.

After our leisurely morning, we took the train back to the city for lunch. We ate at Frade Dos Mares, a small unsuspecting restaurant with an outdoor patio area. The weather was very nice in Lisbon, so we opted to sit outside. Lunch began with bread, herbed butter a seafood paste. The seafood paste was not what I was expecting, but it was definitely tasty. For our main entrees, Donnell had the fish of the day with potatoes and vegetables. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have more octopus. Both dishes were huge portions, and both plates were CLEANED. I did still order dessert, a custard pastry with pineapple and ice cream. It was good but just a bit too sweet.

After lunch, we came back to the apartment to rest for a bit before heading out again for the evening. The timing was perfect as it began to rain leaving the restaurant.

Once rested, we caught the bus to the Praça do Comércio, a large plaza on the Tagus River. I was hoping the Christmas tree would be lit here, but it wasn’t time yet. We walked through the plaza and over to the river. We arrived right as the sun was setting and caught yet another beautiful view.

Walking back, we saw an artist finishing up his sand animals. I was really drawn to his art not only because it was amazing but because it felt like a unique link that connected our last trip where we saw rhinos to this one. I could be misinterpreting that feeling but as a person who loves to connect the dots, it seems plausible.

Our Lisbon Card also gave us free entry into the Arco da Rua. We arrived about an hour before it closed, so we decided to head to the top. I always love seeing cities from as many different viewpoints as I can. And with a clear night sky, this view was worth the climb.

We made our way through the downtown area to the Rossio Christmas market. I was hopeful this market would be more similar to the Paris markets, and it didn’t disappoint. We were able to buy a few items, and try some mulled wine to keep us (me) warm. We even found a Christmas train that played holiday music and took us around the downtown block. It felt like a kid again. It was a lot of fun!

To end our night, we had dinner at Federico Wine Bar. I asked the bartender to make me something fun, and he came back with a drink called Death in the Afternoon. What is that you ask? Well, it’s champagne and absinthe, and it was absolutely delicious. For our entrees, Donnell had the linguine pesto, and I had the monkfish rice and shrimp. Both dishes were very good. For dessert, we had the pastel de nada with a spin. It was scrumptious. We easily could’ve ordered a second one.

Day 6 – Monday, November 28

HIGHLIGHTS: Café Janis + Tuk Tuk Tour

On our last day in Lisbon, we grabbed breakfast at Café Janis. I started my day with Kombucha and greek yogurt, and Donnell had oatmeal with dried fruit. I should’ve asked for honey to add to my greek yogurt because it needed a tad bit more sweetness. Nonetheless, it was a healthy breakfast that was needed.

We had a bit of a fiasco catching the correct bus to our final activity, but we finally made it to our tuk-tuk tour. Though we were late, João, our tour guide, was patiently waiting for us with a smile on his face.

The tour was wonderful. João navigated the tight alleys and bumpy streets to show us some really beautiful places and share great historical knowledge. A few of our stops included the Lisbon Cathedral, the Alfama neighborhood and Miradouro da Senhora do Monte. It was a great way to end our trip, and it also solidified our interest in returning. There is so much Lisbon has to offer.

Final Thoughts

We thoroughly enjoyed both Madrid and Lisbon, and we would definitely return. Madrid felt very fast-paced and reminded me of New York. The city didn’t really seem to sleep. Whereas Lisbon seemed to be more leisurely. Its pace reminded me more of Amsterdam. Nonetheless, both cities have great attributes, and so much more to be explored.

And just when you thought we might be done, we’ve added another international destination for the holidays. Stay tuned to see where we are headed after Christmas!