An Eating Trip to Spain: Arzak, Etxebarri, Lufthansa 747-8 J, Swiss A220 Y / 777 J

[yflyer]

EC-LUS, a 10 year old Airbus A320, would be operating our flight IB3877 to Madrid today...



Quite a full flight today, judging from the crowd at the boarding area...



A very quick turnaround for the pilots...boarding for the flight commenced almost immediately after the last passengers from the previous sector deplaned...



The Euro Business cabin (Just Y seats, with the middle seat left empty)...



Economy cabin, laid out 3-3...



Slimline seats...



However legroom was very decent...



Fairly compact tray tables (Not that we were going to be fed much on this 1 hour flight)...



It was nice to have USB charging available onboard...

[yflyer]

Manual safety demo...



A last look at the modern terminal as we taxiied to the runway...



Take-off...



...breaking through the low cloud...



The cabin crew made a quick pass through the cabin with the catering cart...



Many for-purchase F&B items on the menu...





Even instant noodles...



Soft drinks, wine and beer...

[yflyer]

There was wifi on this this flight, but this was only to deliver inflight movies, tv and info...there did not appear to be any internet connectivity (paid or otherwise) available onboard, only inflight info and entertainment.





Inflight info...



...and moving map...



On today's flight, you could watch any movie you wanted, as long as it was Harry Potter 3...



Bathrooms were in the rear of the aircraft...



Overall ambience on this A320 was pretty decent...

[yflyer]

Great window seat views on this flight...



Before long, we were descending to land...



On the ground in Madrid...



At the gate...



...and off the plane in Madrid. What a beautiful terminal this was!



...and a really busy airport too!



Next up -- Madrid!

[SQ218]

Another excellent TR to read. Thanks for sharing yflyer

[yflyer]

Another excellent TR to read. Thanks for sharing yflyer

Thanks very much for reading, SQ218!

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

We caught a taxi from the airport to our hotel in downtown Madrid. Taxi fares from Madrid airport to the city (and vice versa) were fixed at EUR 30. What a great idea -- fixed price and no fuss. Great value for a group of 3 too.

We were soon in the city centre...



First impressions of Madrid: what a lively, happening city...



Many historic, old buildings, but all looked spotlessly clean and beautifully restored (Or being restored)...


There was a buzz about the place that was quite unmistakeable...


There was history all around us...



...but also the energy and vibrance that one only felt in a big metropolis...

[yflyer]

Our hotel in Madrid was the Petit Palace Triball...



This was a 3 star property in a 5 star location, right in the heart of the city, close to the Gran Via subway station...



The entrance, located along a side street just off Calle Gran Via.



A modest lobby...



A design quirk of this hotel was English words labelled all over common place items and locations, as part of their decor theme...



Our room on the 2nd floor was a family room that could fit 4...



This was a compact, but comfortable room with a double bed, and a bunk bed...



"You have a decision to make", I told Miss yflyer no.2...



As mentioned, everything here was labelled in all caps...



Flat screen TV...



Writing desk...



Cartons (rather than bottles) of complimentary drinking water...

[yflyer]

Our room had a small balcony...



...which overlooked a quiet side street...



Wardrobe with safe and small minibar...



The bathroom was compact...



...but stylishly appointed...



Shower stall with rain shower...



Breakfast was available (Not included in the rate we paid), served daily in the lobby breakfast area...



The breakfast spread looked quite decent...



Cereal, yogurt, and fruit...



Bakery items...

[yflyer]

Cheese and cold cuts...



Hot selections...



Scrambled eggs and tortilla...



Coffee & tea...

[yflyer]

Overall we thought the Petit Palace Triball was a wonderful place to stay in Madrid. As a 3 star property, it was not the last word in luxury, but the rooms were comfortable, and the location was near ideal, right in the heart of Madrid, with almost all city attractions within walking distance. The room rates at the hotel were very reasonable, and the staff were very warm and helpful.

[yflyer]

After checking into the hotel, we headed out to have lunch and explore Madrid.



We headed to Galeria Canalejas, a shopping and dining complex located in a historic building, which also housed the Four Seasons Hotel...



The complex featured boutiques and an upmarket food hall...



We headed down the spiral staircase to the basement level where the food hall was located...



This was a large food hall with both restaurants and casual dining outlets...



So many choices...



We had a hard time deciding where to eat...



After two full circuits of the food hall and some spirited debate, we eventually decided on Monchis, which featured an intriguing blend of Mexican and Japanese fusion cuisine...



Part of the reason for picking Monchis was their cocktails, which were expertly mixed...



Tokyo DF (Left), made with Tequila, lychee liqueur, floral orange liqueur, grapefruit, and Domingo Santo (Right), made with Mezcal, mandarin liqueur, lime, agave and egg white.



Miss yflyer no.2's mocktail, a Hanami Sour, made with Grapefruit, raspberry, lemongrass and yuzu foam, was mixed to a similarly high standard...

[yflyer]

We began with Kamatoro tataki, which was fatty tuna from the jaw of the fish, with Tosazu jelly, lime zest and worm salt...



Gyozas stuffed with Iberico pork, as well as Cod gyozas...



Red prawn, white prawn and scallop nigiri sushi...



Tacos...



Mrs yflyer had an Adelita to finish: Japanese whiskey, raicilla, coffee liqueur and pot coffee...



Our lunch at Monchis was pricey compared to many of our other meals in Madrid, but the sophistication and creativity of the cuisine here was undeniable.

[yflyer]

Our next stop was the Sofia Reina Museum...



...where works by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and many other great masters were featured...



This was also where Picasso's masterpiece, "Guernica" was on display. No photos were allowed in this part of the museum, so the only pic I got of Guernica was this one from the next room...



I would say that seeing this large painting in real life had far greater impact than just seeing photos of it.

[yflyer]

That evening, we headed to Torres Bermejas for an hour-long Flamenco dinner show...



Coincidentally, Torres Bermejas was located just a stone's throw from our hotel.

The intimate Flamenco hall was stunningly decorated to evoke the Bermejas towers of the Alhambra in Grenada, and was jam packed with dining tables.



This was a great setting to enjoy Flamenco. As part of the ticket, you were served either tapas or a full dinner, and you dined as the Flamenco performance took place on stage.

There was a lot of atmosphere, and a very lively and enthusiastic audience, but you could forget about any COVID-era safe distancing...

As for the dancers and musicians themselves, this looked to be a top notch Flamenco performance (At least from a newbie's perspective)...



The skill and talent of the dancers, and the accompanying male singer and guitarist, were very apparent.



This was an hour's performance, which was just right for the performance and the meal.



A very enjoyable evening!