h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Nice Tomatoes!

The Bull Fights- if your into that macho crap...

Ah, the sight of a bull's neck being pierced with a rapier...

Brings back memories*

!Shame about the Spaniards!

If its the middle of the summer, purchase one large bottle of water, and carry it with you all day. Try to avoid lugging your rather heavy backpack around in the heat.

The restaurant from Hemingway's "The sun also rises" is the oldest restaurant in the world. Try the suckling pig as the book suggests, its exquisite. Its hidden in some old back streets near the old palace, which is also worth checking out. Has some nice gardens. Oh and the Opera house overlooking the square.

Bunch of rather interesting museums there, one the Prada?(sp!) has an awesomely large and rather neat Picasso.

Apparently the bullfights in Madrid make the bullfights in Barcelona look like a baby shower. Where -do- they get all that enthusiasm from?

Additional. If you're looking for a lovely excursion, check out Sergovia to the north east.
Has the largest Roman aqueduct intact remaining in the world. Also a formidible fortress on a cliff and a square with yet another amazing church. The square itself is a lovely place consisting of nothing but pleasent cafe's that delight in supplying absurd amounts of sangria.

Do you know what the resturant from Hemingway's "The sun also rises" is called?

Picasso - that is good thought, they must have some really good Picasso's in Madrid. I must find out which ones and where to see them. Thanks for mentioning this.

I think that the Picasso Museum is in the old quarter of Barcelona, and quite remarkable.

From the original Antigua Casa D Botin founded in 1725 in Madrid, Spain -- which, according to Guinness Book of World Records, is the oldest restaurant in the world. This Madrid gem fed the likes of Ernest Hemingway who, in his book "The Sun Also Rises", writes:

"We lunched upstairs at Botin's. It is one of the best restaurants in the world. We had roast young suckling pig and drunk riojo alta: Brett did not eat much. She never ate much. I ate a very big meal and drunk three bottles of rioja alta."

So have you actually eaten there Adz? What is it like?

It was over a year ago.

But as I recall, its a three course meal, which is quite high in fat, but really superb. You start with the gaspatcho(sp!) (I just know there's an 'x' in it somewhere) which, in the hot Madrid summer sun, is always a relief. They had these rather neat little croutons (with choice of sprinklings for the soup). Next up was the suckling pig, which was just superb. Come on arteries, just let it pass! Lastly a choice of dessert. The restaurant looks as old as it ought to be, after passing by the old woodburning stoves, there's an option of eating on the ground floor or down in the old converted -air-conditioned- wine cellar. This looks -really- old. Made out of small bricks that form arches.

Don't forget to pick up a postcard of the place on the way out. The cook's are up for a history and a bit of a laugh too.

If you are looking for another excellent excursion (or alternative destination) try Toledo, to the South West.

The site of El Greco's famous painting of the City, and housing several of his paintings, which look so fresh you wonder if the paint is still wet, this is a fascinating city sprawling across two hills in the bend of the River Ebro on it's way to Portugal.

The city has a brooding and somewhat dark quality, quite different from Segovia, or the Moorish cities of the south. And if you want a sword as a memento of your visit, the city crawls with shops eager to sell you one.

The cathedral and the Alcazar (under seige during the Civil War till virtually destroyed, but then relieved by Franco) are worth the visit alone, but the whole place is great for a couple of days wandering, eating and drinking.

Strangely enough I did an article on Gazpacho Soup when I was researcher U15551.

http://www.h2g2.com/A152335

I think it is wonderfully tasty. The resturant sounds wonderful. If I ever go to Madrid I will check it out.

Not everyone loves bullfights in Spain. Most of us are indiferent. Yes, of course, we think it is a horrible thing what they do to the bulls. On the other side, this kind of bulls only exist in Spain. They have dissapeared of the rest of the world. They´re not good for eating you see...
O.K., so this is not an excuse. There is none in fact, except that when you see a good "corrida", you have to feel it. I wouldn´t mind if they´re banned, but I don´t see the point, except for the fact that the bulls will disappear. In the meantime we have tourists who come over here to see bullfights or to run at the Sanfermines. Or people who have not seen one and talk about animal rights, or try to ban a tradition (bloody tradition, yes of course), without trying to see a deeper meaning.
The point I´m trying to make is... do not pretend you´re a bull in Spain.

Wow -

I clicked on the Improbability drive on the front page, and found my old me!

How improbable is that?

I agree with Alatriste, not everyone likes bullfighting in Spain. I really hate it!!

As I am heading for Spain soon, I thought I'd check out all the entries on Spain. We're actually heading South, but as I lived in Madrid for nearly a year, I thought I'd see what hootoo has to say about it.

This entry does not do Madrid justice at all. It only seems to cover the restaurant (which I've never heard of .... but then I'd not read the Hemingway either)

Botin's is still there, apparently. So maybe I still will get to try their suckling pig one day!

I'd offer to re-work the entry, but I've found myself to be rather unreliable about that sort of thing recently.

After living in Madrid for a year, the last thing you associate with it is hot weather. Nor did ever I see a bullfight. I think they close off the Plaza Mayor once a year for them.