Thursday, July 24, 2008

Turtles, fried squid, and modern art

Seeing as there's not much to write about on the EFL front right now, I'll dedicate the next few posts to some of my favorite touristy and non-touristy things to do and see in Madrid.

To start off: the tropical greenhouse in Atocha train station. Right in the middle of the station there are hundreds of tropical and subtropical plants from all over the world. My favorite part, however, are the turtles. There are tons of them, and they're surprisingly entertaining. Just watch out for potential pickpockets as you're enjoying the show.

After seeing the cool plants and turtles, you can head across the street to El Brillante for a bocadillo de calamares (a baguette with fried squid). It may sound gross, but it's actually really good and not very greasy. I've converted many a skeptic into fans of this Madrid delicacy.


From there, you're just a 30-second walk to the front door of the Reina Sofia modern art museum, home of Picasso's Guernika, among other things. FYI: It normally costs 6 euros to get in, but it's free on Saturdays from 2:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

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