Ramblin Rose: Mercado de San Miguel, Farewell Madrid

Mercado de San Miguel

On our last day in Europe we took a short walk through the Parque del Retiro, one of the largest parks in Madrid. There were statues everywhere and a huge pond with people paddle boating. I took the opportunity to sprinkle some of Thomas' ashes under a huge tree so that I could add Spain to his resting grounds.

For lunch we went to an up-scale open air market named Mercado de San Miguel. For those from Kansas City who recognize this comparison, it was like a localized, open air Dean and Deluca. The roof was covered, but all the sides and doorways were open to the elements, mist poured from the ceiling to keep the people and food cool while fans kept fresh air circulating. There were multiple tapas stands, freshly caught seafood, exotic fruit drinks, butcher's shops and ripe fruit. People clustered around truffles and stuffed olives, popping them into their mouths and delighting over the flavors. My favorite food invention was a pickle cut down the middle and stuffed with tuna salad and a roasted red pepper, held together with a toothpick and olive. Um....genius? I will be trying this at home sooner than later.

Tuna stuffed pickles....genius

Our last night in Europe we had a group farewell dinner. We ate paella, which is a common dish in Madrid. It is a rice and seafood stir-fry with never ending variations. We took group pictures and said our farewells. Our group was from all over the states, from Florida and New Jersey to California, Texas, Utah and Kansas. We hope to have a reunion at some point next year...we were thinking maybe a Colorado white-water rafting trip.