The Case for Madrid

Barcelona has been loved to exhaustion. Paris celebrates Champions League titles by setting itself on fire.

Madrid had a concert near Retiro Park. Nobody got arrested.

I spent five days there in April, and I've been thinking about it ever since. Madrid has everything the famous cities have — the art, the history, the food, the architecture — and it hasn't been worn out yet. The residents haven't been priced out. The streets don't feel like a theme park.

I started, as I always do, with a book. Geoffrey Parker's biography of Philip II turned out to be the key to the whole city. Philip II is the answer to most questions about Madrid — why it's the capital, why the Royal Palace is where it is, why the best seafood in Spain is available in a city 200 miles from the nearest coast.

That last one surprised me too. I'll explain it in the post.

I went to El Escorial, the Prado, the Descalzas Reales, and a paella cooking class where I learned things about shrimp I can't unlearn. I came back convinced that Madrid is one of the most underrated capitals in Europe and that April is the time to go.

I'm taking a small group in Spring 2027. Full post at the link. If you want to be on the list, you know where to find me.