Destination: Madrid

My Spanish friends just love croquettes — croquetas in Spanish. To me they taste like soggy tater tots. But at Madrid’s Restaurante Palacio de Cibeles, when restaurateur Javier and tour guide Javier share with me their love for these morsels (and a little historic/cultural context), they suddenly become much tastier. As Javier reminds us: Life is good — especially with good food and good friends.

This is Day 10 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.

Walking down Madrid’s delightful pedestrian boulevard enjoying the paseo with my local guide, Nygil Murrel, I learn some fun insights about Spain’s capital city.

This is Day 9 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.

You know I love industrial-age market halls rejuvenated into trendy food circuses. Come along with me as I follow local Madrid guide, Nygil Murrel, on an appetizing stroll from cod, cheese, ham, and olives to “Spanish” French toast for dessert. We hear a lot about the struggling Spanish economy but here in the capital city, all I feel is energy.

This is Day 8 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.

Fun phrases survive from the un-fun days of Spain’s fascist dictator, Francisco Franco. Standing in front of Madrid’s Royal Palace, local guide Nygil Murrel explains to me that, when a Spaniard suggests playing dumb to get away with something, he or she says you should “make yourself a Swede.”

This is Day 7 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.

I’ve long wondered if royalty makes any sense in the 21st century and how modern Spaniards could embrace a king in 2016. Here, with my Madrid guide, Cristina, I share a few lessons she taught me.

This is Day 6 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.