Today's exciting news is that my spray bottle of 1-Cal sunflower oil has finally run out. I bought it, just before my departure, for £1.50 from B&M Bargains or somewhere like that. It's served me loyally through dozens of improvised self-catering meals. To replace it, since I'm now on the continent, I've had to go a little bit upmarket and buy a spray bottle of extra virgin olive oil (calories per spray not specified) from Carrefour for €2.15.
Carrefour is the only real hypermarket chain present in Spain. And there are no full-sized Carrefours in central Madrid - you have to go way out into the suburbs for that. Most people do their shopping at smaller shops, or at midsized supermarkets such as El Corte Inglés, which is very roughly like a Spanish M&S. Aldi and LIDL are both present, which is handy. The other main local chains include Día, Mercadona and Eroski. They all have their respective pluses and minuses, upon which I'm slowly becoming something of an expert, as I already am with American fast food.
I like doing my food shopping here but sometimes I miss the microwaveable meal soups that I get from Sainsburys back home. I also miss being able to buy curry sauce in jars. (Here you can find curry sauce if you really hunt for it, but it comes in tiny little pots at about €4 a go.) And of course I miss getting my frozen Greggs pastries from Iceland.
But I've been very well behaved on this trip where junk food is concerned. I haven't had so much as a McDonalds coffee since I left the UK. Temptation has reared its ugly head here in Madrid, where there are several Taco Bells, but I'm staying strong. The only prominent domestic fast food chains in Spain are Telepizza, a cheap Dominos type affair which I'm not curious to try, and VIPS, a sandwich chain which I tried and now wish I hadn't. See Edd vs Food.
Anyway. I'm still in Madrid because the surrounding comunidades are still closed. As you can tell, there's not a whole lot going on here, other than that I'm continuing to succeed in dodging both Covid and the winter blues. I'll keep at it.
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| Early morning view east on Gran Vía from the Plaza de España, near my first apartment |
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| In Retiro Park at sunset: a monument to King Alf The Twelfth. They're currently on King Phil The Sixth. |
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| Palacio de Cibeles |
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| The Royal Palace, seen from across the Campo del Moro |
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| TRIGGER WARNING (read the sign) I'll come back in a few years to see if anything gets erected for Boris. |
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| Madrid apartment number 2. Not really keen on this one. A bit borstal-esque. Also a hopelessly underequipped kitchen. It's no way to live, trying to peel carrots with a regular kitchen knife. |
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| Edd vs Food #92 VIPS (see text). Very disappointing. In the Nandos league. Lukewarm microwaved French fries. Also note the big slices of 'reformed' chicken. Ten euros! |
