Dvorak's in Madrid, Spain for the 1/2 Marathon

This past weekend we had the opportunity to travel to Madrid, Spain with 2 of our other closest military families, the Robertson's and Faraone's so that all of our husbands could participate in the Madrid 1/2 marathon.  There was a total of 14 of us (6 adults and 8 kids).  :) This trip had been in the works since last fall and we were so excited to go to Spain and cheer our husbands on for their race.  In case you may have not known, Spain, or the Madrid area is know for their Jamon, also known as ham.  It was everywhere and there were ton's of meat markets everywhere.  Needless to say, we didn't go hungry all weekend.  The first picture below is a restaurant we ate at Friday night and had a huge butcher full of meats and cheeses.  Brad was in heaven!!

On Saturday, we ventured out on the metro and took it to the center of town to experience some of the finest hot chocolate Madrid has to offer.  The hot chocolate was so thick that you can rest your spoon on top of the drink and it won't even sink to the bottom.  You also dip churros in your hot chocolate.  Churros are similar to a piece of fried bread.  The drinks were amazing but Preston doesn't look so impressed.  Afterwards, we then wandered the streets of Madrid, you can see the history and richness of the culture!

The beautiful streets of Madrid!!

We then stumbled upon the Plaza Mayor, which was full of historic buildings, as well as trinket shops, and the local street entertainment.

After the Plaza Mayor, we pre-gamed lunch with a warm up at San Miguel.  The Mercado de San Miguel is a huge market full of different tapas foods.  This was probably Brad and I's favorite stop of the trip.  There are countless food vendors, wine vendors all in the market and you hop from station to station where you can get tapas for 1 Euro.  It was fantastic.  We were even able to sample wine and buy a few bottles to take home.  Brad was in heaven with all the fish and salmon that were available to eat!!

We then headed to lunch where we had reservations at a famous restaurant called Restaurant de Botin, which is known for their roast suckling pig.  Brad snapped a photo of the pig prior to it being served on his plate but I spared our friends the pic and omitted it from the blog. :)  The restaurant was delicious and we all enjoyed plenty of pitchers of Sangria. Another Madrid classic. 

You can see the pig on Brad's plate here. :)

Next, we headed over to Palacio Real de Madrid.  This was a beautiful monument sight with an amazing garden.  We were entertained by the locals trying to make a few dollars in the park and Preston was even more entertained by the pigeons.  Little man was on a mission to try and capture one. Unfortunately, he was unable to snag one to take home.  Maybe next time.

The sweet Robertson's kids, plus ours, and 1 Faraone! We are still missing 2 kids in this picture.

Melanie Robertson helping Preston with the big bubbles.

We then hopped on the metro line again to come and capture another monumental sight in Madrid,  Puerta de Alcala.  It is similar to the Arc de Triumph in Paris and was gorgeous.  Just around the corner from here, was Parque del Retiro.  This is a massive park and we wandered around for a few hours before heading back to our hotel.  The race to be held the following day (Sunday) would finish in this gorgeous park!

Here is a snapshot of all us!! What a fine looking group I say! :)

We walked around the corner and wandered right into Parque del Retiro.  This park went for acres and acres and was just breathtaking!! We had such a fabulous time and perfect weather on top it!!

Retiro Park was hands down one of my favorites.  In the middle of the park you could rent a row boat and got for  ride!! Maybe next time. :)

This was the Crystal Palace that was made of glass.  It was quite majestic and when the sunlight shines down right onto it, it is amazing!! 

Sunday, Sunday!! Race day had finally arrived!!  The day we had been waiting for for 6 months.  Brad had put in a lot of time and dedication preparing for this race; spending his Saturday or Sunday mornings doing long runs through our small village.  We were both looking forward to this day.  Debbie and I along with her 4 kids and Preston decided to cheer the men on along the race.  We were able to hop on the metro and meet the guys at the 3km stop.  Brad is approaching on the right side of this picture below.  He is in a blue shirt and grey shorts.  I think there was approximately 25,000 runners competing this day.  The runners were blessed with beautiful weather but a hilly course. :)

Riding the metro early morning on a Sunday with the Robo's!! The kids did a fabulous job and a big thank you to Matthew and Debbie for helping me carry the stroller up and down countless steps!

In the green top is Debbie's husband, Brian.  He was able to complete the 1/2 marathon in 1 hour 33 minutes!! Go Brian!!

We were able to meet up with the runners at marker 16km.  Brad was looking good and heading towards Retiro Park for the last 5 km. 

Brad approaching the finish line!! Keeping his game face on!

Post-race photos!! We were so proud of our husbands for completing the race!! Joe Faraone is on the left, Brad is in the middle and Brian Robertson is on the right!! Job well done men!

After the race, we headed directly over to El Rastro which is famous for their flea market.  It is held on Sundays from 1100-1400 so we didn't have a lot of time to shop since we didn't finish with the marathon until noon.  By this time we were starving and we were in luck because we found another Madrid treasure, the empanadas.  I was sure I was going to get food poisoning so I made sure we all ate the food. lol.  However, I lucked out and no illness was had from the street vendor!!

This monument is the symbol of Madrid.  That is all I know. :)

After El Rastro, we then headed back to our hotel for showers and rest!! The guys were exhausted and needed a little R & R.  Once we had all recovered, we then headed back out to celebrate Joe Faraone's birthday!! We did it Spanish style as a Tapas crawl. Yes, all 14 of us headed out, strollers and all!! Below are documented of the 4 different places we stopped.  One of the highlights of this trip! It was fantastic.  We always have a fantastic time with the Faraone's and Robertson's.  Some of the best people you could ask for!! So glad we are stationed overseas together!!

Below is Brian Robertson, Brad, Suk Faraone, and Debbie Robertson!

Tapas Crawl stop #1, Museo de Jamon.  Again, Spain has a pleathera of ham!!  This place offered sandwiches and more finger food type tapas. 

Tapas Crawl stop #2, La Taurina

Debbie enjoying a cold one!! :)

Tapas Crawl stop #3, La Casa Del Abuelo.  This one had all sea food so I opted out and took P for a stroll on the streets of Madrid.

Tapas Crawl #4, La Oreja de Oro.  This place was an authentic tapas bar with pig ears and all!! :)

Our final photo as a group in the last tapas bar!! We had an amazing time with some amazing friends and have created lifelong memories.  I am so proud of Brad for accomplishing this 1/2 marathon and look for more great times to come!! I was even inspired to start running again, but we shall see!! We returned home the following day and have been back to our normal schedules of working, laundry, and preparing for our next adventure this weekend... TO ITALY!! Yep, that's right!! Nana and Grandpa are coming to town and we are heading to Italy!! Can't wait and looking forward to writing a blog about it with all of our adventures!!