Writes of Passage

C. de Serrano Jover, 3, Centro,
28015 Madrid, Spain

… more pix on Google

Madrid Marriott Hotel Princesa Plaza has 409 rooms and 14 Suites, without a swimming pool. The lobby has fresh flowers, is well-lit, and well-designed. A fellow traveler mentioned that bus #001 is free and goes to train station Atouch.

The room is comfortable and functional. The long sofa is particularly inviting. The shower water pressure is great. The wine opener is a nice touch.

The toilet paper station toward the back made my waist slimed down by 2″: would be great if it’s in the front, in the narrow space.

A Starbucks is on one end of the building. Carrefour and El Corte Inglés are near by.

Location: 5/5
Amenities: ?
Lobby: 4
Room: 4
Bed n pillow: 4
Bathroom: 5
Toiletries:
Towels: 5
Shower water pressure: 5
Breakfast: 4
Restaurant:

A chipped bowl is used at our meeting.

C. de Ferraz, 1, Moncloa – Aravaca
28008 Madrid

… more pix and videos on

We take a brief tour of the ground after lunch @ Tangchu, and return the next day.

It offers good view of the city, as well as side view of the palace.

This Nubian temple was originally built in the early 2nd century BC, 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Aswan, Egypt. It was gifted to Madrid in 1968 from the Egyptian government, to thank them for participating in the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia.

Prta del Sol, 1, Centro
28013 Madrid,

… more pix on Google

Apple Puerta del Sol, just another Apple Store. This is in the central. Compared to my last visit to the one in Chicago, this one seems lame -:)

The small flag in front, looks like a pirate’s: is Captain Jack Sparrow in town?

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Calle Princesa, 56
28008 Madrid, Spain

… more pix on Google

El Corte Inglés, S.A. is a mid-range department store chain in Spain and Portugal. It was  founded in 1940 by Ramón Areces (1904-89) and César Rodríguez, and is the largest department store group in Europe.

This Princesa one is conveniently located, a few steps away from our hotel. The interior is a little jammed. I went in to wait for Zara across the street to open.

Plaza de España, 11, Moncloa – Aravaca,
28008 Madrid

… more pix on Google, Insta, TA, Yelp*

Will return.

Restaurante Tangchu is in a wonderful area, surrounded by lush greens and the Royal Palace, Temple of Debod 德波神庙

A friend from Shanghai recommended this.

We’ve
• cold cucumber 5/5
• beef and peppers 5
• sweet n sour ribs 4

The peanuts in the cucumber are refreshing. The thin slices of peppers and pork are great and appreciated, which really increased my appetite – thanks to the cutting chef. Although the pork has cartilage, at this price range, it is acceptable. The ribs could be juicier. I normally don’t order sweet things, but my friend recommended it: the sauce is really good.

They do accommodate tour groups in the basement.

C. de Alberto Aguilera, 26, Chamberí,
28015 Madrid

… more pix n video on Google, TA, Yelp*, Insta

Won’t return: the service and food are subpar. Happy to find an authentic restaurant, next to Puntarena

We got there at their opening, 7:30. A few young people were running the restaurant, rather incompetently. Our soup came at 8:06, followed by missing orders.

Angus beef is their top-of-the-line item, but what they served us isn’t tender or marbled. The beef tenderloin 牛里脊 is way too thick for hotpot.

Soup is €14.90, while the Angus €9.90 and they charge the sauce €2 per person.