Rolling from one tapas bar to the other in Madrid, Spain.

What better things to do in Madrid then to eat? Well, you could visit the Prado if you're into museums. Or visit Plaza Mayor if you're into squares. 

But hey, we all know that these things don't make me tick when I'm discovering a new place. I want food. Great food. And lots of it.

"Size doesn't matter.
As long as we're not talking about my lunch."

No lack of tasty stuff to eat in Madrid, as locals here seem to have the same hobby as me. Madrilleno's eat 6 times a day and that's probably the reason why you can find a cafe or restaurant or tapas bar like ever 15 metres you walk. So in a city like Madrid, the biggest challenge is not to find a great place to eat. It's to not get fat. 

After 4 days in Madrid, I can already confirm I failed miserably in that challenge. So in order to forget all about my weak character, I decided to go on a Food Tour. Stuffing my face with all things greasy is an excellent way to chase away misery of all sorts.

Mark from Madrid Food Tours was my man for the night. He made me forget all about my too-tight pants and dragged me from one culinary gem to the other. We started off at a place called Taberna Real, the 'royal tavern'. A place full of grandeur and even more cured hams. How did Mark know I would die for cured ham?! My guess. We downed the 140 euro's a kilo Iberico ham with a Vermout. Or two. We were up for a good start and I felt like Mark and I really connected :-)

After slices of greasy and salted ham, I was ready for more. And for sure there was more. Peppers stuffed with leek, mushrooms filled with bacon, prawns with garlic, grilled asparagus with sea salt, sweetbread (that's not bread, I found out real quick), chorizo straight of the hot plate and more ham, this time boiled to perfection.

Thank god Mark bought me many glasses of wine, red and white, to soak it all in. And a couple of glasses of my favorite Madrid drink so far (how did he know?), Tinto De Verano: red wine with lemonade and some fruit. The fruit definitely made me feel like a healthy camper. 

I forgot all about my even-more-tight-pants and, a little drunk, I made my way back home, through a city ready for an amazing summer.