Madrid one more time 18

Well folks, that about wraps up our trip to Madrid. For our final night in the city we called into one last art gallery, had drinks under the stars, revisited our favourite tapas place and found the city still going strong long after midnight.

Coming out of Atocha train station after our Toledo daytrip, we popped into the Caixa Forum, an art collection sponsored by a local bank housed in a eye-catching building. The gallery’s exteriors walls are crowned with a weathered metal skin

and there is a vertical garden growing up the south face. Much of the ground floor has been pared away, leaving the building teetering atop a dark undercroft popular with skateboarders.

The temporary exhibition at the time was about Fellini’s films and instead of paying €2 to stash my camera bag we contented ourselves with a look around the shop and admiring some of the odd architectural features inside, like the main stairwell which was sheathed in sheet metal.

Come nightfall we headed to the rooftop Gaudeamus Café in the lively Lavapies district. The café is owned by the university and was packed with students, so we had to wait about a half hour before being able to sit outdoors on the open-air terrace. By now the sun had set and the air was cool. We didn’t have the best of views because the neighbouring tower blocks meant we had a dusky panorama of TV aerials and satellite dishes. I didn't have my camera on me but found this photo.

It wasn’t far from here down some busy back streets to Los Gatos for tapas. It was a Thursday night, but as far as ‘the cats’ were concerned the weekend was well underway. We were greeted at the door and guided through the lively crowds to the barrel which had a streetlamp poking out the top. We stuffed ourselves on olives, bread and other tasty tidbits before staggering towards our hotel on the city’s main square, Puerta del Sol.

Along the way we had to stop and take a photo when we noticed the time and temperature on a bus stop. Nearly midnight and still 90F!

The heat had driven everyone out into the streets. Puerta del Sol had hundreds of people sat on the cobbles and around its fountains, the air buzzing with their chatter and the splashing water. An army of gypsies and immigrants kept the crowds refreshed, selling cold beers out of plastic carrier bags, while children played games like it was a neighbourhood barbecue party.

Puerta del Sol is officially the centre of Spain; so no wonder that night it felt like the beating heart of Madrid.