And so to our final day in Madrid before the tedium of the return flight tomorrow....we have given ourselves a days grace to relax and recover from the exertions of the day before....it is most needed as we rise late (going to miss these 3pm starts 😋) and lounge by the pool for a couple of hours before heading out. We are to visit Madrid centre and do a bit of sightseeing by dusk and hopefully squeeze in a few tap room recommendations (for research purposes of course 😉). We catch the bus to Moncloa and then another on to the centre...a word on public transport here.. whilst at first, it appears vast, sprawling and complicated, like any new thing, once you get your head round it, it's actually pretty convenient and you're never to far away from a bus, metro or train to get you to where you need to be.

We arrive at our chosen destination, Parque del Buen Retiro, which directly translates as 'Good Retreat Park'....it certainly is. It sprawls over roughly 360 acres and is home to several 'Palaces', a boating lake and lots of little fountains, cafes and hideaways. It is lovely strolling through as the sun begins to set and whilst it is very busy (being right in the centre of Madrid), it feels quite tranquil. There are also performative treats happening  in the form of a kids puppet show and various buskers- although pretty high end to call them that!... Not sure you would get a harpist and a handpan percussionist in the bowels of say...? Heaton park😊.

After a couple of hours meandering around the park, admiring the sites, ice cream in hand, we stroll slowly back towards the centre of Madrid. After a busy few days festivalling it's nice to enjoy more of leisurely pace throughout the city and what better way to do that than to tick off a few more beer bars- this is a beer blog after all- at least in part😋.

About a 15 mins stroll is our first stop, 'BeeBeer Checua'. We primarily choose this place based on Google reviews and the fact it does cheese boards (Meats & Cheeses always pleases). This place is quite a small place with a modest but interesting selection of beers. Phil's opts for their own 'mustard seed' beer (this shouldn't work on paper but is actually quite subtle) and I go for the DDH IPA (I'm a creature of habit). Both are mildly hopped but refreshing which is required as there is no air-conditioning in here and owing to this and the lack of other beer options (or cheeses...they weren't serving), we made a hastily executed exit and headed to our final stop of the night .... 'La Osita'!

La Osita is a spanish term of endearment roughly equivalent to calling someone 'sweetie' or 'cute'. Whether, this is because of it's size (it's reputation well dwarfs it's stature- it's tiny!) or it refers to the sweetness of the beer- who knows?, but it certainly left an impression. From the outside it looks like a run down tapas room, a real 'locals only' kind of place...but we step inside and are greeted warmly....mainly on account of it being full of other English people!🤣... turns out, the place is owned an English ex pat too (clearly one with impeccable beer taste) and as we mingle (side by side) with our new beer compadres (we pretty much, fill the place and are far too rowdy for a Sunday night), we fill our boots!

This place was recommended to me by another beer blogger- big shout out to 'TheBeerTourist'- as the unofficial tap room of the formidable OSO brewery who are based in Northern Madrid. There are 8 lines and between us we pretty much taste the board. Some of the more memorable sups were a raspberry and melon sour (really smooth and made with real fruit in the tun for that clean taste) and a big imperial 'peanut brittle and cinnamon' stout 🤤. I say these were the memorable ones because between the beer and the company, I had such a good time I barely remember it all- I just remember- it was good 👍. But all good things must come to an end and as the barman called last orders (12.30 on a Sunday night isn't bad going), we manage to book a taxi, say goodbye to our new friends (maybe see you closer to home 🤔) and retreat back to our accomodation- but not before grabbing a take out can of OSA DDH Krush DIPA- I know exactly where I'm going to sup this!!!!

When we arrive to the accomodation, I head straight up to the roof garden to look across the beautiful Madrid skyline, sup my 'nightcap' and reflect on the holiday as a whole and all things 'life'- as much as I am a sociable chap, I do enjoy these moments of isolated serenity too.

My first thoughts are that this has been a 'perfect day' and in some ways a perfect holiday but then I remember that I don't believe in perfection (although it has been pretty damn close!!!) Like the author of the titular track, the genius that was Lou Reed, who isn't really describing a 'perfect day' but his attempt to escape from a bleak reality via the use of hard drugs.... we are all just looking for things to 'keep (us) hanging on'. That sounded more bleak than I meant it🤣. What I am really thinking is, life can be tough. If we are lucky enough to have the means to give ourselves opportunities that fill us with joy, make us feel alive, in the moment, connect with who we are deep down ..we need to grasp those moments and REALLY feel them, as that's what it's all about... I think 🤔... Advisably, that doesn't have to entail taking a load of heroin!😊...but if you look for it in other ways, a near 'Perfect Day' can be just around the corner. 😘❤️❤️❤️X