[MUSIC PLAYING]
So here I am in Madrid, in the kind
of ethnic neighborhood of Lavapies,
strolling the streets under the sun.
My week is coming to an end.
This is my second to last day.
And this video for me is all about
capturing my top 30 moments that I'm going to take home
with to New Zealand.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
And Nicolas, the larger than life cider maestro, he
served me up some of his Asturian cider.
But as opposed to using the machine in most places,
he pours it from a great height into the glass,
splatters it everywhere, but apparently
this kind of brings the cider to life and unleashes its aromas.
And you have to scull it all.
If you don't scull it, you have to kind of decorate
the pavement with the rest.
[LAUGHTER]
Cherry serenade.
Walking on the street, local dude breaks out
an opera in three languages, serenades me,
and gives me cherries.
[NON-ENGLISH SINGING]
[LAUGHS]
I think I love you.
Oh, my god.
You're serenading me.
[NON-ENGLISH SINGING]
OK.
[NON-ENGLISH SINGING]
Wow!
Bravo!
Whoo!
You sing great!
Merci!
[INAUDIBLE] there.
Bonjour.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Here I am in Madrid, and I find out
that it has the second-largest fish market in the world, which
is just crazy.
Because when you think of fish markets,
you think of busy port cities like Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney,
and not like landlocked Madrid.
So, of course, I have to try some
of the seafood that's on offer.
And the craziest thing I try are these percebes, which
are like goose neck barnacles.
The most hideous thing I've ever come across.
They're almost like, phallic in appearance
and they taste like you've swallowed the ocean.
And yet they go for like hundreds of euros
a plate because they are so dangerous to harvest.
Yeah.
It's very salty.
And it's the sheer taste of the sea in your mouth.
And then it's gone and that's it.
And it cost a fortune.
[LAUGHS]
With a clock tower.
Skyscrapers in Europe were built in Madrid.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Let's get some music going.
Yeah.
Cock bar.
Yeah.
The oldest cocktail bar in Madrid.
Here I was amazed by the skillful hands
of Jose, the mixologist, spinning, shaking, swirling,
sliding me cocktail after cocktail.
He's like the Tom Cruise of Madrid.
Thank you.
Pretty good.
We took the Tren de la Fresa, the strawberry train,
on the second-oldest railway in Spain
out to the local town of Aranjuez,
the home of the royal palace.
[BELLS JINGLING AND HORSE HOOVES CLOPPING]
And we ate these strawberries in a field
with the local third-generation grower, Fernando.
And he explained the difference between frezas,
the little strawberries, and frezonas,
and got us to kind of distinguish between six
different varieties.
And we're eating these strawberries
in the field under the sunshine.
They're just bursting with flavor.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I've seen the oldest restaurant in the world, founded in 1725.
You really do feel like you're back in the Middle Ages.
We met with Carlos, the third-generation owner.
And he showed us the house special, their suckling pig,
their cochinillo asado, which has only lived for three weeks
and then is cooked for three hours in their original wood
fire oven from 1725.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
There is a low light that becomes a highlight.
The most confused lunch ever.
Six courses paired with sickly sweet wines.
We started off good, traditional Spanish cuisine.
Then somehow move to Italy; then Japan,
with dumplings and tempera; over to France,
with this kind of rich, truffle soup with raw egg.
And next, I don't know.
And like my life, I don't know where I'm going next.
So cheers to like, being a nomad.
However, the sommelier, he was trained by the royal family
sommelier.
He used to be a lawyer.
Left that job behind.
And now he's been working here for over 10 years.
This wine is almost natural.
This one has indigenous yeasts.
Are we going to dance today?
No, not me.
Why not?
Because of the clients.
I'm a serious man.
[LAUGHTER]
You do not look like a serious guy.
He isn't?
He's a lying victim.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
After Balearia restaurant, the Reina Sofia.
Beautiful gardens, classy atmosphere, top chefs, and I'm
served poor man's food.
You know, I'm served coquetas.
I'm served patatas a la importancia.
And I realize that this is all just country, kind
of poor man's food that's been glorified.
Ah.
That's my favorite smell.
And that is what Spanish food is.
It's all about using local and seasonal ingredients,
and making do with what you have.
And these dishes have become the symbols of Spanish food today.
[MUSIC PLAYING]