What a few days we have just spent in the capital. The city just has it all. Such a variety of neighbourhoods, each with its own distinctive vibe and feel. Architecture that surprises at every turn and a food and drinks scene that is surely one of the most dynamic in the world.

The Casita Miro Madrid immersion began on Monday as we gathered in the barrio of Chamberi to check in at our digs and locate the nearest Vermuteria, which would serve as our offical Aperitivo HQ for the next three days. Having approved the house vermouth we headed over to the La Latina neighbourhood where we had dinner booked at one of Madrid's most traditional Mesons: Casa Lucio. Highlights included the house speciality "Huevos Rotos" served with morcilla, chistora and jamon, Setas (oyster mushrooms), Cocochas (hake cheeks), Albondigas de Ternera and Rabo de Toro (oxtail). We also adopted the single surviving loaf of bread from our table, smuggled him out in a bag and christened him Estepan - you will be seeing more of him in future entries.

Tuesday morning was an opportunity to get out and discover some of the city's best gastronomic markets. And a chance for some to burn some of the copious calories of the previous day's indulgences with a run along the Manzanares river, Madrid's RioPark.

In the afternoon we assembled at Moncloa Bus Station and headed out to Moralzarzal, located some 50km North of Madrid near the Sierra de Gaudarrama, for a paella and dinner at the family home of Emilio, our illustrious restaurant manager. Uncle Jesus provided a paella masterclass and one of the most delicious "arroz melloso" dishes any of us have ever tasted, made with cuttlefish and pig trotters! After a veritable feast of tapas, wines from all over Spain and the aforementioned paella we somehow made it back on the last bus to the city.

Our last day in Madrid was Wednesday with some cultural must-do's on the agenda. A guided tour of some of the Museo del Prado's most important paintings and for others a bike ride to some of the best photo exhibitions currently on in the city followed by a much needed swim in the wonderful Olympic sized outdoor "Piscina de Verano". And for lunch a table booked at Malacatin - the undisputed reference point for Cocido Madrileno. The cocido (stew) is in fact a multi-course meal made up of three "vuelcos" or stages. The first is the broth (which the various meats have been cooked in) usually served with fideos (noodles). Next is the vegetable course with stewed chickpeas, cabbage and in our case smoked pork hock. And then comes all of the meats that were cooked in the stew: Morcilla, Chorizo, Pigs Trotters, Beef Shin, Chicken and Pork Belly. This is not a meal for the faint-hearted, especially in June when the temperatures outdoors are climbing north of 30 degrees. It required a lengthy stroll homewards (and several vermuts) to digest. Needless to say Wednesday's dinner was on the light side (a few Estrella Galicias and some green olives).