With a long-awaited family trip to Morocco looming, my wife and I decided to spend a few days in Madrid en route to make sure we were well-rested for what would be a non-stop eight-day tour of a fascinating country that we did not yet know. It had been several years since we had been in Madrid, and I had forgotten how charming the city is. 

The spacious new Terminal 4 at Barajas airport welcomed us with soaring ceilings and an exposed skeleton. The walks are long and the unavoidable train ride from the arrival hall to baggage claim is longer still. Any inconvenience incurred by the cross-country layout of the facility was compensated for by the ease with which we accessed the train to the city-center. There were friendly English-speaking staff members to help with buying tickets and determine the best route to your destination.

Our fortuitous choice of hotels, The Liabeny, is less than a five-minute walk from the sprawling Sol station. The Plaza del Sol teems with human activity at all hours and a short stroll leads to Plaza Major, one of those monumental, enclosed places like Grand Place in Brussels or St. Mark's Square in Venice, that screams Old World.

While raving about our more recent dining experiences in Barcelona, we had failed to remember how good the food is in Madrid. In our first few hours there we shared an appetizer of Padron peppers that were better than any we had eaten in Catalonia or elsewhere. Of course, justifiably famed Iberian ham is everywhere; "Museum of Ham" deli/restaurants are ubiquitous. We drink Spanish wine a lot at home and were delighted to find wines from familiar regions and varietals at surprisingly low prices, even in restaurants.

Our two dinners covered a broad spectrum, price-wise, but each was very satisfying. Wanting to eat early and recover our sleep deficit our first night, we opted for a tiny steak house near our hotel. Mu (like the sound a cow makes) has two locations and having seen its popularity I'll bet there will be more when I'm here next. There is no pretense or formality at Mu. Popcorn is the amuse bouche. After appetizers of sausages and empanadas, properly cooked steaks followed accompanied by a salad and fries. The wine was house, of course, but at least it was poured from a bottle. After the traditional dessert of flan, our hostess, who may well have been the proprietor, brought us shot glasses of strawberry daiquiris with our check. Total for the two of us was about $35!

Another advantage of the Liabeny's location is that one of Madrid's hottest restaurants is literally right across the street. Tacos al Pastor is exactly what the name suggests: a taco stand. Most customers eat standing or carry-away. There was a line out into the street every time we passed it.

Our second dinner was at Metro, a warm, inviting space close to Plaza Major, with chef/owner Matias Smith in the kitchen. We took four-course menus and each ordered different items. All were well-presented and immensely enjoyable. We tried a recommended wine from the nearby area of Castilla-Leon, rather than one of our favorites from Mencia or Priorat. Even with a very good bottle, our total for the evening barely eclipsed the 100 euros mark.

Beyond food and drink, Madrid is also well-loved for its bounty of extraordinary museums. The Prado is undergoing a head-to-toe face-lift in anticipation of its 200th anniversary in 2019. Despite being fully sheathed, it is operating normally, and its unmatched collection of Velasquez, Goyas and more is still there.

The Reina Sophia and the Thyssen-Bornesma are favorites of ours for art more recent than the old masters in the Prado, but the gorgeous fall weather made us more inclined to stay outside on this brief visit. A long walk through the Retiro reminded us what a beautiful example of a large urban park it is. Manicured and immaculately clean, it was shockingly empty compared to the crowded sidewalks outside.

After two long nights of restorative sleep, we headed back toward Terminal 4 on the Renfe train, excited about our adventure in Morocco about which I will report soon.