The last time I was here was back in 2002. To this day, I still remember the chocolate con churros we had at the famous Chocolateria de San Gines. Having resolved that this is where my first Desayuno in Spain will be, my Day 2 in Madrid got me up and out of the hotel by 8:30am.

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But first things first. I dropped in on a nearby Iglesia. 💒Guess what, I ended up staying for the 9am mass. Lovely way to start the day. Seated on the last pew, I was startled as a young boy sidled up to me and made guttural sounds. Turns out he was there by himself, and that he didn’t mean any harm. Just being playful. Like any other boy. 👼 Just the same, I moved up to the front pew after communion. Found this old man and another young boy — maybe aged 5 or 6 — seated in front of me. Found it so touching to see this caring boy prompting his grandpa to stand, sit or kneel during the mass. These scenes touched me so.🙏

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So, on a happy note and on this cloudy day, ☁I began my journey to the center of Madrid. The blue line took me from Rios Rosas Station to SOL.🚃🚉 Kilometro 0 to be exact. I tried searching for the Tio Pepe signage but found none. Must be on that building now under renovation. I steeled myself from going to the El Corte Ingles 👢👗👜department store and instead walked along Calle Mayor in search of Plaza Mayor.

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Back on Calle Mayor, I passed Museo De Jamon🍴 (my beloved pig!) and turned too many corners in search of Iglesia de San Gines. I was lost! Rested on a bench somewhere where I took this lovely shot of a white cross in a small plaza just off a corner store with a “fancy name”.

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Though lost, I’ve got to say I had no worries. Everything looked familiar. Perhaps because we got lost too back in 2002. My, this chocolate con churros makes a determined glutton out of me.☕ Soon, I found the chocolateria just off the Iglesia de San Gines. Having existed since 1894, I wonder if any of our national heroes have tried breakfast here too.

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For €3.70, you get a cuppa of hot, sticky chocolate and 6 pieces of churros to die for! I felt guilty leaving a couple of pieces and wished I had company. Four pieces of churros in one sitting is a lot for me. So I decided to “get lost” some more to deal with all the extra glucose and starch. Aaaaaaah, HAPPINESS. 😄😍😱

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