I didn’t know what to expect in Madrid. This was my second international solo trip and rather than attempt to see multiple countries like I did before I opted to see what one city had to offer. I had an idea of what I wanted to do but for this trip I challenged myself to try something unplanned.

I decided on a flamenco show and on my way out of the hotel I met a girl from Majorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean.   She was in Madrid for the weekend visiting friends and was helpful with getting me to the train station. Little I knew then that she would later influence where I’d go on my next vacation!  We chatted a bit on the train, then she got off to meet her friends and then next I got off to see what Madrid’s nightlife had to offer.

I typically avoid nightlife if I’m by myself and even more-so if I’m traveling. This was a big step for me because the show I chose was a midnight performance.  The trains stop running at midnight.

The “Tablaos”  for the flamenco show, is one of the many dotted around the city–Casa Patas. I later learned that Casa Patas is also a flamenco school and the home of the flamenco foundation. I grabbed a seat at the bar and nursed a couple glasses of beer with some tapas before the show. It was packed and in hindsight I should have gotten there earlier. Looking around you got this sense of authenticism about the place–unpretentious, homey. It wasn’t a small place, but you could feel that you were packed into a room full of history, culture and tons of energy.

At showtime you are moved to small room in the back of the restaurant. It was practically filled by the time I got there, so I ended up in the back. In the front, a small stage was set up with instruments bathed in tinted red lighting and with the intimate setting, the mood was set for the show. You could feel the sense of expectation in the room and although I could barely those around me you got a sense that there were a lot of tourists but with some locals mixed in. I talked briefly with a few locals next to me in the back.

I had never seen a flamenco show before so I was surprised when I got totally swept up by the performance. The music pulsed with so much energy I could feel it under my skin. It was intense. I caught myself holding my breath a few times during the dance performances because of the passion, the storytelling–very heart wrenching yet beautiful, and you can’t wait to see how it ends.

The musicians, vocalists and dancers combined created this almost trance like atmosphere that when 3 hours flew by I couldn’t believe it was over. We got a bonus performance at the end of our show. At around 3:00 am this little flamenco dancer in training came on and gave us a brief performance.

There was nothing touristy about this experience. For a but a moment these performers gave us a piece of them that you could see was not given up easily.  There was a lot of sweat put into each movement, each strumming, each telling and as the receiver, you took from them, demanded even, then took some more.

I was slightly worried to be leaving a show at 3:00 am in the morning with no means to get back to the hotel but the minute I stepped out of the restaurant you saw people milling about like it was daylight and there were taxis readily available.  In no time I was back at my hotel.  I can’t remember how much it cost and that is a good thing because that means it wasn’t much!

If you are ever in Madrid, this is a must-see performance.  You won’t be disappointed.