Madrid Theme Tours

Hemingway's Madrid

back

Ernest Hemingway (Don Ernesto as he was known in Spain) was no stranger to the Spanish capital. He stayed here in the late 1920’s, in the 30’s during the Civil War, and finally in the late 50’s , “When all my Spanish friends have been released from Franco’s prisons”.

We take the staircase leading up to his room during the time he was working on THE SUN ALSO RISES, and, if his room is vacant, take a look inside. We have a sherry stop at the tavern that has not changed since his Spanish Civil War reporting days of 1937.

Read a memorable recounting of a tour

On our Hemingway tour we visit his favorite watering-holes, many still proudly showing his photo on the walls. Needless to say we stop for refreshment at his preferred bull fighting bar in Plaza Santa Ana where he gleaned much information for his classic DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON .

Don Alberto & Hilary Hemingway on our tour.

We end at a small restaurant he frequented while writing THE DANGEROUS SUMMER, for tapas or lunch in his local room with many photos and the bust of Don Ernesto looking down on us all!

“In Madrid on cold nights you can drink sherry brandy and go to bed. To go to bed early at night in Madrid marks you as a little queer. For a long time your friends will feel a little uncomfortable about it.

 Nobody goes to bed in Madrid until they have killed the night. Appointments with a friend are habitually made for after midnight at the earliest. In no other town that I have ever lived in is there less going to bed for sleeping purposes.”

“It was a real privilege to walk in my uncle’s footsteps with you.”- Hilary Hemingway, Papa’s niece, Summer, 2003

 “Stephen's Hemingway tour wasn't just good, it was great. I felt that Ernest Hemingway was just around the corner and soon I would catch up to him. Stephen fed me Hemingway's food, Hemingway's drinks, and allowed me to walk in the footsteps of greatness. I'm writing a play about Ernest Hemingway and, thanks to Stephen, it will have an unparalleled air of authenticity. As an actor, when Stephen had me sit in Hemingway's spot on the steps of the Catholic church, I knew that I could be Hemingway OnStage.” -Brian Gordon Sinclair, actor and playwright,  Fall 2002

 “A fantastic insight to Papa’s haunts in Madrid. Thank you Stephen for the tour!”
-Lee Bruno USA journalist, Summer 2003

Be sure to visit the web site of Brian Gordon Sinclair, Hemingway expert and a great friend of the Wellington Society of Madrid.