Two Madrid-based second-hand clothing companies – Lady Clementine and Closet Exchange – are coming together for a big sale this weekend! Come any time from 11:30a.m. to 7:00p.m. next Saturday and Sunday (October 24 & 25) to Calle Vizcaya 1, 1ºA for all the best second-hand clothes in Madrid! (There will also be mimosas!) Everyone is welcome! Invite your friends!!!
Tapapies, the multicultural tapas route in barrio Lavapies, is my favorite Madrid festivity. The winding streets are even more lively than usual, filled with musical performances and happy crowds of people drinking and eating. Local businesses within the barrio can thrive by making themselves approachable to outsiders while simultaneously deconstructing the rampant misconception that Lavapies is unsafe.
From October 15th -25th the participating bars in Lavapies are serving a botellin of Estrella Damm and a unique tapa representing the cuisines of various countries & the regions of Spain. The abundance of tapa options in the pamphlet can be overwhelming, making it difficult to decide which locations to select. Readers be warned, the portions are quite small and the bars can get incredibly crowded so it is advised that you navigate this path strategically.
After two nights of field research, I have compiled a list of noteworthy samples worthy for your barhopping endeavors. This is an ongoing investigation and any leads from readers would be appreciated!
The Berenjena Ay! Amparo, a tapa consisting of mozzarella cheese wrapped in thinly sliced aubergine with a pesto sauce. As the first tapa that I managed to sample, it set the expectations for the bars to follow very high. This cozy bar is one that I would return to under regular circumstances because I enjoyed their selection of swing music.
Tartar con Helado de Wasabi is exactly what it translates to in English, an ambitious combination of little bits of smoked salmon and wasabi ice cream.
I’ve written about Tribuexete in a previous post, the location that served the winning tapa during last year’s festivities. I applaud their gastronomic sponge-like tapa Maite this year for it’s presentation, texture and combination of flavors. The origin of this tapa is Donostia, San Sebastian. I frequent this establishment and it fuels my longing to visit the Basque Country myself some day.
This location’s tapa, Vini-Cola, was a sizeable portion of bull’s tail with bordelaise sauce.
A small cup of shrimp and crab chowder was served at this location.
The noteworthy samples below can be found at the unnumbered locations in Mercado San Fernando, also written about in a previous post. The Mercado is an excellent location to enjoy Tapapies due to the numerous stalls serving tapas within close proximity.
Bekri Meze, representing Greek cuisine, consisted of little bits of pork loin with rice, feta cheese and a white wine tomato sauce.
Agasaja – two small crackers with homemade jams & Picón Bejes-Tresviso, a blue cheese typical of Cantabria.
Cerviche Nikkei – the Japanese stall in the Mercado served a Ceviche of salmon & whitefish.
Sunday mornings are getting a whole lot cooler in Madrid thanks to the revival of the city’s “aperitivo” culture (i.e. Sunday morning drinking) and Madrid’s very own pop-up, La Vermutería, is one of the main players behind it all! Check out their event this Sunday, called “Hoy voy a ir al grano, te voy a meter mano” (Today I’ll go straight to the point, I’m going to feel you up…) which will be held at Meat, a restaurant/bar near Alonso Martínez. You can’t pass up the chance to go to a Vermouth & Burgers party on Sunday now can you?
Another new market is coming to town. This time it’s taking place in one of our absolute favorite cultural centers in Madrid – Conde Duque. If you haven’t been here, go! It was an old barracks and apart from holding free art exhibits on a daily basis, it’s also home to outdoor concerts and film festivals throughout the summer. On October 3rd and 4th, Lost&Found Market will be taking over its gigantic courtyard, with food trucks and stands selling vintage and second-hand treasures. If you want to have your own stand, it costs €40.
Don’t miss it… we definitely won’t!
Here’s the Facebook Event Page
Believe it or not, Madrid has some pretty fantastic shopping malls, with giant cinemas, mini-golf courses and even indoor ski slopes. And Ikea. If it’s raining out (or simply too hot to stay outside), don’t hesitate to check out one of our favourite shopping centres!
Principe Pio is one of my favorite malls in Madrid because it’s located right in the city center. I love it because you can spend the whole day here, shopping, eating and ending the day with a good movie. Among the many shops you can find here are Zara, Massimo Dutti, Mango, Oysho, Pull & Bear, Zara Home, etc. Restaurants: Vips, Burger King, MacDonald’s, Wok Wok, etc
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La Gavia is one of the greatest shopping centres in Spain and even in Europe, where you can find everything you want under the sun. Some of the most popular stores are IKEA, Primark, Zara, Massimo Duti, FNAC, etc.
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La Vaguada is a large shopping mall located in Barrio del Pilar. It’s big enough to offer several shops and restaurants, but small enough so you won’t get lost and you can spend a quiet afternoon.
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Xanadu is one of the best malls I have ever visited. They have everything you want, even a ski slope. In addition to clothing stores and restaurants, here you’ll find tons of fun activities like bowling, mini golf, a ski slope, and much more!
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Another huge mall located outside the center, Plaza Norte has tons of shops, restaurants, cinemas, you name it.
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Plenilúnio is also situated in the outskirts, it has more than 180 shops, in addition to numerous restaurants, as many cinemas.
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In addition to the usual, here you’ll find an Apple store outside the city centre.
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Pictures: Hola, Un Buen día, El país, flickr, AbsoluteMadrid, Dolce City, Urbanity
Calling on all foodies and lovers of design! Mark down September 25-27 in your calendars because you’re going to have a whole lot to see and taste. Madrid’s Matadero will be celebrating the first edition of BIG FOOD, an event that highlights the relationship between design and gastronomy, thanks to the work of chefs and designs teams of all kinds. You won’t to miss this!
Behind this concept is DIMAD (Asociación Diseñadores de Madrid), with its program: di_food (that organizes gastronomy-inspired exhibits, courses, talks and more) and oopen estudio de diseño estratégico.
Here’s the event page
So, Madrid is starting to become biker-friendly, especially thanks to the city’s electric bike scheme. But there’s still a long way to go and that’s why El Matadero Madrid and Viernes are hosting this cycling festival for the second time on September 19th, called “Festibal con B de Bici.” From 11am-9pm, el Matadero will be filled with different free activities to get people excited about cycling – you’ll find workshops, roller derby, music and the entire Paseo de la Chopera will be cut off from traffic all morning. Throughout the entire event, there will be food trucks, live concerts and other fun activities!
We’re so excited!!
Our favorite bookstore in Madrid is holding yet another fun event on Sept. 16 at 8pm to say goodbye to summer. What’s the pretext? The launch of Bobby Fischer bio-thriller, ‘Pawn Sacrifice’. So expect chess, drinks and laughs – all on the house! Here’s the event page.
The Auxiliares de Conversacion en Madrid group on facebook is a hub where the 10,000+ (of past, present and future) members of the expatriate community congregate online to share advice, refer clients to one another, or collaborate on creative projects. It’s not uncommon to see the occasional rant about the failings of Spanish bureaucracy, nor is it uncommon to read a thread of comments stemming from ruckus caused by provocative trolls. Community members can recommend establishments that they hold dear, or warn each other about the programs, academies and individuals that they’ve deemed exploitative an untrustworthy. Group members have shared their experiences with some of Madrid’s more noticeably curious characters.
The modus operandi of the Birthday Boy is neither creative nor is it subtle. This shadowy figure prowls tusclasesparticulares.com in search of English and Italian lessons. Upon contacting female teachers he insists on having the class at night and on his birthday after confiding in them that he is a new arrival to Madrid and is responsible for taking care of his sick father. The Birthday Boy claims to be lonely as he has no friends to celebrate his birthday with. He calls the women he preys on at unseemly hours, fixated on arranging the class at the rendezvous point of the Estatua del Oso y Madroño in Sol. Countless women have come forward on the Auxiliares group to warn our community about his unnerving behavior. What remains baffling to me is that the Birthday Boy continues to use the same story and schtick despite it being what makes him immediately recognizable. One can only speculate about his motivations and backstory. Perhaps he truly is cripplingly lonely, has a sick father, and was magically frozen in time to believe that each day is the anniversary of his birth.
Marta, a parasitic criminal who can be identified by a blotchy mark on her face, responds to apartment listings on idealista in order to subtly steal whatever she can upon the viewing. She has been active for years and clearly makes a living this way. This woman has been reported to the police countless times and is apparently well known to them as a career criminal. Upon hearing her description I initially theorized that the blotch pattern that is the defining feature of her face was applied with stage make-up, in order to make it harder for the authorities to identify her. I gave her too much credit, my theory was disproven when one of her victims encountered her in the street months after the crime, and unless she was coming directly from a job, her face is indeed her face. Whether the pattern is a birthmark or battle scar is yet to be revealed. It appalls me that she continues to elude capture despite being both easily recognizable and a known threat. A member of our community, who is the real MVP, managed to take her picture when she entered his home upon realizing who she was. If she attempts to enter your home under the guise of a flat-viewing my advice is to slam the door in her face and tell her “ya sé quien eres.”
The Note Man is a quirky absurdity. He operates out of Malasaña, but has been sighted in all parts of the city. He can be recognized by his Dumbledoresque beard and tattered clothing. He is known to approach people and present them with hand-written notes. Although I have never engaged him myself I have observed him perform his gimmick from a distance in Plaza dos de Mayo and have taken a picture of him in action. My friends Diana and Sean once wandered into the Note Man’s path and he shadily handed them a menacing note that said “DON’T RUN”. His origins and motivations are an enigma. It is unknown if he simply prefers nonverbal communication or if he is incapable of speech. Approach with caution.
The “goat” of Plaza Mayor startled me when I first visited Madrid as a tourist in 2008. I was not surprised to see that it remained active when I returned in 2012. I can’t imagine Plaza Mayor without this shiny-bodied, wooden-faced, goat creature. The cabra is a parasite that envelopes a human host. It screeches to attract attention to itself in the hopes that passersby will give it their loose change . What does this goat-human creature spend its money on? What becomes of its host? Does it produce shiny cheese? How does it reproduce? These valid questions to be answered upon further research.
Celebrated annually around the world, Vogue Fashion’s Night Out is something you won’t want to miss. Hundreds of stores, hotels and restaurants in Madrid’s upscale neighborhoods, particularly along Serrano and Fuencarral streets, will be opening their doors all night to hold mini cocktail parties with live music, gifts and other treats. It’ll be a fun way to enjoy Madrid’s fashion and nightlife scene all at once (and see new collections and brands).
Here’s a list of all the stores and activities you can take part in.