Madrid may not have the best cuisine or shopping in Europe (it's also full of people speaking Spanish, the one language I've never felt any great urge to study - did you know they even lisp Mathrith?), but it is vibrant and packed full of cultural treasures and artworks. I was only there for three days to see my parents over Easter but we managed to fit a lot into that short weekend: paella round the corner from the market; tours of three art galleries and the temporary exhibition of works from the Hermitage; two of the restaurants recommended by the Wallpaper city guide; as many Easter parades as we could stomach. It was cold but sunny, the perfect weather for exploring a city. I even got to sample a chocolate KKK figurine (joke). I thought I'd share with you a few highlights of what I got up to here, no doubt I'll be posting much more detailed photos and thoughts later in the week. Right now I'm going back to bed to work - apparently I never really got over that cold I had last week. Last night's plane journey was the final nail in the coffin; I'm completely deaf on one side and it's a miracle I'm breathing at all.
xxx
Duck
I love that lady sporting the Diane Pernet-esque look hehe.
ReplyDeleteHaha OMG Kit there were THOUSANDS of them. They are the brides of Christ and march in processions across the city on Good Friday. It was crazy. More photos to come...
ReplyDeleteI am afraid you are not wery well informed about Madrid. Next time ask please
ReplyDeleteOMG really and she's out shopping? I wanna see more pictures of the brides :D
ReplyDeleteIs this in relation to the food, or the shopping?
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid living in London and doing all my shopping in London and Paris, Madrid simply cannot compete for the range of high-end brands and local designers that we have. Sure Spain has home-grown talents like Loewe, David Elfin or de la Prada but you can also get them elsewhere. Unlike the wonderful museums and art galleries Madrid has to offer, I just didn't find the stores particularly inspiring.
In terms of the cuisine, I guess that is debatable depending on your taste buds. As a vegetarian, Madrid is simply dreadful (for another person's opinion, see here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/5622949/The-struggles-of-a-Madrid-vegetarian.html). I could only eat in around every fifth restaurant because nothing was actually vegetarian. I wasn't looking for a vegetarian restaurant - just a few dishes. As a vegetarian I found it very old-fashioned, more like what I'm used to in rural France rather than a capital city.
If you're a complete carnivore I'm sure it's great! The restaurants we went to were excellent but we'd never have found them without advice from trusted bloggers, locals and our favourite guide. Just by wandering around, you'd never come across them (and we read A LOT of menus). In contrast, if you walk into almost any restaurant in Italy (where my family always used to holiday), the food is fresh and delicious. Obviously on this point I'm not comparing Spanish food to British (which is traditionally crap, although London now has some of the best restaurants I've eaten in), but Spanish to other continental European cuisines.
Eeek, apologies for this becoming such a long reply, but your comment was rather vague...
I have a whole post on the processions coming up! Brides of Christ, people dragging crosses BAREFOOT with their legs chained together, crowds carrying giant effigies of Christ. It's insane!
ReplyDeletehey hey, cute post with lovely photos, but it did seem that u werent that blown away by madrid, even though i havent been yet, i find madrid as one of those cities that im not going for the fashion, but for the culture and food right? u're totes right, it can't compete with london n paris fashion/store wise.....
ReplyDeleteso glad u're back! get well soon babes! rmb what emily from devil wears prada said "I refuse to be sick, I'm wearing Valentino for crying out loud" LOL
xx
-FIND YOUR NICHE-
http://style-niche.blogspot.com
I really want to see a close up photo of that necklace!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.colourmedang.com/
haha, we are sure you enjoyed the city! :D
ReplyDeleteI did! And thanks for the Lateral recommendation, it was great :-) Shame I didn't get to explore Chueca without my parents though...
ReplyDeletexx
It's one of Maria Francesca Pepe's 'Fauno' necklaces x
ReplyDeleteDefinitely it's a place to go for the culture. There is great food in places but you do have to hunt it down... It seems that the Spanish have yet to fully recover from years of poverty during the dictatorship, the food is often rather basic.
ReplyDeletethat's exactly what i always felt! just like most americans, we often like the idea of something more than the actual thing... i always said i wanna go to madrid, but it's kinda like i wanna be able to say I've been there and take some outfit posts and eat some paella and thats pretty much it... lol
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love that photo of you. You look really great. x
ReplyDeleteI'm booking in for lipo
ReplyDeleteLeuke foto's! :)
ReplyDeleteDude, Ducky. I love humor you bring in your posts. You're sarcastic and witty and cynical... I love that. When I come to your blog I want to read YOUR twisted view on whatever you encounter... I'm glad it doesn't sound like a tour book.
ReplyDeletep.s. I've never been to Madrid and haven't ever felt a big pull to visit the city... but your photos are making me re-think that a little. it looks like quite the cultural experience to visit during Easter.
p.s.s. you look like you belong in a Terminator movie in that photo. The glasses/jacket/hair/facial expression is channeling a sort of Arnie vibe... I think that's a compliment.
Moi, cynical? There isn't a cynical bone in my body.
ReplyDeleteP.S. You should go - the museums, galleries and architecture are brilliant. Just plan your meals in advance...
P.P.S. It better be or I'm going to spend the rest of the day sobbing into my Prada scarf.
no wait! not the prada scarf!! not the fur oh god leave the fur aloneee!!!! leave britney... i mean the prada scarf alone!! lol
ReplyDeleteyeah i agree with style.crusader, i genuinely love reading ur post cos of ur humor! which is why im still determined to meet u in real life, u're one of those frds that everyone needs to have! :)
xx nathan.niche
-FIND YOUR NICHE-
http://style-niche.blogspot.com
I dread to think what sort of impression I'll make in real life. Jen knows just how this could turn out...
ReplyDelete