Recuerdos a Olvidar is an interesting Madrid blog full of photos of the bizarre details that we pass subconsciously on our daily trips across the city. Worth a look…

I’ve got a couple of Madrid-related things here that have caught my eye recently.
1. Madrid Me Mata has provided us with a great resource: a map of all free WiFi hotspots in Madrid. Obviously the guys at MMM need our help, so if you know of a place with free WiFi, you can add it […]

Madrid’s river, el Manzanares, has taken a beating over the years. It was never a grand thing to begin with, being the object of mockery from several Spanish writers:
Manzanares, Manzanares, arroyo aprendiz de río.
-Francisco de Quevedo
Como Alcalá y Salamanca tenéis, y no sois colegio, vacaciones en verano y curso sólo en invierno.
-Tirso de Molina
and my […]

Spring is here! Shed the heavy clothes, the blacks, grays, and browns of the winter months, and bring out the warm weather wardrobe! As the Converse sign proclaims, “The color is here, the heat is coming.” Spring/summer fashion 2008 in Madrid is all about color, color, color.
For the women out there, the racks are filled […]

There are tons of free things to take advantage of in Madrid, but this post goes beyond the normal standbys of parks, museums during certain hours and public healthcare. If you are hunting down frugal activities in the city, be on the lookout for the phrase, “entrada libre hasta completar el aforo,” free entrance until […]

How would you like to speak Spanish just like the local Madrileños next time you are in town?
Well, over at NotesinSpanish.com we’ve been collecting the real Spanish phrases used on a day to day basis by the inhabitants of this fine city, and at last we’ve sifted, ordered, compiled and recorded them so that you […]

Spanish pastries are here to tempt you year-round, with the chocolate napolitanas of La Mallorquina or the chocolate con churros at Chocolatería San Ginés, for example.
But their scale-tipping powers become even harder to resist around holidays. At these times, be prepared to either let out the belt a notch or hit the gym a little […]

Photo: Antonio finishes a long morning of churro-making.
There are few things more castizo—authentic—in this city than a breakfast of chocolate con churros. Though these fried delights are a staple at neighborhood bars around Madrid, they are rarely made in the bar itself. Instead, bars depend on regular deliveries from the diminishing number of churrerías around […]

Madrid, where the needs of the pedestrian always come first

Dear Mr Gallardon,
First of all I’m writing to say that I hope that grumpy old git Rajoy doesn’t kick you out of your job later this year (in fact I particularly hope that HE gets kicked out of a job instead - he really is the most odious, obnoxious politician I have ever come across […]

The holidays are over and it´s time to buckle down and achieve those New Years Resolutions. If one of yours is to meet more locals, these tips will help you along the way.

Shopping – With the massive rebajas (sales) in every store, you´re certain to pick up a new friend as easily as you […]

At the tender age of 23 I was carded while waiting to get into a disco. I didn’t have my ID with me and, although my three Spanish companions all proved they were pushing 30 and I insisted that my red metro pass meant I was at least 20, in the end I was […]

Well, you can’t smoke on the Metro any more… actually, you couldn’t smoke on the Madrid Metro for years, but that didn’t stop anyone lighting up while waiting for a train, even while talking to the underground platform security guys. Then all of a sudden, about a year back, huge, bright-red ‘no smoking’ stickers went […]

I try to boycott this poor excuse for a department store, but a few months ago I happened to be in El Corte Inglés getting some help with my tax return (a free service that I urge residents to exploit). Passing the make-up section with a softened heart, I decided to buy a mascara. Until […]

Not owning a driving license, let alone a car, I was not planning on visiting any underground parking lot until my Asian friend pushed me down a flight of stairs on Plaza de España. The particularly unappealing walkway at the bottom actually leads past a couple of holes in the wall, one of which is […]