Almodóvar’s Madrid

I went to the US for a few days to visit my son who’s studying and playing there at a High School. As my visit coincided with the NBA All Star game, I took the opportunity to see it live.

You don’t have to leave Madrid to enjoy one of Mother Nature’s most spectacular shows as soon as the first hint of spring is in the air. The fabulous image of blossoming almond trees all around Spain is replicated at this small, intimate park on Calle de Alcalá, undiscovered by many. It is known as La […]

I recently enjoyed a family day-out with my friend Almudena de Benito, architect and creator of Chiquitectos (an architectural workshop for kids), and her son Martín who, together with Manuela, my daughter, could easily have passed for a 21st century Anthony and Cleopatra if they hadn’t both been wearing their break dancer gear.

The title of this blog entry is a Spanish expression dating back to the Middle Ages. At that time, a lack of hygiene was commonplace and virtually no-one spent much time on their hair. When society gradually acquired better and healthier habits, this expression came to be used as an insult hurled at the vagabonds […]

The media have recently highlighted a marvelous coincidence: three exhibitions along the Prado-Recoletos cultural hub which mark the before and after of the Impressionist movement. It is a unique journey which brings to Madrid some of the most significant works by Monet, Renoir and Gauguin and which can be made in one day or over the course […]

Sometimes we get so used to strolling around the same areas and seeing the same buildings and streets that we forget to keep an eye out for secret corners and pay attention to the fascinating history they share. We walk past little plaques without reading them, not realizing that they are donned by buildings in […]