Fans for the summer

Madrid’s characterful old bars and tabernas are monuments in their own right. These living, breathing, drinking time capsules are as much a part of history as they are an enduring feature of daily life. In Madrid, bars are not merely drinking holes; they are ground-dwelling extensions of residents’ living-rooms. Places to meet, eat, chat, read, …

The way to my heart is most definitely through my stomach, and Madrid has won me over tapa after tapa. Tapas are generally small portions of food served in most typical bars and restaurants in Madrid and provide one of the easiest and most authentic ways to try out the capital’s traditional cuisine.…

Just as we have a Royal Academy of Language that monitors the correct use of Spanish, there is also a Royal Academy of Gastronomy founded on the conviction that food and the way it is prepared has always been at the very heart of our culture. Studying and promoting this important heritage is the …

Typical Spanish is a concept that can also be applied to things that are particularly exclusive or stylish. Artisans at the cutting edge of their craft, gastro bars with a neocañí or neo-gypsy atmosphere, and young cuplé talents have created an aesthetic that combines authenticity with the last word in chic.…

This time I would like to suggest a route that will leave you with a delicious aftertaste. If you have a sweet tooth you are in luck, because at Easter the shop windows of cake shops and bakeries in Madrid put on a very tasty show. Increasingly original chocolate eggs and “monas de Pascua” (Easter …

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.…