I have lived in Madrid with my young family for three years, managing a multimedia team covering everything from politics and economics to Spain’s world-beating fashion companies, its booming tourism industry and its agricultural sector under pressure from climate change. With its many landscaped parks – Retiro being the most famous, Madrid Rio my favourite – this modern and wealthy European capital is legendary for its café, restaurant and nightlife culture. Even a cost-of-living crisis has not dampened Spaniards’ enthusiasm for their “bar de siempre” - their usual watering holes.
They just adapt their orders to small beers or glasses of vermouth in these more straitened times. When visitors come, here’s what I recommend: Shopping: Spain is the home of Zara , the temple of affordable fashion, and its upmarket sister-brand Massimo Dutti , so check out their flagship stores on Madrid’s Plaza de Espana and Calle Serrano, respectively. You might also want to grab some melatonin sleeping pills, which have a higher dose per pill than elsewhere in Europe, for a guaranteed post-tapas snooze.
Eating: The bocadillo de calamares (squid sandwich) at El Brillante , close to Atocha station in the tourism heartlands, is an institution. It’s a classic example of Spain’s unashamed love affair with carbs and fried food, and is also thought to be a legacy of both religious bans on eating meat during certain parts of the year and shortages caused by dictator Francisco Fran.
