A wander from Atotcha up to the Plaza Santa Ana this morning shows that, despite myriad changes, Madrid is still the same old Madrid, and Spain is still fantastically Spanish… Much of what I saw reminded me of the city as I first found it, 12 years ago…
Here a lottery seller stands in the Paseo del Prado, the week’s previous results pinned to the tree behind him:
And still the bright red, back-breaking Bombonas (gas bottles) are a viable source of city energy in 2011… Fiambres (ham, chorizo etc) and Frutos Secos (nuts) are a viable source of human energy too!
Nacional products, like these walnuts, are still considered to be highly superior:
Spot the odd can out (hint, by Heinz!):
Posters on a closed-down fish market advertise a protest organised under the slogan “Joventud Sin Futuro – Sin Casa, Sin Curro, Sin Pensión, Sin Miedo” (Youth without a future – no house, no work, no pension, no fear):
The walk was roughly this:
More good stuff: Did you catch yesterday’s podcast?
Notes from Spain by Ben Curtis 