Pictures from Madrid

While in Madrid for the Shakira concert, Blandine and I wandered about the streets of old Madrid (the historical center). Here are random pictures...(Also check out my post on the Shakira Concert

Having Paella and Tinto de Verano at a traditional Spanish Bodega. The Paella in Span is absolutely nothing like the stuff called Paella that you get outside Spain. It's absolutely delicious! And Tinto de Verano is what everyone drinks in Spain nowadays. Only tourists drink Sangria!

We took a stroll through the Chueca area of old Madrid. It is the LGBTQ district.  Lots of sex shops, as you can imagine. Lots of good restaurants too. I caught sight of this ice cream parlor selling penis-shaped ice cream sticks! I looked through the window and saw some customers buying it. It looked really delicious, not like the lurid thing you see in the poster. However... still couldn't gather the courage to go in and buy one😅

Madrid is currently racked with protests about the rents. Here is the protest site, in the very center of Madrid, the Puerta del Sol. You can see the plastic tents of the protestors. Towering above the square is a historical ad for a brand of Sherry, that has become a part of the landscape.

This is a homage to  Maricarmen Abascal, an 87 year old lady who was thrown out of her home by greedy US based property investors who bought her home and increased the rent 500%. She subsequently died. She has become the face of the protest.