El Mercado de San Miguel

I've actually been back in England's green and pleasant land for just under two weeks now but, what with visiting people, checking on my house for uni next year and generally doing a whole lot of nothing much at home, this blog has been taking a bit of a back seat. Don't worry though; soon you'll be treated to the obligatory long, emotional end of year abroad reflection but for now here's a post on one of the most famous food markets in Madrid - El Mercado de San Miguel.

 

 

Housed in an old cast iron and glass building just off Plaza Mayor this market is a must see on any trip to Madrid.



 

 

 

 

 

 

A foodie's paradise, San Miguel is packed with people and its stalls are heaving under the weight of the delicacies on offer. Great salty hams hang from the walls, shining fish are nestled on beds of crushed ice and all manner of gorgeous, bite-size tapas stand in rows under glass covered counters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you're after a huge Spanish lunch with your family or friends then look elsewhere. Table space here is scarce and prices high. What San Miguel is perfect for, however, is a few tasty morsels of authentic Spanish cuisine munched while wandering around and taking in its sights and smells. Why not follow up your jamón with something sweet? Multicoloured macaroons, crunchy almonds drizzled with golden honey, shining custard tarts dusted with cinamon and refreshingly creamy frozen yogurt are all on offer alongside much more:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fruit and vegetables here are almost unbelievably perfect; good to look at but far too overpriced to eat.

 

 

 

 

 

Dotted throughout the market are drinks stalls carrying iced bottles of beer and huge fish-bowl sized gin and tonics. Nobody can visit Madrid and not try a mojito of some sort:

 





A beautiful old building with gorgeous food, a buzzing atmosphere and an incredibly central location, El Mercado de San Miguel really can't be ignored. If you're visiting Madrid even for a couple of days be sure to visit this impressive temple to all things food.

Librerías - Where to Buy Books in Madrid

A book-lover in Madrid is spoilt for choice; from huge multi-storey book empires to tiny little independent shops, the city is full of places to get your literature fix. There's nothing I like more than a mooch round the city centre on a sunny day and over the last 6 months I've discovered quite a few of these lovely spaces. So, without further ado (and in no particular order), here's a roundup of all the librerías or bookshops I've happened upon so far:

El Corte Inglés

This one is probably the easiest to find as it's right in the Puerta del Sol in the city centre.

Inside it's pretty much the Spanish equivalent of Waterstones with a similiar layout, different sections by genre/author etc, and is of a similar price range (they occasionally have "buy one half price/2 for 1" deals etc) They also have an excellent translated fiction section so if you're on the hunt for a newly released book translated into Spanish this is the place to come. As it's so close to home and has such a good range of books I'm often to be found here on rainy afternoons.

 

El Corte Inglés Preciados Libros, Calle Preciados, 2, 28013 Madrid.

 

FNAC

The FNAC building is also hard to miss; four storeys of music, electrical gear and, right at the top, books. Think HMV but MASSIVE!

I'm not such a fan of FNAC as a bookshop as I am of the other places on this list. They have some beautiful books but the browsing experience gets me down. It's always baking hot and stuffy with fluorescent lighting that just makes me want to get out and breathe some fresh air!

Having said that though this is the place to come if you're looking for graphic novels or manga. I've never seen such a large space in a bookshop dedicated to comics and illustrated books. This fits in with the cool, techie vibe of the rest of the shop perfectly. Though cool this place is pricey; FNAC's current idea of a deal is "buy 2 books and pay €1.50 for a FREE canvas book bag"...um free??

 

Calle Preciados, 28, 28013 Madrid

 

Casa del Libro

This is the place to come if you want a specific book in Spanish; with its miles upon miles of shelves Casa del Libro is sure to have it somewhere. This shop also makes for a great visitor experience with squishy chairs, slidey shelves and brass staircases to book heaven.

Again expect to pay more or less what you would in Waterstones and have fun browsing 'til you drop!

Gran Vía, 29, 28013 Madrid

 

Desperate Literature

This gorgeous little shop is included in my Lonely Planet guidebook but under a different name. Petra's International Bookshop is now Desperate Literature but still sells secondhand books in Spanish, English and French.

Inside is an Aladinn's cave of twinkling fairy lights, crazily patterned carpets and floor to ceiling books.

This place is my kind of bookshop; being secondhand the books are cheaper, the selection in English is certainly my cup of tea and the staff are lovely. Speaking of tea you're likely to be offered a cup as you enter... Terry and Charlotte the couple who've recently taken charge of the shop are looking to get going with all sorts of bookish events so if you're in Madrid at any point be sure to check out Desperate Literature's facebook page (give them a "like" from me!)

Calle Campomanes, 13, 28013 Madrid

 

La Central

 

In my opinion the queen of the bookshops in Madrid is La Central; think Foyles of London and you'll know what I mean. With the selection of Casa del Libro and FNAC combined, foreign language sections and housed in a beautiful old building just off Callao it's everything you could want in a bookshop...except of course for the price. But ah well, we can't have everything.

 

 

 

In La Central a genre has its own room rather than its own shelf and what rooms they are! Just look at how they kick off the children's section:

 

 

The complete opposite of the stifling FNAC with it's honey wood staircases, creamy white walls and cosy reading room, I think I might just move in for the summer.

 

Calle del Postigo de San Martín, 8, 28013 Madrid

The next few on the list aren't exactly bookshops (more bookstalls) but I just couldn't leave them out!

San Ginés Book Stall

At the corner of San Ginés and Calle Arenal is undeniably the cutest book stall I've come across.

It stocks secondhand books but also old posters, postcards and prints. Nice for a quick browse while en route somewhere else.

Claudio Moyano Book Stalls - Retiro

This is one of my favourite places to actually buy books due to the selection and the price (the cheapest I've found in Madrid). Plus its proximity to the park doesn't hurt. Read my full blog post here: Book Stalls - Calle de Claudio Moyano

Calle Claudio Moyano, 28014 Madrid

El Rastro

And finally El Rastro, Madrid's biggest flea market, you can find pretty much anything for sale here. In terms of books look out for hidden gems amongst the jewellery, old furniture and paintings; there are some true antiques to be found. Check out my earlier post about the market here: El Rastro

Well that's it for my bookshop roundup! I've loved compiling this list and I'm sure there'll be a part two in the future what with the number of bookshops still to explore. I hope you've enjoyed reading this and if any of you have any suggestions of posts you'd like to see in the future (book-related or not) just let me know!

Book Stalls - Calle de Claudio Moyano

On Sunday I went to visit a flat and then it was such a lovely day I thought I'd walk to Retiro and take a few photos. I'd passed by the Calle de Claudio Moyano book stalls the day before with Kasia my flatmate but hadn't had my camera with me so decided to go again. The weather was beautiful! After walking for a while I ended up with my jacket, cardigan, and scarf under my arm as it was so warm.

 

 

The Calle de Claudio Moyano has been likened to the area full of book stalls that lines the Seine in Paris with its many trestle tables and wooden sheds bursting with books. The street leads up in a diagonal line at the south west corner of Retiro park and is just a little way along from Atocha metro station so it's easy to find.

 

 

 

 

 

The books are mostly secondhand and in Spanish but many stalls have a small foreign languages section with English, French, German and Italian titles. There's a good mix of modern and older titles and there are definitely some gems to be found if you do a bit of digging; I even came across a Spanish copy of Richmal Crompton's Just William along with plenty of other children's books. Amongst piles of Spanish classics I found translations of the Lord of the Rings, Twilight and Bridget Jones' Diary. There are boxes and racks of film posters, old post cards, maps and newspapers though I would definitely say that this is a place for people that mainly have books in mind. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a Sunday when I visited so some of the stalls weren't open; I'll certainly be visiting again to pick up my next Spanish book to read. The prices are pretty reasonable with an average book being around 3-5 euros, though there are plenty to be found at less than that, and stall holders are often happy to offer you a deal if there are a few that you can't bear to be parted with. I'm so happy I've found this place; it's become one of my favourite spots in Madrid and the fact that it's right next to Retiro park doesn't hurt. I've also been hearing about a potential Book Fair that might take place in the city in the summer time so am definitely looking forward to that!

A Visitor!!

Last weekend my lovely boyfriend Chris flew out to Madrid to visit me for the first time. It was so strange to see someone so familiar after being away from home for so many weeks! I met him from the train at Nuevos Ministerios but only after faffing about not knowing where to wait and coming crashing down on my hands and knees after changing my mind on an escalator and trying to run back up the first few steps...again smooooth.

We only had 4 days so had to pack in as much sightseeing as possible. From the station we headed from Gran Vía down to Sol looking for somewhere to get some lunch. We ended up in Montaditos which is a famous Spanish fast food place that serves tapas and tiny sandwiches. After a mix up in which we we nearly ate another guy's food we finally got our Tabla of mixed options. To be honest I'm not sure I'll be eating there again it all seemed a bit over-hyped.

After a walk down into Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor we headed home to my flat in Atocha; it was so nice to have someone to show it to and to introduce Chris to all my housemates. It had been a long day with an early start for Chris so we stayed in on Friday night just catching up and watching a TERRIBLE film (if you get the chance to see "Lucy" with Scarlett Johansson politely decline).

We were so lucky with the weather for the whole weekend. Saturday dawned bright and warm so we decided to go for a walk in Retiro. It really is a lovely park; we sat with a drink in the sunshine watching all the roller skaters zip about and little kids with scooters trundling along. I really wanted to see the Palacio Cristal as I'd heard it's really beautiful. Sitting outside it was a dude playing what I've since found out is called a "Hang" - a metal instrument that looks like a UFO or flattened globe that he balanced on his knees and played like a drum. It was amazing the wall of sound he created by just tapping out his rhythms. The Palacio is as beautiful as I'd hoped it would be with the sunlight streaming through the high glass panels and the autumn leaves reflected in the ornamental duck pond outside. There was an art installation in the centre of the palace made up of a caravan with panels cut out so that we could peer inside. It was full of tiny animatronic puppets of magical creatures made of twigs and doll parts that each seemed to be dancing about to strange backing music. At the far end of the caravan was a woman lying asleep in a white nightgown with the strange creatures playing all around her. At first we thought she was a model, then Chris convinced me she was real, then I wasn't sure again and in the end had to ask one of the minders. It turns out she was made of wax but was the most realistic model I've ever seen - she even had a mechanism inside her that made her chest rise and fall as though she were breathing! Her skin was incredible; it must have taken the artist aaages to create her.

After a quick lunch back at the flat where I introduced Chris to tortilla (in my opinion one of the best things about a year abroad in Spain) we headed to El Mercado de San Miguel. I'd known I was going to take him there since I discovered it on my first day in Madrid all the way back at the begining of October. One of the most famous food markets in the city, it's housed in a huge Victorian glass house and packed with tapas stalls full to bursting with everything you can think of; definitely Chris' kind of place. We tried smoked salmon and dill crackers before deciding to come back for pudding and headed to Calle Cava Baja for dinner. After reading the menu of every restaurant in the street we finally settled on the first one - sorry Chris! A lovely dinner of garlic prawns, salmon, albóndigas and tiny beef steaks followed (the spanish don't seem to be big on vegetables...). Then bag to El Mercado for a chupito of passionfruit yoghurt.

Sunday was a fairly lazy day. We wandered up to Malasaña to buy some ingredients for dinner from El Mercado de San Anton. We got there within about half an hour of closing time when most of the fish and meat stalls were packing up so we bought some lovely vegetables instead and decided to make ratatouille. The second floor of the market is devoted to tapas stalls and a bar; though there were tables it was absolutely packed so I wouldn't hold out on getting a seat if you're thinking of going. We had tiny ham and salchichón sandwiches, tomatoes filled with feta cheese, an octopus cracker, tortilla and to finish off Chris had a slice of coffee and bailey's cheese cake. Our attempt at ratatouille was mainly successful (it looked like it was supposed to) but a bit tasteless so we had to add some chorizo. We made so much I've been eating it every night for a week...it's beginning to lose its appeal...

On Monday we had a lie in and then headed to the famous San Gines for chocolate con churros. These are like deep fried doughnuts dipped in melted chocolate. They were nice for the first one and a half churros but then we started to feel a bit sick...

Reading this back it seems like all we did was eat but Madrid has such nice food! After a dinner of paella, fried goats cheese with blueberries and rabo de toro or bull's tail stew (food again...) it was time for Chris to head back to the airport. I went along for the ride and it only took about 40mins so it should be an easy journey for me at Christmas. We said our goodbyes *sniff* and then I headed back to my little flat in Atocha.

Having Chris here even for only a weekend was so lovely and I can't wait to see everyone in England again at Christmas. At first, after a couple of days of mainly speaking english and not thinking about work, I felt refreshed and ready to take on Spain once again. A few days into the week however and I just wanted to go home. That's the downside to having visitors - sometimes when they leave you wish you were going too! My mood hasn't been helped by the horrible dark rainy weather we've been having here but thankfully the sun soon came out again and I began to feel better. I've realised that it's keeping busy that makes me feel good (that and my new MAC lipstick - Merry Christmas to meee, Merry Christmas to meeeee) so have planned a week full of clarinet lessons, cinema trips, christmas shopping and photography sprees.

I apologise for the lack of photos to accompany this incredibly long post; I decided to leave my camera at home for the weekend but I'm sure I'll be uploading some photos of San Miguel soon as it's one of the most photogenic places I've seen so far in Madrid!

El Rastro - Madrid's Biggest Flea Market

On Sunday it was the second meeting of "las mujeres creativas" and because I had such a good time at the exhibition I thought it would be good to hang out with them again. For the morning Aurora had organized a photography trip to El Rastro, one of the biggest and best known markets in Madrid, and a possible look in at a book launch in the afternoon. I'd been looking forward to it all week and praying for sunshine so it wouldn't be called off. After a mini adventure on the Cercanías line for the first time I arrived in the sunny Plaza Campillo del Mundo Nuevo and was met by Aurora all on her own. It turns out the others had all had to cancel for some reason so it was just the pair of us that set off to explore the market.

In the square itself there were groups of people crouched over on the floor surrounded by albums and folders bursting with cromos or trading cards. Everything from Pokemon to Magic The Gathering and vintage cigarette cards. A little further in we discovered the book stalls...soooo many lovely books!

 

 

 

The main thoroughfare is packed with people and knock-off clothes, jewellery and bags etc. In the streets off the square were the antiques and more interesting stalls covered in knick knacks.

 

 



 

The sheer variety of the stuff on offer is incredible! The more legitimate sellers are often accompanied by people that have just turned up with a battered suitcase full of odds and ends. I saw one man selling a single mug, a coil of telephone wire and a few plastic toys spread out on his old tweed jacket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's no denying the place was crowded but the main crowds were to be found in the more touristy areas. The back streets, though mainly full, still left you with a little room to breathe. I'd been told to watch out for pick pockets but just kept my bag close and was fine.

 

 

 

The market managed to keep hold of its traditional roots while catering to the tourists; there was even an old romany woman playing a barrel organ!

 

 

As well as the street stalls there's an arcade just dedicated to antiques with the larger pieces stored outside in a courtyard.

 

 

 

 

Each shop is themed with some dedicated to 1920s antiques while others are full of Victorian bits and bobs. On the way out we found a tiny shop packed with Spanish antiques and pictures.

 

 

 

Aurora found a pile of tiny paperback novellas and short stories from the 20s that must have been part of a serial or attached to a magazine of some kind. The one she wanted had lost its cover so only cost 2 euros.

 

 

We bought a bag of freshly fried potato crisps and wandered about some more. The sun was really low and I was wearing sunglasses so couldn't really see anything to be honest. I walked straight into a bollard and now have matching bruises on each knee...smooth.

 

 

El Rastro is definitely worth a trip on a Sunday morning; don't listen to the people who say it's been ruined by tourists! Admittedly some parts have been but there are definitely still some hidden gems to be found.

 

To end a little video of an amazing clarinet player from El Rastro:

 

 

  

El Rastro is towards the south of Madrid in the Lavapies area, it's open every Sunday from 8am to 3pm and I arrived via Embajadores metro stop but there are plenty of others to choose from.