{"id":518,"date":"2014-01-09T18:00:26","date_gmt":"2014-01-09T18:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oliverberry.com\/?p=518"},"modified":"2016-02-29T21:00:34","modified_gmt":"2016-02-29T21:00:34","slug":"locals-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/locals-madrid\/","title":{"rendered":"Locals’ Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This travel feature for Lonely Planet Traveller magazine explored the city of Madrid from a locals’ perspective. The aim was to get under the city’s skin and avoid the usual tourist traps, and turn up a few of the secret places only locals would know about.<\/h3>\n

It was originally published in the July 2013 edition of the magazine, with some fantastic photography by\u00a0Mark Read<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

Project description: 10pp travel feature
\nClient: Lonely Planet Traveller
\nDate: July 2012
\nArticle photography by Mark Read<\/p>\n

Handmade in Madrid<\/h2>\n

Madrid is a city that seems to run on a soundtrack of Spanish guitar. You hear it everywhere: humming from caf\u00e9 radios and car stereos, drifting from windows, seeping under the doorways of bars. Buskers hammer out flamenco tunes on the street corners, while bands drift from bar to bar, serenading drinkers with songs of lust, love, loss and longing.<\/p>\n

\u2018For Spanish people, there\u2019s something about the sound of the guitar,\u2019 explains Amalia Ram\u00edrez, whose family has been making fine classical guitars since 1882. \u2018It has an expressive tone, full of emotion, and conveys a passion few other instruments can. It\u2019s the sound of the Spanish soul.\u2019<\/p>\n

Founded by and named after Amalia\u2019s great-great-great-grandfather, Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez has been the luthier of choice for many of the 20th-century\u2019s top guitarists \u2013 including George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Andr\u00e9s Segovia, perhaps the greatest of classical guitarists, and a close friend of Amalia\u2019s father, Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez IV. While each generation has honed the Ram\u00edrez design, the basics of their guitars have remained essentially unchanged for a century.<\/p>\n

Amalia leads the way into her family\u2019s workshop, tucked away on a shady backstreet in Madrid\u2019s businessy Tetu\u00e1n district. Inside, craftsmen lean over workbenches, and bits of half-completed guitars line the walls: trusses, braces, headstocks and soundboards, along with finished instruments awaiting a final polish before being shipped out to their owners.<\/p>\n

\u2018There are no shortcuts to making a great guitar,\u2019 Amalia says as she picks one up from a workbench and drags her fingers across the strings, producing the rich, full tone for which her family\u2019s guitars are famous. \u2018We still do everything by hand. And while each instrument has the same basic design, many things affect its tone: the type of wood, the finish, the hand of the craftsman who makes it. Our guitars are all one-offs, and each has its own character. That\u2019s the difference between something handmade and something mass-produced \u2013 and that\u2019s why they cost more.\u2019<\/p>\n

Just as in her great-great-greatgrandfather\u2019s day, guitar-making by hand is a long and laborious process. Each guitar takes around four months to complete, and only 50 or 60 are produced every year. As such, they command eye-watering prices \u2013 from \u00a32,000 for basic models up to \u00a317,000 or more for custom designs.<\/p>\n

Guitar-making is but one of many old crafts which endure in Madrid. On Calle de la Cruz, Capas Sese\u00f1a is the only place in Spain that still makes the heavy woollen cloak known as the capa espa\u00f1ola, a garment traditionally reserved for formal occasions, such as bullfights or nights at the theatre. Each cape consists of a five-metre circle of Salamancan wool, cut and sewn by hand. The feel of the shop is deliberately old-fashioned: framed photographs of clients line the boutique downstairs, beside hundreds of capes suspended from brass clothing rails, while seamstresses work in the upstairs studio, surrounded by swathes of cloth and dressmakers\u2019 mannequins. Traditionally, capes were for men only and came in just three colours (blue, black and brown), but these days the shop also produces designs for its female clientele, in brighter colours and lighter fabrics. Starting at around \u00a3170, a Capas Sese\u00f1a cape has always been an exclusive product: Michael Jackson owned one, Hillary Clinton has one in her wardrobe, and Pablo Picasso liked his so much he was buried in it.<\/p>\n

For flamenco aficionados, the name of Don Flamenco commands a similar cachet. For decades, this streetside cobbler on Calle Le\u00f3n is where the city\u2019s dancers have come to buy their zapatos de flamenco, or flamenco shoes. Each pair is still finished by hand by Don Flamenco himself. Dressed in an old apron and spectacles, and surrounded by old tools, he buffs the leather, polishes the shoes to a sheen, and finally taps hobnails into the heels and toes \u2013 the crucial design feature which allows the dancers to produce the distinctive flamenco tap.<\/p>\n

Back at Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez, Amalia explains the continuing appeal of Madrid\u2019s craft tradition. \u2018I think we often forget the value of handmade things,\u2019 she says, raising her voice to be heard above the drone of sanders and saws. \u2018When something\u2019s been made by a craftsman with love and skill, there\u2019s a beauty to it that you can almost touch.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Soul of Flamenco<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s Saturday morning at the Amor de Dios flamenco school and the day\u2019s classes are underway. The corridors echo to the sound of clacking heels, backed by the strum of a flamenco guitar and the drone of traffic. On the walls, faded posters and photos cover every inch of empty space, and in a few places hide patches of peeling paint and plaster.<\/p>\n

Perched on the first floor above the busy Mercado de Ant\u00f3n Mart\u00edn, this city-centre school isn\u2019t glamorous, but for locals it\u2019s the home of flamenco in Madrid. It\u2019s here that amateurs and the stars of tomorrow alike come to train, refining their technique under the guidance of professional dancers who spend their nights performing in the city\u2019s tablaos (flamenco venues).<\/p>\n

\u2018Flamenco is an important art form and must be taken seriously,\u2019 says Joaqu\u00edn San Juan, the school\u2019s director. \u2018But many Spanish people think they understand flamenco when they really don\u2019t, or dismiss it as something for tourists. You need to devote time to understand flamenco properly, and many Spanish people never bother. That\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to do here: to help everyone discover the real flamenco.\u2019<\/p>\n

As he talks, a pair of his students practise their latest routine, accompanied by the school\u2019s star guitarist, Joni Jim\u00e9nez. Bathed in dusty sunlight filtering through the classroom\u2019s windows, their performance is part-courtship, part-confrontation: a flurry of twirling bodies, stamping heels, clapping hands and jangling strings.<\/p>\n

\u2018Flamenco is essentially a dialogue between dancer, musician and singer,\u2019 Joaqu\u00edn explains. \u2018Each contributes to the mood and character of the performance. It\u2019s a spontaneous expression of emotion that happens right in front of you, and is different every time it\u2019s performed. That\u2019s what makes it exciting.\u2019 Flamenco as a genre of music, song and dance originated in Andaluc\u00eda, but it\u2019s in the tablaos of Madrid where it developed as a theatrical spectacle. These purpose-built venues were established to bring flamenco to the attention of a cosmopolitan city audience \u2013 and while it\u2019s true that some are touristy, the top tablaos attract many of the most prestigious names in the world of flamenco.<\/p>\n

On a side street near the Royal Palace, Corral de la Morer\u00eda is one of the oldest and best-known tablaos. Inside, it resembles a rustic Spanish bodega, with whitewashed walls, rough beams and cast-iron fixtures. It concentrates mainly on classical flamenco, while more modern venues such as Las Carboneras offer a more experimental take on the art form, with innovative performers blurring the lines between traditional flamenco and contemporary dance.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s important that flamenco doesn\u2019t stand still,\u2019 says Joaqu\u00edn. \u2018Of course it\u2019s vital to learn the foundations, but it needs to keep moving or it will die. There are many talented young performers emerging at the moment and there\u2019s no telling where they\u2019ll take flamenco in the future. \u2019 He disappears into the school\u2019s office as the next batch of students files into the classrooms, and the rhythmic drum of heels on floorboards begins to beat again.<\/p>\n

Tapas, Past and Future<\/h2>\n

Midday on the Busy boulevard of Paseo del Prado, and the lunch queue stretches around the block at Estado Puro, the city\u2019s most talked-about tapas restaurant. Waiters hurry to and from the kitchen, while diners sip cocktails and browse the newsprint menus \u2013 but it\u2019s the antics of head chef Alfonso Castellano that capture the most attention. Wielding a steel soda siphon, he puts the final touches to one of his signature dishes \u2013 a deconstructed version of tortilla espa\u00f1ola, or Spanish omelette, served in a cocktail glass. First comes a bed of caramelised onion, next a swirl of egg-yolk foam, and finally a fluffy potato emulsion, applied with a flourish that elicits applause from the watching diners. \u2018There you have it: my 21st-century tortilla espa\u00f1ola!\u2019 he announces with a smile, before disappearing back into the kitchen, as another batch of diners joins the lunch queue outside and car horns blare along the boulevard.<\/p>\n

Alfonso is one of a new generation of chefs who are pushing the boundaries of traditional tapas in Madrid. \u2018Essentially, tapas are bar snacks,\u2019 says Alfonso. \u2018The word tapa means to cover something up, and in the old days people would put plates on top of their drinks to stop the flies getting in. Madrid has one of the best tapas scenes in Spain, but traditionally it\u2019s a rustic style of cooking, quite heavy, quite oily. So when we started the restaurant, we wanted to create our own version of tapas, revisiting the classic dishes, and reinventing them in surprising and imaginative ways.\u2019<\/p>\n

Matching a taste for madcap presentation with retro murals and a minimalist interior, Estado Puro is the brainchild of chef Paco Roncero, who developed his style of molecular gastronomy while working for Ferran Adri\u00e0 (of El Bulli fame). From crispy croquetas de jam\u00f3n (ham croquettes) to mini burgers with a powerful mustard kick, Estado Puro\u2019s take on 21st-century tapas is modern, creative and full of humour.<\/p>\n

Not all Madrid\u2019s chefs are as forward-looking as Roncero. Hidden on the backstreets are neighbourhood tapas bars where patatas bravas (potatoes in a tomato sauce) are still served the old-fashioned way. One such bar is La Trucha (The Trout), a taverna that brings the countryside into downtown Madrid. It\u2019s a local\u2019s hangout; the same faces swing by for lunch every day and the barmen know everyone by name. Legs of ham dangle from the ceiling beside copper pots and butcher\u2019s knives, and the day\u2019s dishes are scrawled in chalk at the serving hatch. For Alfonso, it\u2019s the blend of tradition and innovation that makes the city\u2019s tapas scene interesting. \u2018Tapas is as much a way of eating as a style of cooking,\u2019 he says. \u2018It\u2019s part of our culture, sharing food, spending time with friends.\u2019<\/p>\n

Calle de la Cava Baja, in the district of La Latina, is where Madrile\u00f1os head when they\u2019re after a street snack. Every one of the wall-to-wall bars here has a tapas speciality: grilled crab claws at Casa de Abuelo, pintxos (Basque-style tapas) at Taberna Txakoli, crispy bacalao (salt cod) at Casa Revuelta. As twilight falls, scores of diners jostle for space at the streetside tables. The food is simple, served on wooden platters accompanied by dishes of olive oil, tomato sauce and alioli mayonnaise, and the night air sizzles with scents \u2013 grilled meat, seafood, charcoal smoke and frying spices. Even in modern Madrid, it\u2019s a sign that, sometimes, the old ways are still best.<\/p>\n

Madrid’s Sweet Tooth<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a saying in Spanish,\u2019 says Sergio Trapote Mateo, owner of Madrid\u2019s most famous chocolate caf\u00e9, the Chocolater\u00eda San Gin\u00e9s. \u2018One must think clearly, but one\u2019s chocolate must always be thick.\u2019 He slides a china cup along the caf\u00e9\u2019s counter, and fills it to the brim with a thick stream of hot chocolate, rich and dark as burnished mahogany. Straight after comes a plate piled with churros, a string-shaped doughnut, still crisp and golden from the caf\u00e9\u2019s deep-fat fryer. \u2018Ah, chocolate and churros,\u2019 Sergio laughs. \u2018A marriage made in heaven! That\u2019s the true taste of Madrid.\u2019<\/p>\n

Since 1894, this historic caf\u00e9 on the narrow alleyway of Pasadizo San Gin\u00e9s is where the city has come for its daily chocolate fix. Open all hours day and night, its d\u00e9cor remains much the same as when the shop opened. Gleaming brass and marble tiles conjure the air of a fin-de-si\u00e8cle caf\u00e9, and beside the counter, a glass door peeps into the kitchen, where the chefs make the thin churros and fatter porras by hand \u2013 a skill that takes years to master.<\/p>\n

\u2018We make everything ourselves using just the key ingredients \u2013 flour, salt and water, nothing else. Many bakeries sweeten their churros, but we don\u2019t do that here, as it spoils the flavour. It\u2019s the same with our chocolate: we use only the best cacao beans, and just the right blend of water, milk and chocolate. It\u2019s a secret recipe. People have been trying for years to find out how we do it, but of course we never tell,\u2019 says Sergio.<\/p>\n

From almendrados (almond biscuits) to fluffy magdalenas (sponge cakes), this is a city that needs no excuse to indulge in something sweet and sticky \u2013 especially if it comes from Casa Mira, Madrid\u2019s oldest and most prestigious confiter\u00eda (sweet shop). Founded in 1855, the shop makes its confectionery using the same recipes developed by its founder, Luis Mira. It\u2019s halfway between a sweet shop and a museum, with wooden walls, glass cabinets and a vintage till. The shop is especially known for its turr\u00f3n (nougat), which is traditionally eaten at Easter and Christmas; it comes in several flavours, laced with fruits, hazelnuts, chocolate or marzipan, or made the old way with rosemary, honey and Marcona almonds. \u2018It\u2019s true, in Madrid we enjoy the good things in life,\u2019 laughs Sergio, \u2018Even if they\u2019re not always good for us! But then again, what\u2019s life without a little pleasure, eh?\u2019<\/p>\n

He winks and heads off through the chocolater\u00eda\u2019s marble-tiled saloon, carrying a silver tray laden with cups of fresh chocolate and piles of churros, as the sound of clinking cups and conversation drifts into the caf\u00e9 from the street outside.<\/p>\n

A Toast to the Past<\/h2>\n

Nobody goes to bed in Madrid until they have killed the night,\u2019 wrote Ernest Hemingway in his classic bullfighting novel, Death in the Afternoon. \u2018Appointments with a friend are habitually made for after midnight at the caf\u00e9.\u2019<\/p>\n

Eight decades on, Hemingway\u2019s words still ring true. Madrid\u2019s caf\u00e9s remain the centre of its social life \u2013 and in a city where there are allegedly seven drinking establishments for every 100 residents, that\u2019s hardly surprising. Rafael Torrico has been a waiter in Madrid for most of his life. \u2018We\u2019re lucky we still have places like this,\u2019 he says, as he bustles between the scuffed wooden tables at the Cervecer\u00eda Alemana, a classic caf\u00e9 founded in 1904. \u2018Many other Spanish cities have lost their old caf\u00e9s, or have modernised them. But you can still feel the history here. That\u2019s the reason I like it.\u2019<\/p>\n

With its frosted glass windows and mahogany panelling, the caf\u00e9 is a genuine relic of turn-of-the-century Madrid. Waiters in bowties and white jackets glide between tables, serving plates of tapas and pitchers of wine, while whiskered locals prop up the bar, supping wheat beer from ceramic flagons. Fittingly, the Cervecer\u00eda Alemana was one of Hemingway\u2019s favourite haunts; he thought the caf\u00e9 served \u2018the best beer in Spain\u2019, and could often be seen sitting at the same window table, watching the life of the city go by in plaza Santa Ana outside.<\/p>\n

On nearby Calle de las Huertas, Casa Alberto has an even older literary connection. A plaque on the wall bears the name of Cervantes, who was said to have written the second part of Don Quixote here, when the building housed an inn. It\u2019s been a taberna since 1827, famous for its vermouth, a fortified wine flavoured with herbs, seeds, flowers and spices. The vermouth is piped from antique taps and served on a century-old zinc bar. Unsurprisingly, the caf\u00e9 was a frequent haunt for the city\u2019s artists, as well as the bullfighting fraternity. Matadors and banderilleros regularly popped into the Casa Alberto for a shot of courage before their bout, and a collage of bullfighting memorabilia covers the walls.<\/p>\n

Close to the city centre is another of Madrid\u2019s landmarks, the Caf\u00e9 Comercial. The caf\u00e9 opened in 1887 and has many of its original fixtures, including mirrored walls and chandeliers, some of which predate the civil war. Between 1936 and 1975, when Spain was governed by a fascistic dictatorship under General Franco, the caf\u00e9 was a meeting place for anti-government activists, although these days its clientele reflects the area\u2019s residential character. Office workers rub shoulders with artists and out-of-work actors over breakfast, while silver-haired gentlemen play chess, gossip and sip anisette in the evening sunshine.<\/p>\n

At the Cervecer\u00eda Alemana, Rafael is pouring another beer. \u2018Every caf\u00e9 in Madrid has a story to tell,\u2019 he smiles. \u2018If you want to see the city through a local\u2019s eyes, I can\u2019t think of anywhere better to go.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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