Felipe III 6, 6B

De Madrid al cielo y un agujerito para verlo.

Welcome to this blog, on our flat in Madrid (nicknamed 'Mayorcita') and our life in the Spanish capital. Note that this blog is in dormancy since we are no longer living there...

{"polygons":[{"pos":[{"lat":40.415947,"lon":-3.707072},{"lat":40.415949,"lon":-3.707004},{"lat":40.415918,"lon":-3.706997},{"lat":40.415917,"lon":-3.706972},{"lat":40.415885,"lon":-3.706967},{"lat":40.415882,"lon":-3.707063}],"fill":true,"fillcolor":"yellow"}],"bounds":{"ne":{"lat":40.415949,"lon":-3.706967},"sw":{"lat":40.415882,"lon":-3.707072}}}

See also a panoramic view as captured by Carlos Sanchez.

Centro centro and the botanical garden

We visited the Real Jardín Botánico, which, in Autumn, is not much of an attraction. Therefore, we also went to see what the Palacio de Comunicaciones is up to, as we knew it assumed a different role than its former postal function. It is indeed now known as the Palacio de Cibeles and hosts the centrocentro cultural complex.

→ continue reading...

Sad Mad

What Madrid looked like, the day we decided to leave it...

→ continue reading...

Stormy Madrid

Lw stormy-madrid-11Oct2014.jpg

y un agujerito para verlo

We are trying to complete a couple of projects we have with timelapsing the Plaza Mayor before we leave Mayorcita, which, with our baby coming in January next year, leaves us little time. Three months counting large. The ten we leaved so far have flown by like the golondrinas and murciélagos that circle round the Plaza, over and behind, respectively.

→ continue reading...

Atardecer Madrileño

The sky of Madrid is stunning every single day of the week. Many of its sunsets are captivating. Sometimes, however, when the clouds are just right, like cotton to bet set on fire, they offer a spectacle of unique proportion. Tonight was one of these.

Atardecer4Oct2014.jpg

→ continue reading...

La Tiza caída

Today our daily stroll brought us to el Retiro. Most of the times we go, we pass by el Angel caído. Tizón decided to make his own interpretation of Bellver's masterpiece.

→ continue reading...

Can you see it?

Elena spotted something funny. Can you find it?

→ continue reading...

Old Walls and the modern Cathedral

Did you know that there was such a view of Madrid?

WallsAndCathedral-Madrid-27Sep14-1.jpg

→ continue reading...

After the rain

Good Night, Madrid

GoodNight-Madrid-16Sep2014.jpg

Madrid in HDR

High-dynamic-range imaging is a photographic technique to capture a greater dynamic range of luminosity. In the hands of the non-expert, it usually provides flashy, unnatural and possibly disagreeable results. These are some shots I took during coffee this morning, with a painting effect that gives it the surreal touch.

→ continue reading...

The sky of Madrid

SkyMadrid-7Sep2014.jpg

The sky was not even pretty today. It was just... crazy.

→ continue reading...

Mercado de Antón Martín

Of the various traditional markets in Madrid, our favourite is the Mercado de la Cebada. Another one which also enjoys a high popularity from gourmets and those who value quality over comfort is the Mercado de Anton Martin in the Barrio de Lavapiès.

→ continue reading...

Casa de la Panadería

CasaDeLaPanaderia-6Sep2014.jpg

Un catedrático en la Plaza Mayor

Our Catedrático at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Carlos TejedorElena's thesis director—is our guest this Friday at Mayorcita.

→ continue reading...

Good Morning, Madrid

Madrid-5Sept2014.jpg

Butchering La casa de la Carnicería

Madrid's Plaza Mayor is a continuous building that closes on itself. It is made up of two segments:

  1. La casa de la panederia (the baker house),
  2. La casa de la carnicería (the meat house).

The former is roughly one third of one of the longest side (the south one). It is the part that bears the frescoes. The other is technically all that remains, although some limit it to the 1/3 matching the Panederia.

This little bit is currently under repair. When I looked up in a break when are the works scheduled to complete, I broke myself by discovering what it was planned to become.

→ continue reading...

Tanz

Of all the concerts of classical music that can be played in open air, no piece is more suitable than the pagan Carmina Burana to perform in the Plaza Mayor of Madrid.

For some pretexts which I have already forgotten (one having to do with the end of Summer, the other with something more ludicrous), Madrid's city hall nevertheless graced its most precious square with a free concert of classical music, performed by the Orquesta y Coro de RTVE under the direction of Juanjo Mena.

→ continue reading...

Madrid in August

August is very hot in Madrid.

We'll spend most of it in the United States, though, one week in the ICPS conference (in Austin, Texas) where it probably is hotter still. Then another week of holidays in the Chicago area.

→ continue reading...

A meeting in the sky

This is a timelapse of an encounter between the sun and the eastern (our) tower of the casa de la panederia, yesterday.

→ continue reading...