Local customs, Madrid

I am more than sure that you will find these two small places located very close to plaza Mayor... They sell bocadillos con calamares, sounds kind of weird to combine bread with fish, o more precisely squid... but they are good. Oh... the photo is taken outside these two food joints, on a february night. Yes, pretty crowded.

I was walking down Calle Mayor on a Thursday morning, when suddenly appeared some old-fashioned knights and carriages... I asked a policeman what was that, and he told me it was the Ambassadors' Parade: that day, Ambassadors go to Royal Palace and greet the King.

Iba caminando por la Calle Mayor una mañana de jueves, cuando súbitamente aparecieron varios jinetes vestidos a la antigua usanza, y carruajes... Le pregunté a un policía de qué se trataba, y me dijo que era el Desfile de los Embajadores: ese día los Embajadores van al Palacio Real y presentan sus repetos al Rey.

Bullfighting

Each bullfight comprises six bulls and three matadors, each of whom fights two bulls. The bulls are specially bred fighting
bulls, usually from the same bloodline and are not less than four years old with a weight somewhere between 500 and
800 kilos. They must never have faced a man on foot before they enter the bullring. The reason being that if this is the
case, they may charge the man, instead of the cape. The selection of bulls is determined by drawing lots on the morning
of the corrida. The toreros perform in order of seniority with the senior matador going first and fourth, the
second-ranked matador second and fifth and the least experienced fighting third and sixth. If a matador is gored and
unable to continue, the senior matador must take his place and complete the fight. Each bullfight is divided into three
stages of thirds and lasts for around 20 minutes. A corrida starts with a parade of all the contestants and bailiffs
dressed in 17th century costume, who salute the president of the fight. The president is an important official who
controls the fight and can award trophies to a matador who performs well. A trumpet is blown to announce the first fight
when the matador and his team enter the ring, and to signal the end of each stage. The bailiffs receive the key to the
gate which is thrown to them by the president of the bullfight, through which the bulls enter the ring. The president
then waves a white handkerchief to signal the entrance of the first bull into the ring.

Not really 'Off the Beaten Path' but a tip none the less. Try to visit at festival time. We were lucky enough the visit during San Isidro, when, in addition to lots of music and dancing, you will see many Madrillenos in their traditional casitzo costumes. San Isidro is May 8-15.

At Easter, if you're in the village of Avila, located about an hour's drive west of Madrid, you may get quite a surprise if you stumble across their Easter celebrations. Held over three days (Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Sunday), it consists of a procession around the old town, starting at the main cathedral. The floats depict various Biblical scenes appropriate to each of the three days, and the townsfolk get dressed up in rather unusual (but traditionally Christian) costumes (see photo).

Avila is in the mountains, so at this time of year, it'll be freezing cold, and possibly even snowing, so take some warm clothes.

One can easily meet old townsfolk in their traditional clothes which is very rare nowadays to see in a modern city in Europe

The Bernabau. Massive, Brilliant. No goals again!!