Barcelona or Madrid.

It is a common question when planning a trip to Spain: Barcelona or Madrid? My advice would be: both. But if you are to choose I'd rather suggest Madrid.

Barcelona's boom came along with the Olympic Games (1992), but I've heard many people say the city has lost most of its magic for the last few years. Barcelona is not the open city it used to be during the nineties, but an old lady eager to collect every coin on sight. Even more, certain areas are no longer safe for tourists. On the other hand, Madrid offers a large array of musts: from El Prado Museum to theaters, musicals, concerts or shopping areas... From the point of view of a Spaniard Barcelona is the city of the past 15 years, while Madrid is a city for the next 20.

Why Marid

Spain Barcelona Madrid

Smile! You're in Spain...

You know we Spaniards love siestas and fiestas... That's why this blog looks so unkempt. But I'm working on it, be sure. And I'll soon be back with fresh ideas and articles worth reading.

Come back and check!

Roman Circus in Astorga.

July 30 (Sunday) - Roman Circus. Activities include emperor Josefus Orologius I's parade, the Circus itself (en the bullring) and the roman dinner in different squares all round the city. There´ll be a roman camp in the outskirts of the city, and access is free to all of the activities but the dinner.

Astorga: chocolate heart.

There is much more to Astorga than the well-known "Palacio Episcopal" (Disneyesque ^^)... I'm thinking of the Chocolate Museum, or the Cathedral.

Astorga's Chocolate Museum (its doors open since 1994) shows how crucial the chocolate industry was for the city development during the XVIII and XIX centuries.


Astorga, a city with a chocolate heart.

Astorga's Cathedral, the "beautiful unknown", awaits passers-by surrounded by silence and indifference. And so do other monuments such as Panero's house or Casa Granell...


Casa Granell, in Astorga.

Summer guide to inner Spain.

S. "S" for Spain; "S" for summer; "S" for sun; "S" for siesta; "S" for SICA. SICA? "S" for sorry. SICA won't take place till next February 07. (SICA: International Chocolate Show Astorga '07).

Madrid: exhibition not to lose: Picasso: Tradition and Vanguard.