Mira el Rio Baja... r(9)

Rastro's series comes to it's end (for now) with this view from Mira el Rio Baja street...
Hope u have enjoyed this pictures as much as I have enjoyed taking them...

Venice at Madrid... r(8)

¡KEYS!... a lot of keys... r(7)

BUDDHAPARTY... r(6)

¿fishing glass buoys?... r(5)

I really don't know if those were old fishing glass buoys or not... but i loved the colors and reflexes...

Belly Dance hardware... r(4)

¡when I said anything... I meant ANYTHING!... r(3)

¿What about a fancy hat?... r(2)

...¿wanna camera?... r (1)

This is going to be the first of a series of Rastros pictures taken on my last trips to this strange and at the same time wonderful contradictory place… point of union between cultures, social classes, where you can find almost every thing, and when I say every thing I mean every thing… let me show u…

Oh! And before I forgot is really crowded so be careful with your personal stuff…

El Rastro is the most popular open air flea market in Madrid and probably in all Spain. It is held every Sunday and public holiday (from 09.00 to 15.00) during the year and is located along Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores, between Calle Embajadores and the Ronda de Toledo (La Latina metro station or Tirso de Molina will take u there, just follow the people).

Introducing (and1979)…

We are 4 now… Another (MAD) daily photo member, another point of view, hope u enjoy as much as us… The Blog was sleepy for some time but were back... and we are 4...

have fun...

Plaza Mayor trought Sculture...

There was an interesting sculpture exhibit in plaza mayor last week... and i couldn't resist this new way of seeing this marvelous scenario...

¿Chucherias?… ¿Sweets?…

You can buy almost any thing on the Retiro Park on a sunny day… ¿a sweet?...
It's one of the biggest urban parks in Europe with 1.4 km² (350 acre)...

Posada del Peine...

The Famous and historic Posada del Peine (Comb inn) located in the center of Madrid near to Plaza Mayor, was founded around 1610, that makes it almost 400 years old... one of the oldest buildings in Madrid...

Madrid through Doncio's eyes...

We just had a lot of fun!!!... Great having you here 'bestia'... we just should do it often...
(plaza Mayor reflected in the glasses)

Don't have to look far away for strange people...

Four meter forty of housing

Looking for sites for a competition I am working in I found this gable roofed house. It is built in a suburbian environment and seems to be conform to the local urbanistic laws. Looks strange, doesn't it?

Whatsthisfolks?

Last seen in Madrid: Do you guess what could it be?

Cars are leaving, monuments are staying.

Houses and monuments are looking at us, we are the kids who were born, are passing and dying. They are the attestors, surviving its creators...

Gate of Alcala, built in 1778 by Francesco Sabatini.

Famous for its silent streets.

¿did you ever tried to go around the city and look at it indirectly?... I mean, just making case of reflections, shadows, zooms… whatever… I usually do that and it’s really fun…it’s also surprising… typical Salamanca neighbourhood building reflected on a state of the art MINI Cooper… have a nice week end…

Introducing (hache)…

We r in 3 now… Another (MAD) daily photo member, another point of view, hope u enjoy as much as I do…
From the beegining (MAD) concept was just to show Madrid from as many ‘ways of seeing’ as posible… and we r working on it… 3 for now… WELCOME (hache)...

Arriving at (MAD) daily photo

ZOOMING MADRID SKYLINE

It's full of surprises... just focus your lens, and zoom...
On 1st plan Church 'de la Buena Dicha'...

XVIII CENTURY SKYLINE

Madrid Skyline is not easy to catch. But from some bulidings is possible to aprecciate the wonderful lanscape of roofs of the XVIII-XIX century quarters. At the right we see the CORRALA, a Madrid building type, Dwelings around public Patios to save space. And in the skyline it appears the TV tower called PIRULÍ.
Plaza de la Corrala and Plaza de Agustín Lara

FLAG DRESSES

Last public demostration has been lead by the conservative party against the negotiation of goverment and ETA.
People dressed with the spanish flag, flags as signs handed by people. This is a new behaviour of this side of the wealthy and conservative society, going out their houses and churches, to shout against the homosexual marriage, against the negotiation with Eta, and probably the end of the violence in Spain. It has been very strange to see them walking in the streets (they don't go out their neibourhood), going on underground with all their children, shouting while wearing fur coats. At least ...bizarre

Just a walk to school…

Not much today, just a splendid walk to school… shinny day… Juan de Herrera avenue side-walk…

KIO TOWERS

Europe’s door from Valdezarza neighbourhood, better known as KIO towers (Kuwait Investments Office), are two twin towers in the highest area of Madrid, Plaza de Castilla, their 114 meters tall and have a 15º inclination one towards the other. Work of the architects Philip Johnson y John Burgee, and the first inclined towers in the world.

SILENT FILM SCENES

a sitting-room, a dining-room a bed room. I know these people, I have been watching their skills to make a comfortable place for some years. They prefer living in the street. In winter they lie on the metro air-chimenies, and sit down like sunflowers all in the same direction. When I hear them speaking it seems to me SILENT FILM SCENES.

KUALA LUMPUR CONECTION

4 towers are the conection between Kuala Lumpur and Madrid. In the end of the main axe: 7 kilometers of Madrid longest street: Castellana, 450 m height.
The cuestion is: the era of the Towers hasn't end up?, Hasn't it changed the paradigm of the citis? Towers are symbols of what?...

SUPERHEROES WANTED

Here we have a new madrid inhabitant, he is spending the whole winter in this place: Plaza de Jacinto Benavente, besides Plaza Mayor. Most of the time singing & dancing without shoes and socks , claiming something to heaven, giving thanks and practising the art of being in the world: invading the time with singing and little movements.
Somebody searching for superheroes in front...we found him...
(essays about ludique time and space on people : http://www.fotolog.com/pueratelier , by Puer-atelier)

Bravo Murillo…

Minister in the realm of Elisabeth II of Spain during the XIX century, Bravo Murillo gives is name to one of the most popular streets of Madrid… The photo is not a must, but the colours were just fantastic…

A6 by night...

If you want to go to acoruña A-6 is the highway you wanna get…

Nature and winter light…

This is one of the best periods in the year to photograph… the light is just amazing… the shadows draw… beautiful drawings… ¡oh!... by the way… this is la dehesa de la villa.

Almudena...

Madrid’s Cathedral, the Almudena… neo-classic, neo-gothic, neo-romantic… and a lot more in one… started in 1883 was consecrated by JPII in 1993, just 14 years ago… ¿?...

Time to think...

Time to think about your life, what you have done, what you have achieved and all the ‘carpe diem’ just lost… there is no better place to be nostalgic that all in one with nature (if that is possible in a big metropolis)… essence and property of every being…

SIESTA ON THE ROAD

we ask you: what activities can be perfomed inside a van? Why not using the m3 of space to develop activities instead of fulfill places with things. The surroundings of Plaza de Cascorro are always a tasty place to find the thin line between the fresh living and the boring life.

Saturday reading...

La Dehesa de la villa is not an urban park but a forest absorbed by the city… with its 60 hectares, and 850 years of history is one of the biggest parks in Madrid… The neighbourhood is fighting for that the town hall doesn’t convert this beautiful stop in an urban park full of asphalt, street lamps, and all kind of stuff were public administration like to spend money… For now la Dehesa still keeps its charming, at the same time savage, but cared look… I’ll go back to read my newspaper now…

Rome in Madrid…

San Francisco el grande dome… 33Mts of diameter… Bigger than St. Paul in London, or that ‘Les invalides’ in Paris… it just takes your breath away… for a moment the Pantheon comes to your mind… and you just don’t know were you are any more… The temple dates from 1784 and is the work of the architects, Fray Francisco Cabezas, Antonio Pló and Francesco Sabatini…

Contrasts…

Madrid’s Plaza Mayor and its typical Christmas/new year market; here you can buy from the strangest mask to little angels for your Christmas tree…
On second plan ‘La casa de la Panaderia’ by Juan Gómez de Mora on XXVII century, typology that inspired Juan de Villanueva, one century later, to draw ‘Plaza Mayor’… The actual building and ‘affreschi’ were restored in the early 90’s.

MOTHER

mother's eyes
mother's arms
mother's thoughts
what do you know about your mother's life? do you know if she is happy?, is it important in your feelings?
serenity and hysteria at the same time. the impossibility of taking care of someone close to you.
(Another sunday at Rastro.Plaza Vara del Rey. Madrid)

INSIDE/OUTSIDE THINKING

Where are we when we listen to music?,
Where are we when staring something as if time was not running off?
is it a deep thought inside mind or is something light which occupies only the skin?
where?
inside..outside...here...there...dark holes
( A muslim woman inside/outside El Rastro, Plaza Vara del Rey...a very special place)

RASTRO SUNDAYS

Sunday mornings: the most authentic street market in Madrid. El Rastro. It is a market tradition. The whole quarter of Rastro and Plaza de Cascorro wakes up full of things on street. The sellers differenced by areas show off incredible ancient things.

This rumenian couple made us stop for a long while bewitched by bizarre songs and eastern energies

COOL & SUNNY DAYS

These days are like that in Madrid : wide sky , bright and white light...typical winter's day
many little markets appear in the streets.
This is the side of the ancient cathedral of Madrid, is San Francisco El grande,s. XVIII, at the the time the second bigger "cupule" in the world after The Vatican. In this side there was a wonderful cloister, destroyed in some war.These place was batterfield during the Civil War ( 1936-39).