Travel Tips

Madrid, mid August. One half of the city's population is on vacation, fighting for the last portion of decent beach in Torremolinos. The other half enjoys a metropolis which has suddenly become a small village, where you can drive (and park!) everywhere, traffic jams are a fairytale and the street becomes a Verbena. A pessimist will say that Madrid is half empty during August. For me, it is definitely half full.

No decent verbena could be arranged without the presence of the chulapos and the chulapas, that is, people wearing Madrid's typical dress. By the way, the word chulapo comes from chulo, which literally means cocky or cheeky. We, Madrilians, must cope with the reputation of being an arrogant bunch. And arrogant we are, indeed... it's just that we don't like to be reminded about it, ok? ;-)