YOUR NEXT DESTINATION / December
YOUR NEXT DESTINATION / December
Words by Ilze Vītola
Photos by Ilze Vītola and iStock
Illustration by Agnese Tauriņa
THE NEW VIBE OF
MADRID
54
/ airBaltic.com
Puerta del Sol is one of the busiest
squares in Madrid. It is abuzz with action,
but there’s no one trying to get me onto
a Hop On Hop Off bus or inviting me to
have paella at their restaurant. It almost
seems like I’m the only visitor there.
Dazed by the hustle and bustle and such
mesmerising architectural marvels as the
Casa de Correos, the current headquar-
ters of the Madrid regional government, I
stumble into a young man on his way to a
yoga class. Ashamed by my clumsiness, I
start to overflow with apologies. Edu-
ardo seems to be in a hurry but is very
forgiving; he even manages to exchange
pleasantries with me and jot down the
names of a few places to go for top-notch
tortillas. Later, I realise that this brief en-
counter sums up the essence of Madrid:
the city is relatively free from tourist traps
and the locals mind their own business,
but once engaged in a conversation, they
are very kind-hearted and thoughtful and
genuinely wish for you to have the best
experience in their city.
Another example. I was looking for La
Tabacalera in the Lavapiés neighbour-
hood, which is known for its graffiti and
high concentration of immigrants, a
melange that includes around 90 different
nationalities. Suddenly the large steel
doors behind me opened, and a cheery
man with grey hair greeted me. He kissed
me three times – a custom that first
startled me, a standoffish Northerner, but
which I got used to by the end of my trip.
The man turned out to be Luis Calderón,
the communication manager of the Cen-
tro Social Autogestionado La Tabacalera,
the most famous self-managed neighbour-
hood association in Madrid.
Baltic Outlook
/ 2018 / 55