A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “PACO: THE DOG WHO ADOPTED MADRID,” 17 May 1968 »
Paco was not a pedigreed, aristocratic dog such as those that used to swagger down the Prado with their haughty masters. But Paco was an exceptional dog. He had a sharp eye for benefactors such as the Marqués de Bogaraya. As the marquis ate regularly in Fornos, so Paco too would drop in at dinner time and be assured of at least a modest meal and not a few pats on the head. Paco might have continued his libertine life to ripe old dogdom had he not been the unfortunate victim of an amateur novillero who was making a mess of his bull. The spectators were indignant and Paco jumped into the arena, ran up to the clumsy amateur and barked at him from closer range. The matador, furious at the bull, the public and specially at the nagging dog, directed his sword at Paco and ran him through with one thrust. Paco died. His death constituted a veritable day of mourning in Madrid.
TEN RINKS FOR AN ICY WHITE CHRISTMAS IN MADRID! »
Rinks to skate on ice in not-so-cold Madrid! (But wait till the surprising Madrid winter sets in and you'll get truly chilled -- to the bone! As Christmas should do?)
GUIDEPOST LOVES GOOD NEWS: MADRID’S LOVELY PARKS ARE OPEN AGAIN AS THE REGION MAKES IT TO PHASE ONE OF THE DESESCALADA »
After trying twice, Madrid has finally made it to Phase I of the three-phase easing (desescalada) of Spain’s rigorous COVID-19 lockdown. Three months of almost unrelenting confinement! Then, unbelievably, this Monday, 25 May 2020, Madrid folk are able to savor Spring in their favorite park, the Parque del Buen Retiro. At last! See the Retiro through the eyes of Catherine Petit, Guidepost’s writer from California, who couldn’t love Madrid more if she were a native Madrileña!
Electric Scooters in Spain: A Pedestrian Fiasco or Wave of the Future? »
On a sunny day in Madrid, I pick up a Lime electric scooter near the Tirso de Molina Metro stop in the vibrant La Latina neighborhood. The thrill of riding through the streets, jetting past pedestrians and cars alike, is exhilarating. In cities like Madrid where pollution is one of the worst in Europe (a 3% annual mortality rate), electric scooters should be welcomed whole-heartedly as a green solution.
ON THE “DEATH” OF BOOKS: THE MADRID BOOK FAIR 2018 »
As an avid lover of physical books, I went to the book fair with one question in mind: how is the Madrid Book Fair responding to the technological changes that are happening around us? Instead of finding a stall selling downloadable e-books, I found a different response. To those who say that books are dying, I say that they are changing. Books are no longer simply the words that fill their pages. They are objects of beauty that can be read and enjoyed, and then displayed proudly on a bookshelf or coffee table in one’s home. This is clear walking through the Madrid Book Fair.
THE CHARMS OF MADRID SEEN THROUGH LOVING EYRES OF A CALGARIAN »
“The many undeniable charms of Madrid makes it the unique city that it is, whether the infamous economic crisis is still going on or over!”
STATESIDE STORIES: World’s Most Contaminated Cities »
Madrid’s air quality in comparison to cities in the USA and other places.
