Recently in About Spain Category

The old phrase holds true, "God love 'em." And I do too, that's the fact, so my patience-level is generally high when I encounter them on the sidewalks and standing in lines. There's no denying it, old people walk slow. But then again, they're never in a hurry, either.

Here in Spain you can't help but notice the quantity of octogenarians walking the streets, playing cards in bars, going shopping and out-in-the-public. This sharply contrasts to the older folk in the United States where older people, and many others, 1) live in houses outside of the downtown, and 2) don't leave home as often because to do so they'd have to drive - and maybe they can't/shouldn't.

One has to wonder about the attitude of older people when mixing with the general (younger) population. Do they think, "I've worked hard and paid my dues to society so everyone else can kiss my arse." Or do they simply not realize they walk slow? Sure, even if they wanted to walk faster many cannot. Not to mention the dying custom of taking strolls for pleasure. NO ONE does this anymore except for the old timers who have the freedom to do it.

How many times have I been walking down the middle of my neighborhood's narrow sidewalk only to encounter a slow-strolling old man or woman, using a cane at approximately one foot to the left or right of their body, and causing me to either walk out into the street to pass them or to "whoosh" by them when there's a garage entry? And when you do pass them they're sometimes 1) startled or 2) angrily look at you with a "How dare you. I own this sidewalk" expression. And if two of them are walking to the market, side by side or arm-in-arm, you can just forget it, might as well cross the street and get on with your own life because you're not going pass them anytime soon.

But you really do have to love and respect them. They have worked hard all their lives, growing up, surviving, and persevering through Spain's darkest decades. Many of them are so charming, affectionate, and truly enjoy their golden years. Sure, some are crotchety old geezers whom find no good remaining in this world. But many many others are so happy to be retired, to do what they want - when they want, and have a kind word, conversation, or a kiss for anyone willing to take the time to be with them.

Oftentimes the highlight of their day is going to the local bar for a coffee or do the shopping. Men go to play cards with other men. Women meet other women for merienda to chat and gossip. And they all love encountering neighbors or old friends in the street for an extended chat about the weather and discussing the pills they're taking for their latest pains.

Doctors' visits for them, as frequently as they go, is another highlight. Whenever I'm there for mine I'm always surrounded by them, all chatting amongst themselves, eavesdropping on other conversations and commenting about them with the older stranger sitting next to them.

Last week I had a doctor's appointment. While waiting, one old lady received a cellphone call. She took it out, fiddled with the buttons, and answered it. She loudly spoke to the person calling about another doctor's appointment she had at some other location, repeating the date and hour out loud. When she hung up, she said, "Oh my, what day and time did they tell me I had the appointment?" And with that at least 10 (older) people spoke up to confirm the date/hour she had vocalized. Not surprisingly, many among them auditorily-challenged, conflicted in their account and began to debate, almost argue about what they believed they heard. The woman receiving the call, now frustrated, said she would call back later to confirm the appointment.

The above is really neither here nor there. In the one-block near any health-center, you can always calculate there to be a higher percentage of old people to young people. Sure, older folk need more care and have more health issues, I understand that. Or maybe it just appears that way as young people tend to "get out" of the area a lot faster than older people. Nah. It's the former.

How many times have I respectfully allowed a old woman or man to get on the bus ahead of me when I was at the bus stop first? Many. Fine. That's the least we kids can do. Afterall, they remind us of our grandparents. But after they run their monthly BONO ticket through the machine they stand there in the aisle, just inside the bus' entrance, carefully re-turning their ticket to its special BONO-bus ticket carrier. Meanwhile, I and a half-dozen other people are standing behind him/her, waiting for her to finish and choose a seat to sit down. Keep in mind there's no space to pass by - although more and more youngsters shove their way through with not so much as a "pardon me" or ask permission to pass through. Kids, these days. (now it's me who sounds like an old man)

Once a week at 6pm I take an 83 year old woman to have merienda at the local bar. We spend a casual hour chit-chatting about her day at the senior citizens center or, sometimes, she asks what I've been up to. After that I accompany her to her home, climb up 4 flights of stairs, unlock her door and turn on the heat, replace any light bulbs, listen to answering machine messages, open/close her windows, and do whatever else she needs. I'm certain it's the highlight of her week. While we're walking to/from the bar she walks very very slowly, stopping every 20 or 30 meters to either tell me something, oftentimes as people are waiting behind us to pass, but otherwise with her head down, examining the sidewalk for cracks, dog crap, or holes which may complicate her passage. She does all this while holding onto my arm, which is sweet and I love it, but she always steers me into building corners or oncoming pedestrian traffic. She's none-the-wiser but I like her just the same. The truth is, I speak more Spanish with her than anyone else in Spain as I call her daily on the phone too.

Old people walk slow. So what. What're you gonna do? Just make the best of it. Many of us will be the same way someday. Besides, it's not their speed which makes them who they are. For that, you have to go deeper than physical attributes and abilities. And when you learn the often colorful life they've led you can't help but be amazed and respect them even more.

Today, 5 January, is the day before Magic Kings Day or "Dia de los Reyes Magos". It's this night when the Magic Kings bring all good boys and girls gifts, leaving them in their shoes and socks. Children not only leave a snack for the Three Wise Men but also water for the camels on which they arrive.

Today's also the day when the 3 Wise Men parade down neighborhood streets throughout Madrid in "carrozas" ("floats") "Cabalgatas de Reyes Magos". These started today at about 5:00pm.

There's also the BIG "Cabalgata de Reyes Magos" marching down the Paseo de la Castellana as I type this. (It's on the TV behind me) This big Cabalgata parade started at 6:30pm and will reach the Plaza de Cibeles at about 8:30pm.

As in all Cabalgatas, the Three Wise Men are represented; Melchor, Gaspar, & Baltasar. Oddly enough, King Baltasar, both on Madrid's wide Paseo de la Castellana as well as in my neighborhood Cabalgata, is represented as a black-face-painted white man. It's odd because I wonder why they couldn't have used an actual black man. Would that be racist? Or is it more racist to have a white man in black face paint? Hmmm... I'm racially confused. Does that make ME a racist???

Not only did the Kings throw tens of thousands of pieces of candies ("sin gluten") at the rabid, anxiously waiting children with their bags and upside-down umbrellas to catch them, but so did the Kings' helpers. Even I grabbed a few pieces. Many grandparents were seen scrambling in harm's way of the near-passing floats to grab candies (presumably) for their grandkids. I still wonder why a big deal is made about the candies being "sin gluten" (gluten free) as candy never (?) has gluten. Products which do often have gluten are products made from grains and meats.

The small, neighborhood Cabalgatas are usually quite short. My neighborhood parade only lasted about 15 minutes maximum, maybe only 10, and I waited 30 minutes for it to arrive. I must have looked odd standing there all by myself, an adult with camera in hand, waiting for the Cabalgata de Reyes. The "stars" of the parades are the Three Wise Men, all riding their own floats. Other floats contain children representing different associations, neighborhood associations, senior centers, and always an international float representing a number of different cultures. I had to wonder why a float of (children) Native American Indians with tee-pees were there, though.

I'd gone downtown earlier today to Madrid's Puerta del Sol's "La Mallorquina" pastry shop to buy the typical (and arguably the best) "Roscón de Reyes", the typical pastry for tomorrow's Dia de Reyes Magos. Luckily they had 5 people working feverishly to serve the ever-entering public. I was CERTAIN there'd be a long line outside the shop but there wasn't, only 8-10 people waiting at the counter making their orders & receiving their Roscón nearly immediately after being boxed up in a pretty pink octagonal box. But to get OUT of the shop I literally had to balance the box on my head, ever saying "Perdóname. Perdóname." to get through the oncoming tied of people. I must've been a sight. Tomorrow morning for breakfast we'll see who'll bite into the "prize", hoping the "second prize" isn't a trip to the dentist office for a broken tooth.

It's so nice to have a GOOD excuse to sleep until noon (or almost) and surviving a New Year's Eve in Madrid is a good one. Last night all of Spain celebrated the changing to the new year of 2010 and all television channels were fervently covering the event.

On TVE, the festivities started around 10pm with a 1-hour montage comedy hour by José Mota (watch 1-hour video via link) with dozens of short skits parodying countless politicians, stars, public figures, and news events of 2009. We laughed a lot.


About 20 minutes before midnight, the formally-dressed TVE countdown team of Anne Igartiburu, Spain's "Mira Quien Baila" host, and dancer-actor Manuel Bandera stood on their Puerta del Sol-facing balcony, with their breath perfectly visible in the freezing cold windy weather, constantly wrung their hands. Ms. Igartiburu was bare-shouldered but, from time to time, pulled her wrap more tightly around her to break the wind momentarily and Mr. Bandera frequently stuck his hands in his pockets. Poor things, freezing to death. Hope they were paid well.




The principal player on television is/was TVE (Televisión Española), Spain's National Channel 1 whom, beginning today, January 1, 2010, will no longer have commercial advertisements and no interruptions during its specials, series, and movies. At least that's what they say. I have to admit I don't see how it's possible to survive without advertising income. But then again, it is a State-run entity. So does that mean our tax Euros are going towards its maintenance? I predict within a year's time they'll have commercials again. Besides, how are we going to decide at what point in the movie we're going to go to the bathroom?

Oh sure, we changed channels for a couple minutes before midnight to TeleCinco to see Belén Estéban's new face after serious (and much needed) plastic surgery but that's all. She and some other guy were the official presenters standing in front of the open windows facing Puerta del Sol's Casa de Correos and its enigmatic bell tower from where the ball will drop to ring in the new year.

After the fireworks and ending statements were made, Televisión Española began a montage of scenes of the previous decade's festivities and personalities. The Spaniards with whom I was sharing the experience sang along to the songs, old commercials, and commented about how young they all looked in their day.

We shared a bottle of wine, sidra, and a simple selection of embutidos, cheeses, and patés. It was a good evening and I finally found my way home and to bed by 3am, sleeping this morning until 11am. It was a good, deep sleep in a new year.

Happy 2010, World! Be kind to one another, please. May we pull ourselves out of this "Crisis" and begin protecting the environment. We all have a part in this.

It's that time of year again. In some cases, people have lined up for hours to select their numbers for the 2009 edition of Spain's Christmas Lottery, all hoping to win "El Gordo", the largest of all prizes. A few will win, but most will lose, all enjoying the days of discussion leading up to the drawing as well as a few anxious hours in front of the TV on Tuesday morning as the tiny wooden balls are selected and their numbers sung in monotonous repetition by uniformed school children.

At 8am, December 22nd, Spain's lottery commission will host its annual Christmas lottery, "Lotería de Navidad de España", whose largest pay-outs go to the winners of "El Gordo" (1 chance in 85,000 to win "El Gordo"). Lesser numbers selected bring lesser winnings. Interestingly enough (at least to me), any number selected has a 15% chance of winning SOMETHING. 2.3 BILLION Euros is the total, overall payout of the combined winning numbers. Wow. The lottery usually lasts about 3 to 3.5 hours and can be watched locally on TVE (nearly all local channels cover it) or online at RTV.es.
 
Explanation of "How it works": Lottery tickets contain 5 numbers and there are 10 tickets for each number. The ten tickets of the same number are called "a series". So, for example, I could buy one ticket with the number 12345 or I could buy 3 tickets with the number of 123455. Or, if I chose, I could buy the entire 10-ticket series of 12345. Each individual ticket costs 20 Euros and is called "un décimo", or "one tenth" of the series. The entire series of any given number would then cost 200 Euros. So when a winning number comes up you would either win 1-tenth of the total winnings if you held ONE ticket or you would win 100% of the winnings if you held the entire series of 10-tickets.

Explanation of "The Drawing": Two big tumblers, one bigger than the other, contains thousands of tiny wooden balls. The child collecting the ball from the big tumbler calls out the lottery number in its entirety while the child collecting the ball from the small tumbler calls out the kind of prize associated with it which, in the vast majority of the cases, is "Mil Euros". When one of the larger prizes is won, anything larger than "Mil Euros", the children carry the balls over to the table of officials to verify the number and the associated prize. See video below of 2008's lottery when "El Gordo" is selected as well as the "normal chant" of "Mil Euros".





Funny (or stupid) story about how I bought my Christmas lottery tickets this year:
As I've now done for  the last 2 years, I bought a number of tickets for me and some friends, all of which would share in any of the winnings. This year I went to the local lottery shop, where there was absolutely no line, and asked for 5 tickets all ending in the same number. (here's where my mistake was made) Obviously, unless two humans can read each others minds mistakes are often made in communication. So the woman at the counter did indeed give me 5 tickets which ended in my chosen number - but ALL 5 tickets were identical! My intention, understandably misunderstood by the clerk, was to have 5 tickets with distinct numbers but all ending in the same number. I'd already left and walked 50 meters before realizing my mistake. HMPH! Sure, if we win, we'll win 50% of the total sum for that series but it also lowers our chance of winning anything. 100 Euros down the drain? Probably, in whichever case. So I went back the next day and got 5 MORE tickets, ending in 5 different numbers, assuring that I'd get tickets from 5 different series and thereby INCREASING my chances of winning SOMETHING. So I spent 200 Euros for gifts to my friends on Christmas, none of which are likely to amount to anything but it's a nice, fun gift. And, as I'm told, it's "very Spanish" to gift Christmas lottery tickets to friends and family.

If you've bought your "décimos" for this years' Spanish Christmas Lottery, I wish you the best of luck. If not, enjoy watching it live for awhile. Sure, the repetition can get boring - I understand that - but the most fun comes NOT from watching the actual numbers chosen but the celebrations of the winners which usually takes place towards the end of the lottery or just afterwards. Then, you see people in bars with COPIES of their winning tickets, being showered with bottles of (cheap?) champagne, dancing among their (new) best friends or (now) close relatives. I also like the interviews during the lottery of people in the street telling what they would do should they win. The answers are almost identical every year; they'd buy a new house or pay off the old one, they'd quit their jobs, they'd pay bills, they'd help family and those less fortunate, and on and on. What I'd like to see are stories about past winners and how their lives actually changed with their new-found wealth. Did they really pay off the house? Did they really give money to poorer family members? Did the money make them crazy? Did they become cocaine addicts? Did they squander it all? Or did they start companies or invest it wisely for their future and the future generations?

Be sure to check back here on Tuesday for an UPDATE of the day's lottery drawings!

Useful/Interesting Links regarding Spain's Christmas Lottery:

"Spain's Christmas Lottery is still 'El Gordo'", 2009 article, in English, by Cristina Mateo-Yanguas.
"Asi es el Sorteo de "El Gordo": Graphical step-by-step procedure, IN SPANISH, of lottery number selection.
LOTTERY NUMBER CHECK and Christmas Lottery articles at ElPais.com (in Spanish).
elGordo.com: Check lottery ticket numbers (in Spanish) as well as BUY lottery tickets online.

MadridMan's 2008 Blog Entry about Spain's Christmas Lottery
MadridMan's 2007 Blog Entry about Spain's Christmas Lottery

Don't anyone tell me that Halloween doesn't exist in Spain. IT DOES! And the wave of popularity becomes higher and higher with every passing year - world economic crisis or not. A recent visit to Carrefour Supermarket/Store proved that Spain is very aware of the "holiday". There, they were selling artificial Jack-O-Lanterns with scary faces, Halloween makeup, costumes, loads of accessories and even some candy (although I didn't notice any candy corn).

Nearly every day for the past week there have been daily reports on morning news programs about the upcoming "American Holiday" - as it's often described although it's also actively observed in Britain too. Haunted houses, shops carrying popular costumes, the release of scary movies around the date, and of course the holiday decorations are talked about daily. I've even seen a number of elementary school classes discussing how they're going to dress up on Halloween.

An elementary school teacher friend of mine and I spent hours carving Jack-O-Lanterns for the students, bought decorations for the classroom, and the teacher plans Halloween stories, songs, and projects for the kids - but not TOO scary, mind you.

The older "kids", teens, 20 and 30-somethings, have planned dress-up parties this weekend and no-doubt they'll have fun dressing-up as toreros, witches, ghosts, Frankenstein's monster, and undoubtedly LOTS of Draculas.

Trick-or-Treat doesn't exist here, which is logical to me, as so few people observe this part of the Halloween tradition - and even fewer are aware of it. Imagine the looks neighbors would give the solitary toddler dressed up as Winnie The Pooh, going door to door with his Halloween bag and asking for candy. I'm sure the neighbors might have a few cough drops lying around.

A recent article stated the following:

Spanish Catholic leaders lash out at Halloween
The growing popularity of Halloween is alarming Roman Catholic leaders who blame parents for encouraging children to celebrate death over life. There is a growing "risk" that due to commercial interests "pagan" customs which have been "imported" to Spain will place Christian customs like devotion to saints and praying for the dead. Hollywood is blamed for the spread of Halloween.

Many people are aware that in Mexico they celebrate "Día de los Muertos" ("Day of the Dead") on November 2nd and many believe this is where North America took and modified this ritual to Halloween (note: yes, I'm aware that Mexico is part of North America but I refer to North America north of the Mexican border), combining it with the celebration of the autumnal equinox the Irish immigrants celebrated there.

(Quoted from JackOLanterns.net)

In Spain November 1 has become a public holiday. On All Saints' Day ("Dia de Todos los Santos") Catholics attend church services in honor of the saints, the martyrs and those who have died for the Catholic faith. People may also visit their family's graves to beautify them with wreaths and small lanterns. Sometimes a mass is said at the grave site and the grave sprinkled with holy water.

On November 2 or All Souls' Day, Catholics attend a special Requiem masses, where they remember those who may be close to them that have died. Prayers for the dead are said and votive candles are lit to honor their memory.

In the past 10-15 years in Spain, however, this observance has waned as younger generations become less and less religious - or just want to avoid the traffic. For decades, particularly under the Franco regime, this custom was fervently exercised.

Personally, I'll be "observing" Halloween in my annual manner by watching the 1978 John Carpenter movie "HALLOWEEN" starring Jamie Lee Curtis, with the lights down, a candle lit, and popcorn at the ready.

This afternoon at about 6pm (Spain time) the announcement will come from Copenhagen regarding the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision of the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics. I hope to be in Madrid's Plaza de Oriente at this time to watch the event with several others on the big screen televisions.

For weeks the media has become ever increasingly saturated with talk about the possibility of Madrid hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics. Events have been scheduled and painstakingly executed to display Madrid's and Madrileños' support for the Olympic Games. Millions of Euros have been spent to prove to the IOC - and the world - that Madrid desperately wants to become an Olympic City.

Songs have been sung by Spanish pop stars, well-known athletes have recorded television commercials, and politicians are offering their time as much as possible for magazines, morning talk shows, and interviews to show their support for the games, hoping to convince the IOC of this fact.

Kids are easy to convince of such things. Give them a huge, colorful hand, a T-Shirt or cap to wear and a loud music event and they're happy. Adults are harder to sway. Adults know the costs already spent - and subsequently wasted - on a losing attempt to win the 2012 Olympics, awarded to London with Madrid way back in the voting. Adults know that billions of Euros are at stake if Madrid becomes the focus of the world in 2016, with all its hotels, restaurants, bars, and stores full, not to mention becoming the worldwide focus. They know that money has been invested and spent on infrastructure which will no doubt improve livability in Madrid but which has - and will - cause traffic and construction nightmares for years. Years of expense and inconvenience is being invested for a couple months of income. But the long-term result could be much more rewarding.

Barcelona learned in 1992 the long-term benefits of being "An Olympic City" can be lasting, changing the image of a city forever. Barcelona didn't need much help in that area as its always been considered "Cool". Will an Olympic win for Madrid achieve the same result? Will it also win Madrid the respectability it desires and deserves? For now, many people who don't know Spain probably think that Barcelona is the capital of the country. I don't know how many friends of mine, upon telling them I was moving to Spain, first asked me, "Oh really? To Barcelona?" Being chosen as an Olympic City, Barcelona's already solid reputation amazingly improved even more.

Growing up in the USA, during all those years of USA-Russia dominance in the Olympic Games, I loved the track and field competitions. My early physical maturity and talent for running fast helped win me many a race in all grades. Fortunately, I know what it's like to be first running through the finish line in front of thousands of cheering people. Few know this sensation. Watching Olympic track and field events LIVE would be a dream come true for me, and better yet that it's all taking place right here in my back yard. I just hope I can get - AND AFFORD - the tickets.

Today, in Madrid's Plaza de Oriente, between the Teatro Real and the Royal Palace, the event has already started. The plaza has been transformed and ready to receive the thousands of hopeful Madrileños and Spaniards to watch on the big screen the vote and subsequent IOC decision in Copenhagen for the 2016 Olympic Games. Will it be Madrid? Or will it be Rio de Janeiro, Chicago, or Tokyo. Time - and the votes - will tell. We'll all know by 6:15pm local time.

It was an odd morning this Saturday morning. I got up late, had breakfast, showered, and went out to do the morning shopping at around noon. I first went to the pollería (chicken shop) and found it oddly closed. They're always open on Saturday mornings until 2pm but maybe they closed for summer vacation as so many shops do.

Next, went to Juteco, a shop which sells toiletries, perfumes, kitchen items, etcetera. It was closed too and with the protective metal blinds pulled to the bottom. HUH! They are usually open until 2pm. Vacation? A chain store like this?

So I went to one of the markets. Closed. Vacation? The other market was closed too. Also on vacation? Shouldn't they coordinate their closings to accommodate the neighborhood people?? Hmmm.. I even went to TWO supermarkets and found them closed as well, shuttered and fortified. This is getting weird.

What am I going to have for lunch? My idea to make chicken flew out the window like a wounded duck. And how am I going to shower? I don't have enough shower gel to get me through the weekend and the stores are all closed tomorrow too. Will I die here sweaty and starved? What gives?

Answer: Today, Saturday 15 August is Madrid's Virgen's Day, la Virgen de la Paloma, and so everything is closed. DUH! I knew that but, as I've mentioned before, many Spanish holidays don't dawn on me until something like today happens.

Everything is closed except: Chinese food restaurants, Kebop Restaurants, and Chinese convenience stores. So I got Chinese food for lunch - and will likely have the same thing tomorrow unless I decide on a TelePizza.

The annual August Fiestas de la Paloma takes place in the area of downtown Madrid known as "Madrid de los Austrias", and more specifically around the Plaza de la Paja, Las Vistillas with views of the Almudena Cathedral, the Calle de la Paloma, and, of course, the Paloma Church. "La Paloma" is Madrid's "Virgin".

It's a weeklong affair with its high-point on Saturday, August  15th with the Virgen de La Paloma procession starting at the (Church) Iglesia de la Paloma, taking the following path: Iglesia de la Virgen de La Paloma, Gran Vía de San Francisco, Puerta de Toledo, Calle Toledo, Plaza de la Cebada, Carrera de San Francisco, Puerta de Moros, Carrera de San Francisco, Calle Calatrava, Calle Paloma, Iglesia de la Virgen de La Paloma.
Acompañamiento Musical a cargo de las Bandas Sinfónicas "Unión Musical de Pozuelo de Alarcón" y " Tempo Allegro".

Many of Madrid's older folks, young children, and just a few others dress totally "Castizo" - in traditional Madrid costume. The kids are adorable as are the the older folks, the only ones left who know how to dance the "Chotis", make for an interesting, eye-catching display along the streets of Madrid.

Tonight I was in the Plaza de la Paja for the judging of 4 Spanish fans. All four were many years old; 50 years old in one case, and all beautifully hand painted. The four were presented by their owners, 2 of which were dressed as "Chalupas" - traditional female castiza costume. Oddly enough to me, the results won't be revealed until tomorrow night at, of all hours, 11pm (!!) in the same Plaza de la Paja. Ooooookay! I'll be sure to be downtown for THAT! Uh-huh. Somewhat sadly, there were only about 50 people onhand for the event.

I also made my way over to Las Vistillas for the beginning of the a number of dances performed by "chulapos" and "chulapas" (men and women dressed in traditional Madrid "castizo" costume). The first song to which they danced the "el chotis" was, OF COURSE, "Madrid, Madrid, Madrid" - see video below!!



Views of the Sierra de Guadarrama Mountains and the Almudena Cathedral was really breathtaking at sunset. I sat on the fencing which bordered the slope down to the Calle de Segovia for a good look. Although it was quite warm, lots of people were lounging on the green, grassy slope, taking in the sunset, doing a little smooching with their couple, and others were just drinking a few beers.

Things really just start heating up by 10pm in "Las Vistillas" for the "Verbena" (party) - about the time I left!

When you approach "Las Vistillas" you almost think you're at a typical county fair in small town USA but you're not, you're in the heart of Madrid, Spain. But instead of funnel cakes, hot dogs, and cotton candy, they mobile stands are selling churros and porras, as well as paella, chorizo, patatas bravas, calamares, chopitos, and on and on - typical Spanish cuisine but the mobile stands looks the same!

Las Fiestas de la Paloma are a VERY Spanish festival - few non-Spaniards attend except for the Latin Americans which seem to love such events and turn out in full force. But the majority of the spectators are Spanish. VERY few tourists are even aware of it and fewer venture outside of the Puerta del Sol-Plaza Mayor zones and into the "fringe" Madrid de los Austrias anyway.

Tomorrow, I hope to TRY to see the procession of La Paloma but it's usually so darn crowded that you can't see anything. I did go a few years ago with one of our message board members and were actually able to enter the La Paloma Church just before the procession started to see the virgin.