Last winter was my 17th in London and the most severe in so many years. The snow was relentless and I have never been so cold. I couldn’t leave the city because of a pressing job contract, so when I was not designing on my computer I was dreaming of sunny days lazing on a sidewalk café in Spain. The pictures on this spread were taken in Madrid back in May 2008 but the warm memories will linger for a long, long time and I am hoping for a repeat performance in the coming months.
 
Madrid Day, more popularly known as Dos de Mayo, is on the 2nd of May when the city celebrates the beginnings of the 1808 rebellion against French rule with classical, folk and rock concerts. The light and fireworks display above depicts the many fires that erupted around the capital as a result of the conflict. Modern Madrid (below) is a picture of peace and order.
 
A large monument with an equestrian statue of King Alfonso XII overlooks the Estangue del Retiro, an artificial lake inside the Parque del Retiro erected in 1922 by the king’s mother. A gypsy girl (below) rehearses in a gazebo inside the park. The Palacio de Velázquez originally served as a pavilion for mining exhibitions but is now a popular showcase for modern Spanish art. In the summer months (bottom pictures) the plazas of Madrid are alive with the music of the Mexican mariachi bands and the silence of the human statues and the Chinese sidewalk massuers.
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