MADRID TODAY AND BEFORE

MADRID TODAY

(Little videos of Madrid las year taken by me, not good videos of course but I want to do some more and better)

Today Madrid is a big city, nothing similar to the city I knew when I was a Young boy and walk round its streets and squares, in fact I can´t recognise this city of todeay less friendly than fourty or thirty years ago.

Every persons who came here to live, after some years it was a madrilean more, it doesn´t matter which part of the world she ot he was born, but even more after ten years or a Little more these people love the city as it was of them, their city by all means.

My parents came from Burgos when they were married already, I was the only one that was born in the city, the Little city then, but it was so nice, friedly, funny as always it was. They, my parents, seems madrileans after ten years living here.

The castellano language here sounds different, as in every land of Spain, but we talk so different that the language its called "castizo" because we use a lot of words and expressions that they are not used other parts of Spain.

We have our own music, "chotis", that is sing and dance in the feasts, but also our own Opera that here we call it "Zarzuela", it is similar to an Opera but its also spoken at the same time that the music sounds and the singers sing. I do love Zarzuelas, and despite there are these kind of music from all lands of Spain, Madrid has their own Zarzuelas where the way of speaking of "castizos" are the accent that is necessary to use.

The girls are called "chulapas" and the boys "chulapos" and all they have a peculiar way of being dressed, nice coloured garments and also the girls wear "mantones de manila" what is absolutely necessary for them if they wanted to be good dressed.

There are some Zarzuelas very funny and quiete a good music, several in fact, but some of the best known are "La Verbena de la Paloma", "La Revoltosa", "La Gran Via", "El Barberillo de Lavapiés". "Luisa Fernanda"...it was singed by the good Tenor Alfredo Kraus  Placido Domingo but also Javier Pons or Jose Carreras and some of the best sopranos or mezosopranos like Teresa Berganza, Nancy Herrera, Maria Rodríguez, and so forth.......

Once that O went to the theatre to attend to Luisa Fernanda, singed by Plácido Domingo it was sitting close near to me Alfredo Kraus, one of the best tenors to me, he was retired already and few months later he was dead, I was very sorry for him and his family.

Usually Madrid´s music is pleasant, bustling and cheerful just how madrileños are. Friendly nice people who take life easy, without too much troubles.

The city now it is quite different, all has changed to be a big European city, for good or for bad I really don´t know.

Life is different, hard, too much noise, millions of people from every where of the world, some of the áreas that was absolutely typical have changed drasticaly, for worst.

But time changes everything and this my city wasn´t an exception, no so much "castizos" "chulapas" or "chulapones" instead people from China, Equador, Maroc, Peru, Colombia, Nigeria, Argentina, Rumania, Russia, Ukrania, and thirty or more countries have taken their place.

At the end all these people will be madrileños too, that´s for sure, but it will take several years to be truth.

Now Madrid has the best Art Museums nearly from the World, as Thyssen, Prado, Reina Sofia, Picasso, Sorrolla, Caixa Fórum, Royal Palace, Descalzas, and so forth....

But also another kind of events that makes the city one of the first in Cultural event in Europe and other parts of the World...

I love and hate Madrid.

Why? that´s a mystery to me.

el gatufo

(by the way people that were born in Madrid are called "CATS"

some time ago....now I think it is different...why they are called Cats along history......that is another story to tell in future)