The Making of Madrid

The Royal Armoury at the Palacio Real recently reopened to the public. To celebrate, I put together this episode featuring some of the highlights of the collection. From the cute armour worn by Carlos I's dog to the full suit made for Felipe II's marriage to Mary Tudor, I cover stories connected to the powerful Habsburg family before finishing up with a look at the newest items on display: beautiful yet lethal arquebuses produced in Madrid during Bourbon rule.

Visit my website and subscribe for a FREE copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook
⁠⁠⁠https://shr.pn/tiNH⁠⁠⁠

To support the Making of Madrid, consider buying a copy of ⁠⁠⁠Quiet Madrid⁠⁠⁠⁠, my guide to the city's tranquil spaces in hidden places.
You can also⁠⁠ leave a tip⁠⁠ to show your support.
Or you could buy one of my ⁠⁠⁠⁠audio tours on Voicemap⁠⁠⁠⁠. 
Sign up for my ⁠⁠⁠newsletter to get a free copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook⁠⁠⁠
(visit themakingofmadrid.com if you can't use these links)

Unable to eat wheat and worried about a trip to Madrid? Worry no more! Event photographer and videographer Gareth Sewell knows better than most about this subject: despite being diagnosed as having Celiac disease a few years ago, he has continued to go out and enjoy the restaurant scene.
In this interview we talk about why Madrid is still a great destination if you can't eat wheat, the vocabulary you'll need for ordering gluten-free food, where to buy gf bread and most importantly where to eat out. This episode will appeal to anyone who wants the lowdown on the best gluten-free restaurants in the city!
Gareth has been known to do the occasional food tour and you can find him at https://www.gts-life.com/
Support the show:
Leave a review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts
Pick up a copy of ⁠Quiet Madrid⁠, the e-book guide to the city's quieter corners — available at ⁠The Making of Madrid⁠
Get an audio walking tour on ⁠VoiceMap⁠ — including a new Malasaña backstreets tour featuring several of the tile locations mentioned in this episode

Los Gabrieles on Calle Echegaray has finally reopened after more than 20 years, and it was worth every minute of the wait. In this episode, I dig into the history of one of Madrid's most spectacular bars and the remarkable renaissance of commercial ceramic tile art in the city during the 1920s.
Places mentioned in this episode:
Los Gabrieles, Calle Echegaray 17, Barrio de las Letras — no reservations for the downstairs bar, arrive before 1.30pm
Villa Rosa, Plaza de Santa Ana — flamenco bar with beautiful tiled facade
Antigua Casa Talavera, Calle Isabel la Católica — fourth-generation tile shop, over 100 years old
Farmacia Juance, Calle San Andrés, Malasaña — an extraordinary surviving tile shopfront
Museo de Historia de Madrid, Calle Fuencarral, Malasaña
Matadero Madrid, Paseo de la Chopera — former slaughterhouse, now an arts centre with surviving tile work
Chamberi Ghost Station — preserved 1920s metro station with original tile advertisements
Talavera de la Reina — a great day trip from Madrid if you want to go deeper into the history of the craft
Support the show:
Leave a review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts
Pick up a copy of Quiet Madrid, the e-book guide to the city's quieter corners — available at The Making of Madrid
Get an audio walking tour on VoiceMap — including a new Malasaña backstreets tour featuring several of the tile locations mentioned in this episode

What does Madrid's history look like when you include the stories that have long been left out? In this episode, I sit down with activist and tour guide Kwame Ondo. He's spent years piecing together the hidden history of Black people in Spain — from pre-Colonial trade routes and the time of Al-Andalus, through to the slave markets of Seville and the abolitionist movement of the First Republic — to found his company Afro Iberían tours.
Kwame takes visitors through Madrid's old and modern city to uncover the Black figures, artworks, and stories hiding in plain sight. In the interview, we talk about the remarkable life of Juan de Pareja, Spain's role in the transatlantic slave trade, and why President Emilio Castelar — one of Spain's greatest orators — had to flee the country after speaking out against slavery.
We also discuss what Madrid looks like today: the effects of gentrification on Black communities, the politics of migration, and what Kwame, as a Pan-Africanist, thinks genuine justice would actually require.

Useful links
Book Kwame at: Afro Ibería Tours
Documentary about Black Africans in Renaissance Europe: We Were Here
Painter and former slave: Juan de Pareja
Kwame's restaurant recommendations: Dakar and Los Caracoles

Planning your first visit to Madrid? This episode contains a three-day itinerary designed to give you an authentic taste of Spain's capital city. On day one, you get oriented with the city's historical background, day two covers art, while day three takes you shopping.
But nothing is set in stone: alongside big-name attractions, I give you lesser-known alternatives to suit your individual needs: from gluten-free churros to quieter museums for the crowd-averse.
Whether you're interested in medieval history, modern art, vintage shopping, or simply soaking up the castizo spirit of Madrid, this episode provides practical recommendations to help you make the most of your time in this compact but culturally rich city.

Visit my website and subscribe for a FREE copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook
⁠⁠https://shr.pn/tiNH⁠⁠
To support the Making of Madrid, consider buying a copy of ⁠Quiet Madrid⁠⁠, my guide to the city's tranquil spaces in hidden places.
You can also leave a tip to show your support.
Or you could buy one of my ⁠⁠audio tours on Voicemap⁠⁠. 
Sign up for my ⁠newsletter to get a free copy of Madrid Beyond the Guidebook⁠
(visit themakingofmadrid.com if you can't use these links)

Useful links
Where to stay in Madrid
Guide to the Rastro
Churros and chocolate
What to do on a layover in Madrid
When to visit (my article for Lonely Planet)