Whether you’re alone, with your partner or the family, travelling to Madrid has never been so exciting!

Here you can find what your heart desires:

Discover overlooked places in and around Madrid

Interesting information on the city and region of Madrid and its people, monuments, fascinating haunts, romantic restaurants and picturesque bars, lookout points, walks around the city, museums, shops, neighbourhood markets, tapas, sports and leisure, day trips, history, how to get there, tours…

A quiet holiday home in the mountains behind Madrid

If you want to relax far from the hustle and bustle of the city and, even more, to spend time amid nature in the mountains of the Guadarrama range and the National Park, then you have come to the right place. From here you can take long trips, hikes and relaxing strolls, write a book or do whatever takes your fancy. And if you get an urge to sample life in the city of Madrid or visit a museum, you can be there in a little over half an hour.

Natural products from sustainable, artisan production

In my online store, “My Market”, you will find a range of products, including organic cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, wines, cheeses, and cold meats, all from the Autonomous Region of Madrid, to enjoy at home with your loved ones. All the products are made in the traditional manner, but using the most modern technology, and they come directly from the producer.

Recipes for tapas and traditional home-cooked dishes

The way to the heart is through the stomach, in Madrid too! In my recipe section, “My Recipes”, you will find recipes for traditional dishes, tapas and also “recent experiments”, for which I always buy and use products from our store or a traditional market. Tell me if you like them!

From someone who left his home town to get to know Spain…

From Madrid to heaven – and in heaven a little peep-hole to see it.

All my life (or at least the last 40 years) I have wanted to write about Spain and its culture and to give my fellow countrymen and German-speaking colleagues a real knowledge of the life, the traditions and the daily struggle of many Spaniards to make a decent living, something different from the topics covered by the media that target the interests of the average tourist.
But Spain is a very big, amazing, diverse country. I was afraid that I would not be able to cover such a range of fabulous places and information. So, I decided to focus on one single region. As I have lived in Madrid for almost 40 years, it was obvious that I should centre my blog around Madrid. At first, I was worried that everything about a cosmopolitan European capital like Madrid and the surrounding area would already have been covered to saturation long ago. How far from the truth!Since I started to write about Madrid, I have discovered that even many of those who live here know maybe half of their own city, and even less about the region. Most of the Autonomous Region’s 179 municipalities are unknown to and have never been visited by the people from the city. So, I thought I would also post my articles in Spanish.

And, at the insistence of my daughters (each of whom lives in a different country), whose friends and acquaintances are scattered around the world and communicate with them in English, I will try, as far as possible, to translate my experiences and

knowledge into English so people worldwide can have a greater knowledge and better understanding of this country and its people.

With the website I also hope that small producers in the Autonomous Region of Madrid who cannot cope on their own with customers who do not speak Spanish can bring their products to a wider audience, outside Spain. These are products that are grown and manufactured naturally (often organic) by manufacturers (family firms) that are based on the principles of food sovereignty and are known to me personally. I visit them regularly and keep up-to-date on their production and with the quality certificates issued to them by the local authorities.

So, if you would like to delight your palate and that of your family and friends, whether you are in Madrid or somewhere else in the world, here you will find high-quality products. With your purchases you will also be supporting small family farms that would otherwise find it difficult to stay afloat due to the threat of international supermarkets.

If you are then tempted to try out a traditional recipe from Madrid at home, you will definitely understand the local saying “From Madrid to heaven, and in heaven, a little peep-hole to see it” which it is said probably comes from Luis Quiñones de Benavente (* 1581, Toledo, † 25 August 1651, Madrid).

What do you feel like doing now?

What would you like to do now?

This post is also available in: German Spanish