In Depth

Creative, lively, and restless, Madrid has never been a city to let the grass grow under its feet. In recent times, the city has been at such a peak of activity that changes and innovations seem to take place almost daily. But even in the decades of a supposedly restrained and conservative past, when the city and its people were subjected to a ruling dictatorship and crushed by a genuine post-Civil War sense of deprivation, when the Spanish capital assumed the cliché of a gray, gray place, Madrid never really was a quiet, depressive, early-to-bed city -- whatever people may tell you. The spirit and energy were always there, latently during the hardest times, at full throttle when life was anything like normal.

A seemingly innocuous custom perhaps reveals the city's essential character: As you start your day, the barman (or barwoman) will ask you if you want the leche (milk) with your coffee to be templada (luke warm) or caliente (hot). If you choose the former -- and most people do -- it means you can finish your breakfast beverage quicker and get going about your business. The Mediterranean style of lingering over a drink is scorned in this impatient and astoundingly early-rising city, where some cafes open at around 5:30am for breakfast.

This guide seeks to unravel a bit of this fascinating city's history, art, and culture by raising the question: Is there still such a person as a real Madrileño (born and bred Madrid inhabitant), given the cultural changes that have transformed a once virtually monoglot Spanish city into a multinational metropolis? Just who is ordering the templada at 5:30am? Read on to learn about the forces that created today's Madrid and to get a good idea of what the future holds for this intriguing and dynamic city.

Memorable Quotes

Historical and Social:

"Me duele todo" (Everything hurts) -- Philip II's last words in El Escorial where he lay dying from multiple illnesses and lamenting the decline of what had been the world's greatest empire.

"I am responsible only to God and history." -- General Franco explaining why he didn't need to explain his actions to any mere mortal.

"Uno, grande y libre" (One, great and free.) -- Franco again describing his Utopian vision of Spain.

"Con Franco vivimos mejor" (With Franco we live better.) -- Right wing party slogan eulogizing their leader's successes in the 1960s and '70s.

"Con Franco vivíamos mejor" (With Franco we lived better.) -- 20th-century parody of the above by now deceased Catalan crime writer Manolo Vásquez Montalbán (creator of gourmet private eye Pepe Carvalho), who was here indirectly commenting on Spain's loss of the communal sense it demonstrated when it had a fascist regime to oppose.

"Spain is Different" -- Tourist slogan of the 1960s aimed at enticing more visitors to the country.

In praise of Madrid:

"De Madrid al Cielo y desde allí un agujero para verlo" (From Madrid to heaven and from there a hole in the sky to look down on it.) -- Anonymous paean to the capital, combining an admiration for both the city's vital lifestyle and its perennial profusion of clear luminous skies.

"Madrid me Mata" (Madrid slays me.) -- More praise, hip style, honoring the city's exhausting choice of day and night entertainment amenities. (There's even a website: www.madridmemata.es.)

"Madrid Limpio y Verde" (Madrid clean and green.) -- The new ecological slogan praising Madrid's dedication to keeping the place trash free, unpolluted, and verdant.

"Madrid se Mueve, muévete con Madrid." (Madrid is on the move, so move with Madrid.) -- More ad work, this time announcing the city's relentless non-stop metro expansion progress.