It is said that this place gets a hard to believe 7-10 million visitors a year, if it is true I think they were all there the same day as me. Welcome to the market of St Michael, Madrid.
A must do stop on the tourist trail around the city, initially turned up at lunchtime (which in Spain seems to stretch from 11am to 4pm), took a few snaps and left it was way too busy.
You see, there is no rhyme nor reason to this place, it is in effect a market, where you can buy food stuffs for home, but also, if you are lucky, or patient (and I am neither), you can find a table , somewhere to sit and eat the produce from the multitude of independent stalls.
Thing is there is no waiter service and you are buggered if you find a seat, sit down then go and grab something to eat, for when you come back...uh oh, someone has jumped in and taken your seat.
And if there are 2-3 or more of you and everyone wants something different, well you are well and truly fucked!
It does also cater for the vegetarians, fussy eaters.
I don't get padron peppers to me they are pretty tasteless.
One will not starve as there is so much to choose from
You can also enjoy sucking on one of these bad boys, if so inclined.
Back in history, in medieval times this area was an open market, which would have been filled with stalls of the local guilds, (fish mongers, bakers, charcutias, etc), hawking their wares to the local people.
In the early 19th C. the church that also occupied the square was demolished, but the open air market continued to flourish.
Health and hygiene improved and open air markets declined and were seen as less acceptable. The closed market, as is, was built between 1913 and 1916.
In 1999, the City of Madrid undertook a renovation with European funds free money, a princely sum of 150 million pesetas at the time returning the market to its original appearance.
However, time and habits change and its commercial activity gradually slowed as it could not compete with modern supermarkets.
To prevent its demise into oblivion, a business, El Gastronomo de San Miguela, was formed by a group of foodies and entrepreneurs with an aim to revive and build up its traditional activity by creating a market focused on high-quality products and local, seasonal foods, now with the possibility of trying what is going to be part of the shopping basket, sampling the produce on site. In the early 2000's it closed for a couple of years whilst renovation took place
In May 2009, it reopened its doors and has been busy ever since.
Now! ...run along and let me enjoy me tea.
Thanks for visiting my page, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. this is Stephen aka, @grindle, happily retired, travelling the world snapping away. My weapon of choice is currently a Nikon Z6(2).
Unless stated all images are shot by me, all text is mine based on various info sources. NOT AI generated.
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It seems like a nice place but I don't think it's suitable for me, because I don't have any luck or patience either 😅 possibly to buy and take home because some dishes look delicious but I don't like the crowd either! The historical information you share with us is interesting and I loved your monochrome shots :)
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cheers @dimascastillo90 , yes busy and noisy, not just tourists but locals too, and patience is a virtue I do not possess either, especially when I need food LOL
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@grindle, you are most welcome!
It's not good idea to wait for a long line when you're very hungry. 😄😄 Crowded place is no for me.😔
cheers @fixyetbroken , yes crowded and noisy!! the food was very nice though
Yeah.. the good idea would don't be too much hungry if you wanted to eat the food with a long line.
😂👍
🤣 😂 👍
The food looks so yummy and I can bet that they are tasty too!
cheers @ibbtammy thanks for dropping in, yes definitely a food lovers paradise
Madrid is now added to my travel goal, the market really is full of delicious appetising foods in any other forms, I would be spending my time there more lol! Thank you for touring us and sharing us the history.
cheers @breepickledoodle thanks for dropping in and your kind comments, yes a food lovers paradise indeed
Sounds chaotic fun. Take turns sitting maybe 🤔
chaotic is a good word!
These photos besides making me very hungry... hahahahaha, nah, seriously, I love them. They have just the right light and just the right people, those 7-10 million.
🤣
I wouldn't pass up those Rocambolesc ice creams for anything in the world!
cheers @nanixxx much appreciate your expert opinion and input, I loved the moulds of the ice creams , but just had a burger LOL
History on market interesting, black and white photography very appealing with detail. Food a candy store for foodies, tea time with !BEER
cheers @joanstewart thanks for the positive input...and the beer!!
Positive always 🤓
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