Spain’s marginalised heroes fight against coronavirus – and racism
While ordinary people with ordinary jobs occupy the headlines, there are people whose hero status has become their only form of survival.
Portrait of an abuelo under lockdown
At 94, Abuelo's physical health is enviable to many who are decades younger. These days, his biggest health worry is not coronavirus-related, but that "estas piernas se me están resistiendo".
The art of war on Coronavirus
The fight against coronavirus echoes something hauntingly familiar in Spain, and it's from this dark period in history that local artist Félix Rodriguez has found inspiration. From the confines of his home in Madrid where he remains, like the rest of us, under lockdown, a renaissance is happening.
Colour and chaos in Catania, Sicily’s ‘other’ city
I'd like to transport you to a place where the streets are paved with volcanic rock that braid the city, and crumbling houses wrap around outcrops of ancient lava flow.
Bodegas Rojo: Carabanchel Alto’s living museum of niche wine and spirits
Bodegas Rojo, like any diamond in the rough, lies unbeknownst to many, tucked away on a residential street. Families and groups of teens walk by but few so much as throws a furtive glance its way.
Madrid’s poorest neighbourhoods are still condemned by their ancient invisible borders
Zoom out of Madrid on Google satellite view and red clusters begin to emerge. Between grey, gridded avenues and barren parks, see clusters of winding narrow streets with red roof tiles and tiny plazas, which were once independent towns with their own culture, economy and architecture. Today, even though they lie well within the city limits of Madrid, they remain different.
Míticos, típicos y no-frilleños: Malasaña’s 10 best bars
The bares típicos are one of the things I deeply love Spain for. The way you can pop in for a coffee in a glass, a caña, a tapa, a few words with the person behind the bar and other people in the bar – a sense of connection to simple uplifting things.
Pilgrimage to El Coleccionista: Lavapiés’ iconic comic book store
Down Calle Tribulete, just a few minutes from Plaza Lavapiés is Cómics El Coleccionista, where it has stood seemingly forever. Opened in 1993 by a pair of friends who met each other through their mutual love of comic books, El Coleccionista has remained virtually unchanged throughout its 27 years of existence.
A homage to Madrid’s Chinese corner shops
A year ago, my photo series of 100 of Madrid's no-frills bars reignited the nation's love for a time-honoured aspect of Spanish culture, but around 20 of these no-frills bars are actually Chinese-owned.
Welcome to Blyth, the underdog of North East England
I'd like to transport you to a place a few miles up the road from where I grew up. It's a tiny, windswept port town that had its heyday up until the 1960s. After that, the industries shifted outwards, like the dunes that shield Blyth from the North Sea, switching from mining coal to farming wind.
Spotlight on Plaza Nelson Mandela: the heart and the underbelly of Lavapiés
I'm sitting on a concrete bench on Plaza Nelson Mandela, taking in the warm winter sun on my face. A local Senegalese man wearing an ivory silk boubou pours his friends cups of hot black coffee from a canister. On a bench near them, a group of young Argentinians top up their cups of mate and share a smoke.
The battle for Baobab
Yesterday, the people of Madrid make their thoughts crystal clear: don't evict Baobab! So far, this emotive Instagram post has been shared by 2,793 people in their stories, and viewed by 32,557. To put things in perspective, that's about 10 times more people than my average Madrid No Frills Instagram posts.
Latest obsession: Madrid’s no-frills Christmas spirit
In the shadow of Madrid's extravagant lights display, the spirit of no-frills Christmas lives on. You just have to look a bit closer.
La Movida sigue viva en Malasaña: La Pelu de Iván
Iván, es un heredero de este movimiento contra-cultural, que se desarrolló en gran parte en Malasaña.
The secret lives of the Cañada kids
This summer, children living in Sector 6 of the Cañada Real (Europe's largest shanty town, just a 15-minute drive from Madrid) were given disposable cameras by photographer Carlos Gutiérrez, who asked them to take pictures of their day-to-day lives.