El Rastro/The Trail

Spain and Europe’s oldest and largest open air market…fleas and much, much more! The name comes from the trail of blood that ran down the street at the centre of the market from Madrid’s first slaughter house. Tanneries soon set up shop and people began to come in search of leather goods and fresh meat. The rest, as they say, is history!

It was great fun as well as being hot and busy! Then lunch of cochinillo/suckling pig at El Soportal on Plaza Mayor, before the 5 o’clock train back to Barcelona, from which I now blip as the sun sets over the great Meseta plain.

View from lunch table in extras.