This is part of Off Season Spain, a collection of guides highlighting the year-round appeal of Spain’s most popular destinations, courtesy of our favorite local tastemakers. Read more here.
It is said that Madrid, although huge, sometimes seems like a village, where you meet friends and neighbors at every corner. This may even be the case with Abraham Menéndez, the restless illustrator whose clients include Chanel, Hermès, Sony, and Nuba. At glamorous parties, walking his dog Manolito around old Madrid, or eating a traditional cocido—“my favorite is served at Malacatín, a century-old tavern”—Abraham is no cat, as the purebred Madrilenians are called… but almost.
Curiously, one of his most recent projects has been illustrating the city through posters commissioned by the City Council. While an inveterate traveler, he also extols the pleasures that exist in one’s backyard: “You can also travel and see wonders within a 20-minute walk from your home. Take to the streets and see! Madrid is full of little things”.
What would you say is the sweetest time of year to visit Madrid?
Without a doubt, spring, when the cherry blossoms begin to bloom. The temperature is perfect and Madrid is an ideal city for strolling. Wandering through the intricate streets of Madrid de los Austrias [the old center of Madrid] or the Barrio de Las Letras, after a stop at one of its countless tascas or taverns, is an experience that no one should miss.
What do you love about it?
The Parque del Oeste on a Sunday. I love going there with my dog Manolito and walking past the Royal Palace, the Plaza de España, the Temple of Debod, the Parque de La Bombilla or La Rosaleda. Then you reach this space—with thousands of flowers and trees, green spaces and streams—that conveys the feeling of being in the countryside without having left the city. Often there are only a few people in the park, and it is an ideal haven to recharge your batteries before a new week begins.
