December 18th, 2003 | The lowdown by Paloma Gil

Living Lavapies.

Lavapies is not just a subway station on Madrid's "metro" map, it's a whole neighborhood just in the core of the capital. It's probably one of the city's most ancient areas, sign of this are the old buildings with the carnations in the balconies, a tradition inhereted from the Arabs,or the narrow and twisted streets so typical in European cities.

Because it's a traditional "barrio" of Madrid, many older people live here, but from a few years on and due to the recent phenomenon of inmigration in Europe, Lavapiés has become home for thousands of people from all over the globe. It's Madrid´s most cosmopolitan district.

From the moment you get out of the subway and find yourself in the heart of Lavapiés, you perceive you have just arrived to a very particular area of the city, then you begin to look around more carefully and your suspicions are confirmed. You have people of all nationalities walking right past you and you notice a bohemian feeling to everything, from the stores to the cafés and bars and sometimes even the way people dress.

In Lavapiés, you can have a kebab out on the street, listen to the drumers in the square or simply have a beer at some bar where the furniture seems to have been collected from people's living rooms. Living Lavapiés is truly a unique experience.