A slaughterhouse that is now an art centre

The old slaughterhouse in Madrid which stood derelict and abandoned for many years has been transformed into an art centre called Matadero Madrid - Slaughterhouse Madrid - not the most attractive of names but there you are. The centre has regular exhibitions, community activities, concerts, theater, film and quiet an impressive "reader´s house" funded by a private foundation. It is a 10 minute bus ride from the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. I leave you with a few pics from a recent visit; the first two are from current exhibitions.

Bedtime reading

Is this what hell looks like?

Matadero Madrid

Matadero Madrid

Tulip mania

In these days of speculation and bubble bursting, the first speculative bubble comes to mind - the tulip mania that took hold of Holland in the 17th Century. It is amazing how something as beautiful as a tulip could have been the cause of misery to so many. The Dutch, however, made the best of it and adopted this flower which was originally brought to Holland from Turkey, developing a striving industry. The blooming of the flower has just begun and to see it in all its splendour it is worth making a journey to Keukenhof, a park in Lisse, about 35 Kms. from Amsterdam. I leave you with the link to my past post about Amsterdam and a picture of the main "culprit" of the tulip mania: the Semper Augustus tulip. Ironically, the coloured stripes that made the tulip so sought after were caused by a virus.

Semper Augustus tulip in a 17th Century print

More posts about Amsterdam:
Extraordinary popular delusions and the madness of crowds