Authentic Spanish Gifts or Souvenirs – Part One
Hola Chicos!
Similar to Australia, tourism in Spain has created a whole industry of imported souvenirs. As a result, Madrid is saturated with cheap souvenir shops full of tacky gifts and purchasing an authentic Spanish item has become very difficult. Recently I asked my Spanish amigas what they would buy if they wanted something truely Spanish, something very authentic to send as a gift or to buy as a reminder of time spent in Spain. After many suggestions and discussions, I believe that I have managed to put together a great list of ‘must have’ Spanish items and where to buy them of course.
1. Mantones, Abanicos, & Mantillas
You cannot get a more Spanish item than a Mantilla, a handmade Shawl or a hand painted fan. Every Spanish señora owns these items and quite often they are passed down from mother to daughter. These items are worn to religious festivals and official functions. Casa Diego in Puerta del Sol is an obvious shop to visit for these items but a little too touristy for my liking. Not to far away is Borca S.A (Calle Marques Vuido de Pontejos, Madrid). It is a fantastic shop that sells everything embroidery for your house. The staff are welcoming and willing to share their knowledge. They showed me the difference between machine made and handmade items. Be prepared to pay for the difference. A machine made mantone is around 80 Euros but handmade mantones will cost well over 200 Euros.
2. Alpargatas or Espadrilles
These were a big surprise. Espadrilles come and go in shoe fashion in Australia, but here in Madrid it seems that they are definitely the summer shoe of choice. I visited Casa Hernanz (Calle de Toledo) a very famous and highly recommended alpargateria in Madrid and was surprised to see a line out the door. Seriously you could not even get close enough to look at the shoes available for sale. I also visited another store called La Alpargateria (Calle Garcia de Paredes). As this store is in Chamberi, I expected a more local experience. There was no line out the door, but on entering, I was surprised to see at least ten people waiting to be served. There was a great selection of espadrilles in different styles and colours which ranged in price from 15 to 30 Euros a pair.
3. Sombreros, Boinas and Gorras
Hats, hats hats. I don’t think that you can go past La favorita in the Plaza Mayor, Madrid. Whilst this shop may not be the cheapest hat shop in Madrid. Its definitely an experience purchasing a hat from here and I love that their hats have a patch on the inside that says the hat was purchased from La favorita, Plaza Mayor. I have sent gorras home to Australia as gifts and have taken visitors to this shop who have rarely left empty handed.
In part 2 – La violeta candy, Spanish ceramics and of course Olive oil…
Hasta Luego chicos y mil besos!