Bar Luis and Sons in Mejorada del Campo.
Journalist, Indian and English, from Newcastle to be more specific, this is the photographer behind Madrid's No Frills Bars. the same one that reminds us why we should love our usual bars a little more.
How did she get to Spain? Very clearly, she fell in love with Madrid and here she stayed to live. Her first contact with the city was with some friends from Madrid. “They took us to Bar Cruz on the Trail , that's where I saw my first floor full of napkins . We also sat on many terraces at sunset, drinking one beer after another, and that is probably how the seed of Madrid was planted for me. More than five years later, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else," she tells Traveler. She is the creator of Madrid's No Frills Bars.
Marbella Brewery.
Her project already has two years of life in which she has dedicated herself to photographing almost 200 bars ; some of them have already gone down in the history of “those bars in Madrid”, such as El Palentino.
“Last year she passed away. Chaste , the illustrious waiter at El Palentino. Casto was the legendary owner of the most iconic no-frills bar in Spain. The neighbors felt his death very much, a couple of weeks after he died, the bar closed to everyone's horror. If he “bar no frills” most famous does not manage to survive, what will become of the others? ”, she points out.
Fame Bar.
Madrid's No Frills Bars started because Leah missed stories about authentic Madrid , the one that we do not usually make much mention of. “Many blogs in Madrid write about new, modern and stylish places, but what about the small, old, humble, family-run places ? The "no-frills" places? Don't they deserve attention too?” she comments.
When we ask her what she finds interesting about them, she is not without reason and she perfectly describes the essence of spanish bars . “Even when he's busy, the bartender will make room for you at the bar. Within 30 seconds, you'll have a drink in your hand and a generous lid. The ground will often be covered with napkins and olive pits but we all know that's the sign of a good bar."
And she highlights: “everyone realizes that you have been in a bar of all life because you leave with your clothes smelling. They are small spaces. unassuming and with a working class soul .... I have always felt very comfortable in them”.
Ruan Bar.
Madrid and Spain are changing too fast, and we may realize it more in a decade. As the photographer says the price of rents and the big franchises are cornering the bars.
Meanwhile, there will be photographers like Leah portraying and proving that they existed , that they are part -whether we like it or not- of what we are. If you can't find it, look it up. a bar in Lavapiés, Vallecas or Usera , your favorite neighborhoods.
Casto, the owner of El Palentino.