I forgot to mention that I bought a pair of shoes in madrid. They are just THE BEST. Good leather, black (of course), and very comfortables. The price? 8.500 (42.5$). There are many good places to buy shoes. I went to a new mall in my neighborhood but you can find very good stores in Sol, Gran Via, etc. Jusut make sure that you buy authentic leather when you buy shoes (they have a tag). McClarke asked me good places to buy shoes, but I always buy them in my neighborhood so I don't know many other places, but I specially like "Los Guerrilleros" in Sol, they have good shoes at a very good price, but be carefull they have bad quality shoes too.
Besos

Deja vu of Balise's " Shoes, Shoes, Shoes " and ranman's " Shoes-Where to buy in Madrid? " thread,

Nuria
Where is your neighborhood? I will be in the area c/Altamirano, Madrid 28008.
Mucha gracias!

Madridman

With regards to the shoes you bought is "Fluchos" the brand name? I would like to buy my husband and son similar shoes you bought for yourself.

Muchas gracias!

I am from Vallecas. It is a "workers" neighborhood. It wasn't very popular many years ago because gipsys live there. Nodays it is an okay place but not many people want to live there. I love that place and its people, but it is not what you would call a turist place. The good thing is that is almost like a village, we know each other and every time that you go shopping you have a great time, sometimes if you don't have money you can buy anything and pay later, try to do that in "El Corte Ingles"

Hey MM, give Nuria a break! If no woman can survive without at least 5 pairs of shoes, how do you expect them to get by with just one Shoe thread (or should that be lace?)

Hahhaa!! This is a scream. In part, El Boqueron, because MY ladyfriend complains about how many pairs of tennis shoes I have and don't wear. hahaha...

mclarke, yes, "Fluchos" is the brand name of those I bought in 1999. I LOVE THEM!!! WOW! They're so comfortable. I was all set to buy a similar pair this year (last month), but in black and guess what. The price had nearly doubled since 1999! I think they were about 10,500pts (STILL dirt cheap! I should have bought them!) and this was in the Barrio Lucero (smallish, working-class neighborhood on the other side of el Rio Manzanares). I instead bought a different brand in black, they too are comfortable, about 5,500pts, and I didn't notice they were MADE IN EU(all written in English - European Union) and not made in Spain specifically. Upon recounting this "Tale Of Shoes" to a friend there they said that with the HUGE boost in popularity of the Fluchos brand (seems I got mine soon after they arrived on the market) the price has boosted accordingly. But darnit! I STILL should have bought those! They're SO comfortable and stylish (at least to me -- I'm no expert). The new ones are very soft leather, VERY light, and very comfortable too at least.

Saludos, MadridMan

[This message has been edited by MadridMan (edited 11-30-2000).]

And, El Boqueron, how many pairs of shoes does your wife have? Got a good giggle out of your comment .... helped start my day off right!

Thanks, Nuria & MM
I have been buying Spanish-made shoes for years but lately most of the shoes now comes from China/Taiwan. Somehow Chinese/Taiwanese shoes seem not to agree with my feet. Visiting Spain next month is an opportunity for me to stock up on Spanish-made shoes (real leather) and good fit.

Just counting the days -- Dec. 28 and I will be in Madrid to celebrate New Year!.

Puna - I don't know my wife's shoe count, but I do know there's no space in the hall closet! Actually, I'm something of a shoe fiend myself (not tennis shoes though - strictly for sports!). Today I'm wearing my current favourites - a pair of brown suede lace-ups I bought in Madrid in September.