.

I thought you knew of Ediciones La Librería . They have plenty of books about Madrid and I found some with pictures of Madrid at their website.

hmmm... turron de la casa (the thick slabs) from a good pasteleria; orujo de hierbas from Galicia; azabache jewelry from Galicia; i used to buy leather coats from el Corte Ingles but now they are assembled in Asian countries (the affordable ones, that is); small ceramics; ceramics from Sargadelos (Galicia, but available in other places); always, always, azafran! what else... oh, of course books. And FA soap (the regular 'flavor', not the wierd new ones).

good thread!

This topic is driving me sane! Aceitunas rellenos de anchoas, certainly! Aspergas blancas, tambien! Mejillones en escabeche, boquerones or anchoas, etc., etc. Granted, a lot of those things are available in the U.S., but are very pricey. One tip: Check out your local 'dollar' store. I have found Mejillones and Portuguese sardines in one nearby.

Orujo de Liebana (even a cousin who lives in Galicia asks me to bring him Orujo de Liebana when I'm coming from Cantabria) and vino origen de Pontevedra (Albariño or Rosal), and Manzanilla from Sanlucar de Barrameda. In July, I brought back 2-tins of Chocolate (brand name Paladin) to make hot chocolate that is so thick & rich it must be sinful.

To the best of my knowledge, the Albariño or Rosal or Manzanilla wines are not available at any of the duty free shops in aeropuerto de Barajas. Nor is the Orujo de Liebana or any other Aguardiente (as they are called, generically).

[ 12-17-2001: Message edited by: Eddie ]

Shoes, purses - all leather goods. Can't even remember the last time I bought a purse or wallet in the U.S.! Saffron and white asparagus. Those little packets of herbal teas - claiming too cure all manner of things! - you find in the really old fashioned spice shops - the one I discovered was in the "unpopular" section of Ronda. Even if you aren't into teas and stuff - just reading about them is delightful. Wine of course - the ones that are either unavailable or unaffordable in the U.S. At least one CD and, like MM, I'm always looking for great photography books. Tracy - I admit I have the same thing for the old bull fight posters!

My first trip to Spain - as a hitch-hiking teenager - I almost got killed by my favorite thing from Spain. A statue about 8 inchs tall of the madonna & child literally fell off the exterior of a church missing my head by inches. When I tried to return it to the priest, he told me God had wanted me to have it which was why it didn't hit me!

:o Forgot to add my greatest weakness - Loewe's perfumes and those wonderful unique pieces of pottery you can find in the small villages. Horrid to carry home - but when you can watch the artistan throw the pottery and then paint each piece - it's so special.
BTW - also really really inexpensive - like $2 or 3 US