Well , the Feria del Libro finished yesterday in Madrid's beautiful Retiro Park , and I'm sure the organisers will confirm that it has been a great success . The weather was quite kind ( very hot towards the end ) and hundreds of thousands of people turned up .
I went first by mistake ! I'd taken a walk from my apartment to the park to clear my head after an illness and found myself right in the middle of the "feria" .
It was fantastic ! And it ran for just over 2 weeks being open every day until the evening ( 21:30 ) .
The book fair has been an event for some 75 years now and has actually taken place 67 times , only interrupted by the Guerra Civil ( civil war ) . Understandably it is loved by Madrilenos , old and young alike .
I think ,maybe , it was the large numbers of young people that impressed me most .
In an age of television and video games it was quite fantastic to see so many kids with such a passion for reading . It certainly gives you some hope for the future !
I'm not certain of the exact numbers but I understand there were about 350 stands ( casetas ) . They covered all aspects of life , leisure , and education . 'Beer Tents' and washroom facilities were all available and very well set up .
All the way through the festival authors were on hand to talk to or sign books , and indeed yesterday when I returned to the park , security had been drafted in to deal with the queues waiting for some of the more famous names .
Of course , the vast majority of authors are Spanish language writers , but some international authors such as Ken Follett were also on hand .
All in all the Feria del Libro is a fantastic event and one that Madrid is , and should be , justifiably proud of . Bravo Madrid !!

I have few photos and will display them once I work out how !

Steve