Our "Tío Pepe" sign won't return to Madrid's Puerta del Sol. It seems certain.

READ "Madrid Tio Pepe Sign Will Find New Home in Puerta del Sol"!

I'd been hearing murmurs for a couple days now, but couldn't believe it - until now. The murmurs were saying how the city government knew about this from the beginning but chose, for unknown reasons, to hide this little detail.

According to today's Madridiario article, that's what's happening. I guess if I were APPLE, I would naturally want MY OWN APPLE SIGN atop the building I now rent and renovated - as opposed to one advertising sherry - historic or not. APPLE knows that is PRIME advertising space, one EVERYONE will see upon coming to Madrid and one which will be on (nearly) every postcard - or maybe not!

The sign was put-up in 1936 and several attempts have been made to have it removed, but never did for one reason or another; high cost to do so, public outcry, etcetera. It taken down in 2011 "for cleaning and restoration, while the building was being renovated." Uh-huh. That was the story we were all told. Change of tune in the middle of the song, I'd say. I wonder if the sign really was being restored or not. They say they may "hang" the sign somewhere else in Madrid. We'll see.

RTVE article here - with video

Saludos, MadridMan