Today, this unrepentant traveler has decided to take a trip through the generally fascinating universe of nostalgia and invite you to participate in a visit to one of those places, unfortunately on the verge of extinction, where you can quench your thirst without losing sight of a yesterday, which, in the memories of many of us, is part of the still and also of the yet, as that other Don Quixote of Argentine metaphysics, Jorge Luis Borges, would say: Bodegas Casas.
Located on the edge of the popular Avenida de Menendez Pelayo, at number 23 of the equally popular and extensive Avenida de la Ciudad de Barcelona, this traditional Madrid establishment is also a school where you can immerse yourself in the metaphorical amniotic fluid of an eloquent journey through time, perfect for awakening sensations.
Likewise, ideal for reconnecting with the intense flavor of authentic draft vermouth, well-poured, foamy beer where each sip leaves comparative layers of ring-shaped foam around the glass, and the delights of aperitifs and traditional cuisine, it's also a small museum, whose decor, in addition to that promised journey back in time, also represents an evolutionary journey through that circumstance that has acquired such relevance, especially now, in the current Digital Age: Marketing.
A retrospective view of those small glimpses where creativity began to enter our lives, adopting the forms of the era that were etched into our hearts by many of those same brands, which, in many cases, gradually became the large corporations that continue to utilize all the resources of new technologies to remain in the spotlight of society.
The dust that time accumulates on the formidable collections of beverages, whose evolution has also continued, in many cases, adapting to new demands for flavors and pleasures, contrasts, on the other hand, with other period objects, such as old barber chairs, which make us think, with a smile on our lips, of those days when we were beginning our careers as gentlemen and how proud we felt when we imitated Dad, even though we sometimes protested when the barber's scissors hurt us, leaving us with a small haircut.
The discreet backroom dining rooms, where meetings once took on a special flavor, amidst the cigar smoke that blurred the vision of those mysterious figures who watched us from beyond the immortality afforded them by old, cracked black and white photographs, which also remind us of the significant evolution of an industry that has also continued to grow and increasingly captures the attention of consumers and influencers of all kinds and backgrounds: fashion.
In short: a small school where pleasure is not at all at odds with memory, and where it's worth allowing yourself to be seduced, especially if, as a restless traveler, you wish one day to once again feel, experience, and above all, savor that old Madrid of your memories.
NOTICE: Both the text and the accompanying photographs are my exclusive intellectual property and are therefore subject to my copyright.