Britain with sun? Madrid sets up its own 'mini-London'
Britain with sun? Madrid sets up its own 'mini-London'
MADRID has created its own 'Little London' with red telephone cabins and post boxes, black cabs, union jacks, 'mind the gap' signs and road names bearing the Westminster postcode.
Unfortunately for Spaniards who have always dreamed of visiting the British capital but never got around to it, they only have until tomorrow (Sunday) night to enjoy a taste of the UK with sun, since the Beefeater London District is a temporary trade fair site which will be taken down after the weekend.
Around 20 entrepreneurs starting up quirky, creative new business projects were picked out of a total of 200 entrants to join in the fair by a panel of judges involving three reporters and blog writers expert in design and the latest trends in fashion, music, travel, food and other lifestyle and leisure features, together with the IE Business School, Spain StartUp, Womenalia and AJE Madrid.
Stands in the square outside the Príncipe Pío metro station offer exciting new ideas such as the concept of Street Food, a fusion of oriental and Latin American cuisine sold in outdoor kiosks which includes sandwiches and baguettes made with ingredients produced locally.
An open-air bar will serve a full menu of gin-and-tonic cocktails, and other novelties include 3D DIY technology, the first robot waiter – named Macco – an electrical appliance which converts used cooking oil into soap, furniture made from recycled wood and cardboard, and the smallest hotel in the world.
The chain Room Mate Hotels, the brains behind which is the well-known Spanish businessman Kike Sarasola, is a converted transport container with all the creature comforts a guest could need – a plush bedroom, reception and mini-bar – and is designed by decoration expert Teresa Sapey.
Theatre plays on the street will be staged, lasting 21 minutes – which scientists reveal is the optimum concentration span of a human being – plus short musical documentaries on film, and an art gallery with pieces to suit every pocket, right down to the lowest budget.
Hand-crafted fashion and accessories made exclusively in Spain – and in fact, bearing the tag 'Made In Spain' on them – which have already won the hearts of British 'it-girls' and 'new gentlemen' will be on display and sale.
Illustrator Iván Solbes will speed-draw portraits of visitors, acoustic concerts by up-and-coming and already-established live bands as well as DJ sessions will keep anyone who passes through 'Little London' entertained, and they can also take a ride on an electric tricycle or chat to experts from the IE Business School about their new concerns or ideas for start-up projects, obtaining valuable advice.
Curiously, the Madrid Beefeater District is not the only 'Little London' in Europe – there is in fact one in the UK, which bears no resemblance whatsoever to the booming city with its famous bridges, ferris wheel, O2 dome and Big Ben.
A tiny hamlet with fewer than 10 houses, no signpost to reveal its whereabouts or even to tell you when you've arrived, no shops or bars and only wheat fields as far as the eye can see, Little London is found in the centre of the eastern county of Suffolk, belongs to the larger village of Combs, near Stowmarket, about halfway between the bustling cathedral market town of Bury St Edmunds and the county capital of Ipswich, just off the A-14.
Far from being the most unremarkable location in East Anglia as one could be forgiven for assuming, Little London is famous for being the home of celebrity chef and one-time patron for Norwich City FC, Delia Smith.
