What to shop for in Spain and where to shop??
 

So my dear wife is interested in shopping (not good for my wallet) when we will be in Spain .. Here are the places we are visiting and the number of days ...

Dec 14 Cordoba
Dec 16 Seville
Dec 19 Ronda
Dec 23 Granada
Dec 25 Madrid
Dec 30 Leave

What would one shop for ourselves? What are some of the absolute must-buys? what are some of the nice-to-haves to self? What are some of the popular souvenirs for friends and family? what are the best places for the good price deals?? Do not want to get ripped off in a touristy manner ... For reference point, we are an indian couple living in the US for 10 years or so ...

Feedback will be much appreciated ...

For you, leather [shoes, bags, coats...]

Granada has some lovely Moorish marquetry - a local specialty.

We bought t-shirts for our sons and fridge magnets for friends, as we had to travel light.

I always buy Lladros when I go to Spain.

I made my selection on line. Otherwise I would never be a ble to make up my mind!LOL

www.lladro.com

things i take back to family:

maja soap ( black soap)
heno de pravia bath/shower gel
marcona almonds
anchovy flavor filled olives
olive oil
manchego cheese
fans
long life whipping cream (doesn't need to be refrigerated)

they have some cute, crazy aprons now with flamenco ruffles, etc. that are adorable

nice ceramic platters or cookie plates ( you can find very attractive designs from each region fo spain)

saffron

i am sure many of the food items can be bought at specialty shops in the USA but .. for lack of better things to take over. this is my list

hard to say where to buy things. corte inglés is sometimes the worst place for touristy items, but can be excellent otherwise.

best to get things when you see them as you may never see them again.

turones in madrid. if buying them as a present to take home by plane, they come packaged in pretty boxes

If you like to cook, buy some smoked paprika and some Carmencita paella seasoning. In most cities, you will have a great store called El Corte Ingles. They have a terrific supermarket where you can pick up these items. Also, in Spain they have an almond candy called turron. It is traditionally eaten at Christmas but you can find it throughout the year.

Ronda is known for their ceramics. Tough to travel with, but pretty.

One thing we bought that we loved was our colored engravings, such as these:


http://www.grabadossomera.com/en_06_..._ronda.jsp.htm


There is a little store in Ronda with nice stuff. We have them framed in our kitchen and they look great.

If you are thinking of bringing back some art, a great tip is to take a hard cardboard mailing tube with you that will fit inside your suitcase. It makes bringing unwrinkled art home much easier.

Shopping in Madrid:
http://www.turismomadrid.es/COMU/DOC...canto_INGL.pdf
http://www.turismomadrid.es/COMU/DOC...osCom_INGL.pdf

I brought my house-sitter a really gorgeous fan two years ago. And ever since wished I'd gotten myself one as well. I also picked up a lovely little oil painting of the Catalonian countryside (we spent a lot of time in Barcelona).

This is the perfect time of year to buy Christmas sweets and cookies.
Turrón, as mentioned abouve comes in two kinds: de Alicante, which is hard, with whole almonds, and de Jijona, a soft turrón made from almonds as well. I like the Alicante better. There is also turrón de yema, made with eggs, and chocolate turrón etc.
Marzipan is also big during Christmas as well as "roscas de vino" and assorted mantecados (cookies).

All these sweets male lovely and much appreciated gifts.

I like to bring back a tin of olive oil (in my suitcase) and a nice bottle of Jerez.

For shopping,The big department store is El Corte Inglés. Madrid has several locations.

Hi, vibhav -

Are you still planning to stop in Toledo? If so, you might consider buying some damascene. And I second the recommendation of marquetry from Granada.

Enjoy!

i bought shawls and hand painted fans from seville as souvenirs. whenever i visit a museum i always buy those art guide books from museums gift shops. it makes a nice coffee table book and souvenir.

Bad timing! The sales don't begin until 7 Jan.

Robert, not really. We don´t have "real" sales yet, but almost all the shops have special offers, trying to get the people to spend money-

Vibhav, I always like fans, and they are really useful during summer.

Bye, Cova

Great links Revulgo - thanks for that :)

And I second kja's recommendation for damascene in Toledo. I bought a mens pendant with a Moorish design at the sword factory there. My wife bought a brooch. Beautiful, inexpensive memento.

Cannot thank you all enough ... This is such great info ... Thanks a lot to ALL of you ...
I have to be honest.. some of the names and things you mention here are completely new to us ... So my wife will be doing some basic google research on these to educate ourselves to save from asking silly questions here ... We will come back and ask questions that this forum is meant for :-) ... Thanks once again .. My wife is overjoyed to have such great shopping tips and ideas ...

uhoh_busted writes: <<I brought my house-sitter a really gorgeous fan two years ago. And ever since wished I'd gotten myself one as well. ... >

Several other responders including the highly respected lincasanova also mentioned fans. Be sure the fans you buy are Made in Spain (not Chinese plastic) and buy them from a reputable dealer. Ask the lady who is selling them to give you a short lesson on their use.

My wife's sister-in-law brought us some fans & showed granddaughters all the motions required. They were both enthralled! They couldn't take their eyes off her as she 'worked' her fan. Our daughter (their Mother) was also quite impressed.

'Working' an Abanico in the Spanish fashion is an Art in itself. It's complex, and it takes years of practice.

Hi vibhav,
From the wonderful pdf link that Revulgo posted-"Charming Shops" you have several that are within walking distance of your Old Madrid hotel.

There are many in that file that are my favorites-old-time, traditional, family run shops that I hope live on forever! and don't get sold to make a Zara boutique!!

If your wife likes espadrilles, "Casa Crespo" is the place, along with "Casa Herranz" on Toledo 18 (-actually a cord shop)

If you'd like an adorable costume for your 3 yr. old, "Maty" sells both regional costumes for children and flamenco dresses for little girls.

For ceramics I head to "Antigua Casa Talavera" with a huge assortment-some quite expensive, but smaller pieces not so, and tiles that make nice coasters and are easy to carry home.

"Casa de Diego" for fans or "Gil Sucesor De Antolin Quevedo" on Carrera San Jerónimo 2 (fans and shawls).

And speaking of Xmas and Epiphany treats, since you'll be in Madrid for 5 nights, you might enjoy picking up a Roscón de Reyes, the traditional ring-shaped Kings' cake/bread (with a surpise-a good luck plastic figurine baked inside).
Three great places to shop for it are the "Pastelería del Pozo", "La Santiguesa" (Mayor 33) and "El Riojano" (I like to have tea in the small back room).

And for that turrón, the traditional place to purchase it is "Casa Mira".

For marrons glacés and "leña vieja" (trunk shaped chocolates), a great place to go is "La Violeta".

Happy shopping!

Saffron

Hemp shoes from Casa Hernanz on Calle Toledo off the Plaza Mayor. I ask people for an outline of their foot and give to the clerk.

Sargadelos-hip Lladros.

I should be adding another 2 days for shopping it seems ;-) ...

This is just fabulous information .. Thanks to ALL ...

Any pearls of wisdom for good places to get damascene in Toledo??