Sheep in Madrid!! Four-footed critters, baaah-ing, barking, or plodding along in front of carts; visiting rural people in traditional dress, strutting along in wooden clogs, waving enormous pennants, playing bagpipes (yes yes yes, bagpipes in Spain!), castanets, conch shells, getting their photo op in front of traditional Madrid sights like the Cathedral or the Puerta de Alcalá. Watch closely and you may spot someone in traditional dress on a a donkey or horse - talking on a cell phone!

All the two-legged have a great time: the visitors enjoying a day in the city, and the locals enjoying a bit of the vanishing rural Spain. Except maybe the shepherds, who must suffer for their poor, stressed-out four-footed charges: baaah. Hard stuff under my hooves, people wanting to pat me or take pictures of my baby?? What is this??  Baaah.

This not-to-be-missed yearly event usually happens late in October but can be in November or even in September. Watch the newspapers for exact date - or check back here - if I find out in time, date will be posted here and on the travel page Corkboard.

This flock usually grazes all winter in the Casa de Campo park, so if you miss them in the streets, you may still see them out there.