Between January 7 and 10, 2021, Filomena arrived in Madrid, the strongest snowstorm in the last 50 years.

 

I left home the day of Madrid’s great snowfall before dawn with the aim of shooting all the emblematic places of the city. I knew it was a historic moment and I didn´t know if it was going to happen again. When I left home, the blizzard was so strong that I almost turned back home, since I was afraid of damaging my equipment (I had it protected only with plastic). I spent the whole morning taking pictures of a white and almost empty city, a unique vision that I could hardly imagine. It was like being in a fairy tale. That's what I tried to transmit with my photographs, that feeling of walking through a magical and unreal world. 

 

In the afternoon, after charging batteries and strength, I portrayed another Madrid, in line with the magic of the morning, but this time a white coated city full of curious pedestrians enjoying the snow, children with their sleds, skiers and snowmen.

 

I walked almost 20 kms that day, through the snow and carrying my backpack with the equipment. All the fatigue and the cold were worth it. It was only in 1971 and 1904 that similar snowfalls were recorded in Madrid. I don't know if I'll ever experience one again, but it's already etched on my retina and in my files. Filomena was a heaven gift, in both ways.