Madrid | At 12.33pm (10.33pm AEST), in five seconds almost two-thirds of Spain disappeared off the grid. It wasn’t just that the lights suddenly went out. In the age of cashless payments and with virtually everything on your smartphone, millions rediscovered the joys of analogue technology.
By the time Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez finally addressed the nation six hours later, people in downtown Madrid were gathering around the old-fashioned transistor radio to get the latest news. Many spilled outdoors onto the footpaths to share drinks in the spring sunshine.
