1,250 sheep and 160 goats just commuted through central Madrid — bells, lambs and all

For one Sunday morning a year, Madrid's traffic gives way to a much older right of way. In the 33rd Transhumance Festival, shepherds led 1,250 sheep and 160 goats from the Casa de Campo park across the Puente del Rey and through the historic centre — bells chiming, lambs carried in arms, folk musicians playing, crowds lining the streets to photograph a river of wool flowing past the traffic lights. The festival defends transhumance, the centuries-old seasonal movement of flocks between pastures along Spain's ancient droving routes, the cañadas reales — many of which run straight under the modern city. This year's flock took a slightly different route through the old town, and nobody seemed to mind: the sheep, as always, had priority.