Mad About Madrid

San Lorenzo de El Escorial and Valle de los Caidos

The town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is situated in the Guadarrama Sierra, around 60 kilometres from Madrid. The main attraction of the town is the monastery of El Escorial, built by the Spanish King Phillip II to commemorate the victory against the French in 1557 and was considered the ‘eighth wonder of the world’. The monastery was the work of Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera. Like many other parts of central Spain, like Segovia and Avila, El Escorial is a UNESCO world heritage site. It was recognised as the political centre of Phillip II’s empire and was completed in 1584, the actual interior decoration wasn’t competed until the start of the 17th Century. The size of the place was meant to characterise the size of the empire: huge and the idea was to belittle visitors – it certainly succeeds!

Las Bravas - great tapas bar in Madrid

A short walk from Madrid's Puerta del Sol you will find a bar called Las Bravas. It is a very simple bar, with standing room only and very noisy. But here you will find some of the best 'bravas' in Madrid. Patatas bravas are small chunks of potato, cooked like chips (fries) and served with a spicy red sauce. There are a chain of bars like this across Madrid and the sign inside the bar proudly says that they have patented the recipe for the sauce! I would also recommend the calamares and tortilla, which is served with the bravas sauce, too. At night it is a busy place which echoes to the sound of the waiters shouting: "unas bravas". It is a good place to start the evening before moving on to Plaza Santa Ana.

Address: C/ Álvarez Gato 3
Metro: Sol

El Schotis - a typical Madrid Restaurant

On one of Madrid’s most historic streets, Cava Baja, you will find restaurant Schotis. Since Medieval times Cava Baja used to be the place where travellers to Madrid would arrive on horse or by coach and it was lined with ‘posadas’ and taverns. Today it is quite a vibrant street with many bars and good quality restaurants.

El Schotis is at the beginning of the street, as you come from Plaza Mayor. The bar in the front of the restaurant, from where you can eat great tapas, disguises the restaurant in the back, where you will find traditional Castilian fare which includes roast lamb, steaks, hake ‘Cocido’ (stew made with chick peas, chorizo and meat) and home-made desserts. On the walls of the restaurant you will find paintings by the Spanish artist Eduardo Vicente. El Schotis is thought of as the first restaurant of its kind in this street.

Address: Cava Baja, 11.
Metro: Latina

Related
Casa Lucio - a restaurant fit for a king!

Disney on Ice arrives in Madrid!

Today sees the first day of the Disney on Ice show in Madrid. The show carries the subtitle '100 years of Magic' and will feature all Disney's classical characters, like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Jimmy Cricket. The show is split into 2 parts and visitors will be able to see scenes from classic Disney films like 'Beauty and the Beast', 'Aladdin', 'Mulan', 'Toy Story' and 'the Lion King'. The show will also feature songs, such as 'Can you feel the love tonight?' from the 'Lion King'. It will run until the 22nd February at the Palacio Vistalegre.

Timetable: Thursday - 7 pm; Friday - 7.30 pm; Saturday - 12 pm, 4 pm & 7.30 pm; Sunday - 12 pm, 4 pm & 7.30 pm.
Prices: from 15 to 40 Euros. Family ticket 16 Euros/person for family of 4.
Ticket Offices:El Corte Inglés stores, Servicaixa (902 33 22 11) or in any Halcón Viajes travel agent.
Address: Palacio de Vistalegre
Metro: Oporto or Vista Alegre
Related Article: Mad About Madrid: Skiing in Madrid

Café de Oriente

The Café de Oriente enjoys one of the finest views of any eating/drinking establishment in Madrid. It is situated in the Plaza de Oriente, and is directly opposite the Royal Palace and next to the Opera House. The café is a great place to have a mid-afternoon coffee, or even a hot chocolate and to look out over the plaza. Given the style of its interior, it is hard to believe that it opened in 1983 - it certainly looks like it was built at the turn of the 20th century or even earlier. However, in the cellars/vaults, where the restaurant is situated, you will see the remains of the 17th century convent of San Gil. During the summer its open terrace is a great place for people watching. The menus may be a bit pricey but it is still possible to enjoy a menú del día for under 10 Euros.

Address: Plaza de Oriente, 2
Metro: Ópera

See also: Madrid Restaurants

ARCO - Contemporary Arts Fair

On Thursday, 12th February the Queen of Spain, Sofia, will open the 23rd "Contemporary Arts Fair" - ARCO at the Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre. On display will be works of art from 218 galleries representing 32 different countries, 93 of the galleries are Spanish. Every year one country has a special invitation and this year it will be Greece, which will be represented by 15 galleries from Athens and Thessalonica.

Opening Times
Thurs February 12th: 2 p.m. - 9 p.m.; Fri 13th - Mon 16th February: 12 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Admission Prices
Thursday 12th (afternoon) 19 €; Friday 13th - Monday 16th 23 €
General Admission + Official Catalogue (*) 50 €
Students: Thurs 12th (afternoon): 13 €; Fri 13th - Mon 16th February: 16 €
Metro
Line 8 - Campo de las Naciones
Bus
No. 122 from Avenida de América

Photographic Street Map

I just came across a neat site, from QDQ, which allows you to type in a Madrid address and building number and it will return an image of what that building looks like. So if you're booking a hotel or hostal, a restaurant or even to rent a new flat, simply type in the address and the website will return an image of that building. If you want to test it out, take a look at the shops listed on the Shopping Archives section of this site.

Fundación Juan March - Exhibition of etchings and drawings

From the 6th February the Fundación Juan March will be putting on another high quality exhibition, this time with a selection of etchings and drawings from the Edmond de Rothschild Collection at the Louvre, Paris. The collection includes 84 masterpieces, which date from the 15th Century through to the 18th Century. Some of the more well-kown artists include Rembrandt (see above image), Raphael and Van Dyck. The exhibition is broken down into the following areas: 1. The incunables. 2. The Renaissance in Europe. 3. European Baroque. 4. Rembrandt. 5. 18th Century. 6. Revolution.

Opening times:
Monday to Saturday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sundays and holidays: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m..
Guided visits:
Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m
Friday: 4.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m
Address: c/ Castelló, 77
Metro: Nuñez de Balboa (lines 5 & 9)

Career waiters and not a 'latte', 'frappe' or 'mocha' in sight!

One of the great pleasures in Madrid is having a coffee at one of the hundreds of coffee shops. You can try anything from your the typical café con leche (in a glass, small cup or large cup) and café solo through to café con hielo (coffee on house) and café cortado. Coffee is ground in front of you and made in the huge, usually Italian, coffee machines. The whole café resounds to the sound of coffee machines, grinders, orders being shouted out and coffee saucers being banged down in front of your eyes. What a treat!

Madrid Visitor Book

After many months I thought it was about time to add a visitor book to this site (blog!). Please feel free to add your comments about the site, suggestions or any links you think may be of interest. This will help Mad About Madrid offer the best possible information on Madrid to visitors. Simply add your details below, or click on the 'comments' button if you're on the home page. Thanks for your input!