Mad About Madrid

Ice Rink comes to the Retiro Park

Within the next couple of weeks the City Council of Madrid will install an ice rink in Retiro Park - the first time that they have ever done this in the park. In an area where roller skating is practiced, the council will create a huge rink, complete changing rooms, people to help you skate and facilities to rent out boots. The ice rink will be set up in December and run through until January and it is anticipated that you will be able to listen to live music in the area surrounding the rink.

360° Virtual Tours of Madrid

I came across a pretty cool website today, which offers visitors 360° virtual tours of some of Madrid's most famous landmarks. Madrid Virtual have taken images of landmarks as famous as Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real, Teatro Real, Plaza de Callao, the Almudena Cathedral and Puerto de Sol many more. You simply select the location you want and pan around or zoom in/out of an image.

The website was set up by 2 architects/photograhers/technofiles who share a passion for Madrid and who, long term, intend to take 360° tours of 171 locations that they have idenitifed. Their website can be viewed in both Spanish and English and it is possible to buy stunning images of the city in both CD-Rom or poster form.

Woody Allen and the New Orleans Jazz Band play Madrid at Christmas

On the 26th December Woody Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band will be playing at the Palacio Municipal de Congresos in the Campo de las Naciones exhibition (a previous summer show had to be postponed and Woody Allen promised he would return soon). The tickets for the show will go on sale at all branches of the Caixa Catalunya bank or by telephone on 902 10 12 12. You can also buy tickets through Telentrada.com - if I'm correct you can buy with a Credit Card and pick up the tickets through a machine at the venue (though, you'd better check beforehand).

Metro: Campo de las Naciones (line 8)

La Trocha - the place for Brazilian Caipirinhas

In Madrid's c/Huertas you will find a small bar called La Trocha. This bar has been around for over 25 years, serving the famous Brazilian drink Caipirinha. The way they make caipirinha is by cutting lemons up into small pieces and using a press to squeeze the juice out of them. To this is added ice and sugar with a good measure of the Brazilian liquor Cachaça to finish off - it is simply gorgeous!! It's so good that 80% of all bar sales come from this drink. La Trocha itself is quite small but very cosy and the jazz music that is played in the background adds to the atmosphere.

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Mamma Mia, the musical, comes to Madrid

The International hit, Mamma Mia, has finally landed in Madrid. The show, written by Catherine Johnson, opens on the 11th November in the Teatro Lope de Vega de Madrid. The musical has been translated into Spanish by Juan Martinez Moreno and the lyrics of the songs by Albert Mas-Griera. Mamma Mia is said to be the biggest musical in the world, with over 18 million people having seen it.

The story unfolds on a tiny Greek island. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings 3 men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. The show is in Spanish and its main characters are: Nina, Marta Valverde and Paula Sebastiá.

Address: Teatro Lope de Vega de Madrid (Gran Vía, 57).
Times: Tues-Thurs at 8pm; Fri & Sat: 6pm & 10pm; Sun: 7pm
Price: 15 - 65 euros. Ticket Sales: Box Office and El Corte Inglés (www.elcorteingles or 902 40 02 22)

Links of Interest
Mamma Mia Official site
El Mundo Preview

Spanish Language Bookshops and Conversation Exchanges

If you're learning Spanish in Madrid, then it's quite likely that you will probably need to buy some books. You may also be interested in participating in a language exchange, where you can speak Spanish with a native speaker and vicce versa.

The Casa del Libro offers a great selection of Spanish Language Study Books and is probably where most people purchase their Spanish books from. If you want English Language books you can also find a small section here. Here are the two main locations (the 2nd is my preferred one):
Locations: Gran Vía, 29 | Metro: Gran Vía; Maestro Victoria, 3 | Metro: Sol or Callao

FNAC is one huge book/electronic/music department store and also has a good selection of Spanish language books.
Location: Preciados, 28 | Metro: Callao

Crisol is another place where you can find Spanish Language Books. They have a number of shops across the city.
Locations: Marqués de Casa Riera, 2 | Metro: Banco de España; Serrano, 24 | Metro: Serrano

Petra's International Bookshop is also a good place to pick up second-hand books. It is also a great place to meet up with people for conversation exchanges. They are open from 11am to 9pm.
Location: C/ Campomanes, 13. Metro Opera - Santo Domingo

O´Neills´s Pub is also a good place to go for language exchanges on Tuesday evenings. They start at 10pm and you should ask for David.
Location: C/ Príncipe, 12 . Metro Sevilla/Sol.

Cafe Madrid is the place to go for language exchanges on Wednesday evenings (starting at 9pm) - you should ask for Fran.
Location: C/ Escalinata | Metro Opera

Wings & Beer have been meeting every Tuesday for around 2 years to practice languages, meet people, organize parties, trips, etc. Location: C/ Martín de los Heros, 4 | Metro Banco de España

Lola at Estudio Sampere has also told me that the school organises exchange parties once a month and they have a list of people who are interested in language exchanges.

Teaching English in Madrid (an American perspective)

Over the past month I have had a lot of emails from people asking for advice on teaching English in Madrid. Well, here's an interesting article that American English teacher Steven Starry just sent me entitled Making it as a Freelance English Teacher in Spain. Though addressing many issues facing US teachers in Madrid, it does offer some sound practical advice on living and working in Madrid for UK and other nationals.

See Also
Madrid Teacher

SIMO TCI - IT, Consumer Electronics and E-business Fair opens 9th November in Madrid

SIMO TCI is Madrid's annual 'data processing, multimedia and communications' fair and this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. The huge exhibition occupies 7 halls at the Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre. Sectors include: Information Technology, Consumer Electronics, Professional Software, E-business & the Internet and Telecommunications and all the big names including Canon, Sony, Sagem, Microsoft and Apple will be there. The exhibition centre can be reached by both Metro and bus and ticket prices are 25 euros for a professional pass (for all days) or 10 euros for weekend entry.

Luz Casal, Anastacia, Faithless and The Prodigy play Madrid

Here are a selection of pop/rock concerts that are going on in Madrid this month (November):

The Prodigy
Date: 3rd November | 8.30 pm
Price: 28.50 euros
Venue: La Riviera Paseo Virgen del Puerto s/n)
Tickets: Fnac, Madrid Rock & Tiendas Tipo.

Revolvér
Date: 4th November | 9.30 pm Price: 21 euros
Venue: Sala La Riviera (Paseo Virgen del Puerto, s/n)
Tickets: Box office and www.elcorteingles.es (902 40 02 22).

Luz Casal
Date: 5th November | 10 pm; Price: 27 to 33 euros
Venue: Palacio de Congresos (Paseo de la Castellana, 99)
Tickets: Fnac, Madrid Rock, Tiendas Tipo and www.ticktackticket.com.

New Madrid Tourist Travel Pass Launched

From today, November 1st, a new travel pass will be issued in Madrid which will offer tourists the chance to sample some of the surrounding areas of Madrid. Tourists will have the option of buying 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 day passes for travel within central Madrid and further afield. The towns of Aranjuez, El Escorial, Alcalá de Henares, and even the cities of Guadalajara and Toledo can be visited using this pass. The cost starts from 3.5 Euros for a central Madrid day pass to 36.70 Euros for a week pass. Tickets will only be available from these stations to begin: Barajas Airport, Méndez Álvaro, Chamartín and Atocha-Renfe, though it will be extended to include the whole network in the future. It will also be possible to purchase it at numerous tobacconists and news-stands; in tourist areas and through the Internet. More information can be found on Metro Madrid (English).

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