Mad About Madrid

New Banner Header for Mad About Madrid

If you're not a first-time visitor, you will see that I have a brand, spanking-new header. Over the past couple of weeks I have been making modifications to this site and felt that I had to start developing a new brand with nice images of Madrid. My images of Madrid are very amateurish, so I thought I would ask someone whose digital photographs of the city I have a great appreciation of. That's why last week I asked Ramón Durán, whose stunning photographs you can find on Flickr,if he wouldn't mind using his photos to create a new collage. As you can gather he said yes.

If you haven't seen his wonderful pictures of Madrid, and places he's travelled to, make sure you head over to Flickr to view his work. I am sure that like me you will be blown away with some of his photography. And by the way this is his hobby -he is a Urologist by trade!

Thank you very much Ramón.

A Note on Mad About Madrid logo
The inspiration for this new logo came from a few sources. The colours are actually those of the flag and coat of arms of the community of Madrid. The exclamation marks are ever so slightly influenced by Tom Peters, the business guru. The reason that the exclamation marks are upside down on one side is because that's how they are written in Spanish.

Special Mention from Guardian Unlimited

I was told this morning that Mad About Madrid had received a special mention in the Guardian Unlimited's  "Best of the net- The alternative Travvies awards". Though it didn't win Sean Dobson's award as Best Destination Blog, he did say:

The destination category is strong and it would be remiss of us not to mention in dispatches madaboutmadrid.com

There's always next year!

 

Madrid's Easter Programme 2007

If you're off to Madrid for Easter, you may want to take a look at the range of processions and concerts that the city council has put on for its citizens. The following link takes you to the EsMadrid site where you can get more information.

Rolling Stones to Announce Tour Dates

If you're a Rolling Stones fan, you may want to listen out for a press conference that they will give on Thursday, 22nd March. It has been rumoured that they will play the Estadio Vicente Calderón, Madrid on the 28th June, 2007. Watch out for more news tomorrow.

**UPDATE**
The Rolling Stones have confirmed that they will play Madrid's Vicente Calderón on the 28th June, 2007. 

The Urban Gastronomic Market comes to Madrid

From the 22nd to the 25th March, 2007 the Plaza Santa Ana becomes home to the Mercado Gastronómico Urbano de Madrid or the Urban Gastronomic Market of Madrid (incidentally, this event looks like it takes place every quarter). Plaza Santa Ana is a well-known Madrid nighttime hot spot but is also a very pretty square which includes the Teatro Español and the famous Reina Victoria Hotel (now the ME Madrid Reina Victoria).

As most people know Spain is recognized for its gastronomic excellence - though even here (with the rise of giant supermarkets) they feel it important to organize a festival that helps city people get a closer look at the products that are produced from around Spain. There will be live presentations and the chance to sample food and drink. From the (bloody awful!) website I gather that you can buy products like wine, olive oil, cheeses, honey, cider, packed fish and pretty much any other food you could wish for!

Links
La Plaza Mercado Gastronómico Urbano de Madrid (official website of this organisation).

Source
Madrid Me Mata

A Selection of Bullfighting Blogs

I was just doing some surfing around local Madrid blogs, including Madrid Me Mata, esmadriz! and La Bitacora de Moeh, when I stumbled upon a blog roll on Nuevo Periodismo which linked to bullfighting blogs. For some strange reason I had never thought that people would blog about bullfighting, but there again why wouldn't they?

On these sites people blog about all things related to bullfighting, from the bullfights to the people who go, to the people involved in the business. Some of the images on these sites are quite stunning - and I don't just mean the ones from the Plaza but also the ones where the bulls and horse riders are in the campo.

Here is a selection that I found on there.    
* A los toros    
* Alicia Ureña    
* Cornadas para todos
* Desde el tendido 6    
* Desde la charrería (on MySpace)
* La Tienta    
* Los toros de A. Hervás    
* Taurofilia    
* Torear

On a related subject, there will be a new film coming out in the Summer on the most famous bullfighter of them all, Manolete. Directed by  Menno Meyes, it will star Adrien Brody as Manolete and the cast includes Penélope Cruz, Santiago Segura and Juan Echanove (household names in Spain).

Diario de Madrid Exhibition

Madrid, al paso. Fotografías del Diario de Madrid realizadas entre 1926 y 1971 is an exhibition of photographs which appeared in the Madrid newspaper Diario de Madrid (and some which didn't get to be published) between 1926 and 1971. They give a fascinating insight into the people who lived in the city and the changes that have taken place over the course of this period.

It is divided up into 4 subject areas: the city, business, the streets and the people (the man in the street and personalities). Some of the pictures are really interesting - such as Salvador Dalí eating food, a horse and cart being used in construction near the Palacio Real, trams going through the Plaza Mayor and a waiters' race complete with wine bottles and glasses! The one with Gary Cooper giving crowds a fascist salute looks a bit suspect, though.

The exhibition includes 170 photos and runs from the 13th March to the 29th April; admission is free. 

Location
Fundación Diario Madrid (C/ Larra 14).
Times
Mon - Sat: 10.30 am to 8.30 pm & Sun10.30 am to 2.30 pm

Ballet Nacional Returns to Madrid

From the 15th to the 25th March, 2007 you will have a chance to see one of Spain's most famous flamenco dancers, Antonio Canales. There are three parts to the show: Cambalache, Dualia y Caprichos - the first part was created by Antonio Canales and also features him as one of the dancers. The performances can be seen at the Teatro La Zarzuela and ticket prices range from 11 to 32 euros.

Click for Google Map details.

Mad About Madrid Amazon Store UK

The other day I mentioned that I had just completed adding items on to my new Mad About Madrid Amazon Store (or aStore). Well, thanks to my wife Olga (cheers Ol) the Amazon UK store is now up and running. Please, take a look around it and, like the US one, let me know if I have missed out on any important products.

Easter Tour of Madrid

Much like I did back last year I will be offering my own walking and tapas tours of Madrid this Easter (between 5th and 13th April  ). Here is an overview of the tours:

Walking Tour - They are designed to take people on tours of some of my favourite Madrid haunts, from streets, buildings, plazas, parks, museums and, definitely, a bar! The plan is for the the tours to last around 3-4 hours and will include a coffee stop and a beer/tapa stop towards the end.

The Tapas Tours will take you round my favourite tapas bars in central Madrid and will be combined with a running commentary of the barrios/locations we will be walking through as we do our 'bar hop'. I expect that we will go to around 4 - 5 locations and it will take about 3-4 hours.

My intention is to take people to places that they would never have thought of going and to give valuable advice on how to make your stay in Madrid the best possible. This advice will include useful tips and advice which you can use for the rest of your stay in Madrid, from events, venues, bars, restaurants, ways to save money and excursions.

Seeing as it is Easter, the tour will also have a certain feel about it and I will show be showing off some of the sights of Madrid at Easter (that means we'll see one or two churches!).

The cost will be 55 Euros (a 35 Euro deposit will be required beforehand) for the walking tour and 85 Euros for the tapas tour (the latter will include drinks and tapas in four places). I envisage that groups will be quite small - probably no more than 6 people - and suggest you email me to book your place and to find out more information.

If you're interested in any other specific tour experiences - food, for example, - let me know.

39th National Stamp Fair in Madrid

If you know Madrid at all, you will know that the Plaza Mayor (on Sundays), and the shops around this square, are a favourite haunt of philatelists. Well, from the 7th to the 11th March, 2007 the 39th National Stamp Fair in Madrid will be held in the Plaza Mayor. There will be 21 commercial stalls selling stamps and coins and a special exhibition displaying stamps from the Scout movement. The Real Casa de la Moneda (Spanish Royal Mint) will also be displaying coins and stamps - these are usually held in their (Madrid) museum. It will be possible to purchase a coin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

Mad About Madrid Store

Today, I am putting live the Mad About Madrid Amazon Store (or aStore). I have collected some of my favourite Spanish-related books, CDs and DVDs and created an Amazon aStore where visitors can view and purchase these products. There are well over a 100 products on there and I intend to increase the selection over the next few months. The current store is hosted on Amazon.com but within the next day or so I will put an Amazon.co.uk site live. Please let me know if I have missed out on any important products.