STREET LIFE & STREET BEER - JAMON MOFO
PHOTOS >> Madrid
sights / Madrid sounds
There's a lot of positive things to say about Madrid, not
least the fact that the people there are super friendly, the
wide streets are clean and beautiful and the food cheap and
tasty. Moreover, you could be fooled into thinking you were
in the greener districts of paris with it's tall trees and
massive 6 lane dual carriageways.
GETTING THERE
Was suprisingly quick, just a two hour flight from Heathrow
(though we were delayed on the run way) and a 20 min taxi
ride from the airport to the city centre. There are different
international and domestic airports and different two international
terminals so make sure on the return you allow for the travel
between the two. The International Terminal 4 (T4) is a stunning
aiport, with all marble floors, open glass walls and undulating
wooden ceilings - definitely a great entrance to the city
You can also take the metro from the airport into town which
is a lot cheaper option if you can't fill the taxi. This is
mainland spain so make sure you have the address of where
you're going written down cause a hotel name alone isn't going
to get you anywhere.
ACCOMODATION
We booked via lastminute.com
which worked very well, though there is a wide choice of hotels
at a range of prices so whether you want to backpack or 5
star there are plenty of options. Rooms are relatively small
for the price so don't expect a cavern. We stayed at the Vincci
Centrum hotel which was a four star... the rooms were
small but very well fitted out. I would certainly recommend
centrum or the Vincci chain to stay in - though do check the
location and type of your room as the street-side rooms can
be noisy and the others may not even have a window! It's worth
checking
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
It does take a bit of time to work out how to get around
Madrid. A map is essential at first before you work out your
main roads - The Gran Via is a good place to start. The city
is separated into districts - mostly referenced by the metro
stop that is nearest (which probably explains the naming).
I'd recommend going into some of the local cafe's in Chueca
to pick up some of the local magazines which contain guides
to the local social calendar and night life. Loocmadrid
is a good start.
The first thing we did was go and eat. Like any city, price
doesn't guarantee quality, particularly in tourist areas so
choose your location from a guide book (we used lonely planet).
The C. de la Cava Baja had a
great range of choice and on Sunday in particular had that
great street vibe that you only get in the Meditteranean.
On the first night we pre-booked a table at a restaurant in
Chueca (Soho) and were suprised
at how easy it was to walk there. Madrid is mostly walking
distance, for the central area at least. Cafe
Oliver was exactly what we wanted it to be - good food,
good service and reasonably priced. We splashed out a bit
on both food and wine / cava / champagne.. but it still came
to less than €50 each.
Bar culture in Madrid is quite studenty, packed bars with
loud music and flowing alcohol - brilliant if that's what
you're looking for - the area around Corredera
Alta de S.Pablo reminded me a bit of camden town. Unfortunately
some of the people we were with were looking for something
a bit more clubby and more upmarket so we looked again - and
found the Stromboli Cafe (Hortaleza,
96 - nearest metro Chueca) which was a god send. Impressive
live djing and fantastic measures in the cocktails really
kicked things off. The decor is very neo-80's and the clientele
a pre-club crowd. Spot on. It was hard to motivate ourselves
to go anywhere else.
STREET BEER!
One thing to look out for is the street sellers, on most
corners selling street beer,
soft drinks and the same sandwich, which has been preserved
for years and passed down through the generations from street
seller to street seller. Do not be fooled by the packaging.
Street beer is the only life I know, however, be wary of the
alcohol content, horrific taste and inevitable hangover.
Despite the hangover, Neil and I decided to leave the ladies
to stroll while we went for a run - which turned out to be
one of the highlights of the weekend - the
Parque del Buen Retiro is as magnificent as any park
I've seen with an impressive diversity of styles, functions
and plant life. It's also a weekend hang out for the locals
so it's a good way to sample local madrid.
It's hard to really single out any of the historic buildings
and monuments in Madrid as being better than any other - the
architecture and condition of the buildings is of high quality
- all well situated along these wide, expressive streets.
REAL MADRID
A couple of the fellas went on a tour of the Real Madrid
stadium which was only €15, and got to see the bench,
pitch, changing rooms and trophy room. If it's your thing
it's not a bad option.
SHOPPING
The main area for shopping is definitely around the Gran
Via / Opera Metro stations. The big high street names are
there in abundance - though we found the Fuencarral
(a.k.a. Fun Carral) is your carnaby street / Neil street style
road with the more funky / retro / youth orientated brands,
becoming more boutiquey as you get closer to Chueca. We were
lucky enough that there was a street festival on while we
were there - The Pura Vida festival - there were some impressive
bands performing on a live stage just off the street and street
vending beer stands all the way along its length. It was the
first time we all felt we had experienced some of the youth
culture of Madrid as otherwise it's not obvious.. was was
particularly obvious was the number of post-op trannies who
hunt in packs.
Chueca is definitely one of the more gay areas of Madrid
if not the epicentre, and as a result has a great atmosphere
of cafes, bars and boutiques. Your also close to some great
Tapas & Authentic restaurants on Calle
Libertad and C. de Barbieri.
CLUBBING
Like any city, what's good one weekend in one place isn't
necessarily going to be good the next weekend, but having
said that, PACHA in madrid is
always going to be a safe bet. We all wanted something a bit
harder and ended up in a club called Cool
which, despite being gay, lived up to it's name. We went in
a group of mostly girls and found an empty area on the floor
above the dance floor that was like a separate VIP area and
just took it over.. don't think I'd go again but it was a
laugh. Other clubs we heard of were Ohm & Goa, but can't
vouch for them.
OVERALL
I liked Madrid, but like any holiday, the best part is normally
the company you keep and it was certainly that that made the
weekend. Madrid is a good canvas for a good time, but I think
you could feel more inspired by Barcelona. Madrid is quite
a local's city and I can see why they would like to keep it
how it is. I liken it most to Paris - it's got some great
sights, beautiful buildings and great food, but after you've
done that a few times you habituate to it and it all becomes
samey. It then takes time, local knowledge and effort to really
come to love the city and appreciate it's charms. The question
is - are you prepared to invest? That's where Paris and Madrid
are different.
PHOTOS >> Madrid
sights / Madrid sounds
by Richard Garner
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