**** Discoteche/   Web stradivariusconcerti.com

World Disco

Grazie a www.travelpuppy.com

Madrid Travel Guide Madrid Travel Guide and Barcelona Travel Information - TravelPuppy.com According to the Arab chroniclers, it was in AD 852 that the Emir of Córdoba, Mohamed I (AD 852–886), ordered a fortress to be built on the left bank of the Manzanares River, the geographical centre of the Iberian Peninsula. He named the settlement ‘Mayrit’ and in it lay the seeds of the city now known as Madrid. Traces of this flourishing Moorish town survive to this day, in a section of town wall, muralla Arabe, near the Royal Palace, as well as in the mudéjar architectural style of Madrid’s oldest church, San Nicolás de las Servitas. Mayrit (or Magerit) was situated in a strategically important location and Christians and Arabs fought bitterly over the territory up until late in the 11th century, when Alfonso VI finally settled matters by capturing the Alcázar after a 3 year siege. However, it would be another 500 years before Philip II took the historic decision, in 1561, to move his capital from Valladolid to Madrid. Today, Madrid remains Spain’s financial and political core, home to the Cortes (Parliament), Senate and Royal Family, as well as the extraordinary cultural riches of the Golden Triangle, the Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen-Bornemisza art museums. With a population of just under three million, Madrid is Europe’s fourth largest city, after London, Paris and Milan, and its highest capital, at 650m (2132ft) above sea level. The repression and torpor of the Franco era during 1939 until 1975 are now all but forgotten by Madrileños who, perhaps more than any other Spaniards, are determined to vivir a tope (live life to the full). The craving for conspicuous enjoyment, not to mention the 2800 hours of annual sunshine, turn the streets into bustling centres of public display. Madrid’s infectious and colourful fiestas punctuate the year, with each barrio (district) trying to outdo the other in its celebrations. The highlights include Reyes Magos (Feast of the Three Kings), Carnival, the religious processions of Holy Week, the San Isidro festival in May (the beginning of the bullfighting season) and Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve), when the Puerta del Sol becomes the focal point during several hours of uninhibited partying. Visitors should also look out for some of the major cultural festivals, notably the Veranos de la Villa in summer and the autumn Festival de Otoño, embracing film, theatre, dance and music of every description. Although Madrid’s climate is more extreme than other Spanish locations, the warm dry summers and cool winters still allow for many alfresco activities. Although anxious to appear ‘modern’ in clothes, outlook and lifestyle, Madrileños are fiercely traditional, clinging to their customs more noticeably than their cosmopolitan Barcelonese rivals do. Most choose to live at home until marriage, divorce remains controversial (particularly in high society) and the family surpasses everything. While the Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid Province) stretches over 8000sq km (3090sq miles), the city’s historic heart is easily explored on foot. The narrow, labyrinthine streets of the medieval quarter contrast with the grand boulevards, laid out in the 18th and 19th centuries, the period when Madrid began to take on the trappings of a modern capital. Each barrio (district) has its own distinctive atmosphere, Lavapiés, Malasaña and Chueca being the oldest and most interesting. Many visitors first get to know the central area, known as the Madrid of the Austrias (a reference to the Hapsburg era), situated roughly between the Palacio Real and the Puerta del Sol, Madrid’s ‘mile zero’. It is only a short walk from here to the city’s main street, the Gran Vía, lined with shops, banks, offices, cinemas and bars. Fashionable Madrid starts with the Salamanca district and the boutiques of Calle Serrano, while the modern business quarter extends along the north–south axis, known as the Paseo de la Castellana. Distinguished by its skyscrapers and impressive office blocks, this is where the multinationals have their headquarters. At the far northern end of the Paseo de la Castellana are the ‘leaning towers’ of the Puerta de Europa (Gateway of Europe), a daring display of architecture symbolising the city’s confidence in its future. Indeed, Madrid has already launched its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, which would not only win the city some desirable developments and revenue but also award Madrid the status of one of the world’s major players. ___________Madrid Culture Guide Madrid Culture Guide - TravelPuppy.com Madrid has had its fair share of cultural icons. Surrealist genius Salvador Dalí lived in the city as a student, as did the filmmaker Luis Buñuel and poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca. American writer Ernest Hemingway was a war correspondent in Madrid during the Civil War and a regular visitor thereafter. Madrid has its own distinctive dancing style, caled the chotis, seen to best effect during the San Isidro festival and light opera the zarzuela. The city also boasts an international opera house, and numerous cinemas and theatres catering for all tastes. Ticket prices for cultural events vary from around €5 - €50. While most hotels are happy to book tickets for guests, they will charge for this service. It is cheaper for visitors to book directly at the box offices and not all of which accept credit cards. Keen theatregoers can also make advance bookings at savings banks including, Servicio de Entradas Punto Com (telephone number: (902) 488 488). Tickets for sold-out performances are available for purchase at Localidades Galicia, Plaza del Carmen 10 (telephone number: (91) 531 2732). Tickets for performances at the state-owned theatres, the Comedia, Teatro de la Zarzuela, Auditoria Nacional and Maria Guerrero, are available from the box offices at each of the four venues. The English-language monthly publication, In Madrid, and the Spanish weekly, Guía de Ocio print listings on cultural events in and around the city. Music Madrid’s opera house, the Teatro Real, Plaza de Oriente (telephone number: (91) 516 0660), is one of the most modern opera houses in Europe. The Teatro de la Zarzuela, Calle de Jovellanos 4 (telephone number: (91) 524 5400), is the major venue for zarzuela, a genre loosely comparable to Viennese operetta. The zarzuela season runs from June to September. During the summer, outdoor performances take place at La Corrala, Calle del Meson de Paredes 65. Classical concerts, including performances by the prestigious, Coro y Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid, are held at the Auditorio Nacional de Música, Avenida Príncipe deVergara 146 (telephone number: (91) 337 0100). During the summer months, concerts are held at the bandstand in Retiro Park at Sunday lunchtime. Theatre Madrid’s dramatic tradition can be traced back to the classical playwrights of Spain’s Golden Age and include, Lope de Vega (1562–1635), Tirso de Molina (1584–1648) and Calderón de la Barca (1600–81). The season runs from September to June and in summer there are open-air performances, sponsored by the Veranos de la Villa festival (see Special Events). The Compañia Nacional de Teatro Clásico , is based in the Teatro de la Comedia, Calle Príncipe 14 (telephone number: (91) 521 4931), temporarily at Pavón Embajadores 9 (telephone number: (91) 528 2819). Twentieth-century drama, as well as Spanish classics are also performed at the impressive Teatro Español, Calle Príncipe 25 (telephone number: (91) 360 1480), which occupies the site of a theatre dating back to 1583. Since opening in 1995, the Teatro La Abadía, Calle Fernández de los Ríos 42 (telephone number: (91) 448 1181), has met with great acclaim for its superb performances of international classics. A good introduction to alternative drama is provided by the Triángulo, Calle Zurita 20 (telephone number: (91) 530 6891), which also hosts English productions by the ACT (American and Classical Theatre) and the Madrid Players . Most theatres are closed on Monday. Dance The Teatro Real, Plaza de Oriente (telephone numberl: (91) 516 0660), and Teatro de la Zarzuela, Calle de Jovellanos 4 (telephone number: (91) 524 5400), juggle Spanish and international dance, along with their commitment to music and opera. Other venues include the Centro Cultural de la Villa, Jardines del Descubrimiento, Plaza de Colón (telephone number: (91) 480 0300), which regularly hosts seasons by visiting companies, and the modern Teatro de Madrid, Avenida de la Illustración (telephone number: (91) 730 1750). Ballet Nacional de España performs Spanish dance to full houses at the Teatro Albéniz, Calle de la Paz 11 (telephone number: (91) 531 8311), during the Festival de Otoño, the Autumn Festival. Choreographer Nacho Duato has breathed new life into the Compañia Nacional de Danza, which tours widely and brief appearances in Madrid’s principal venue, the Teatro Real, are hotly anticipated. Classical ballet is performed at the Teatro de Madrid and Albéniz by Victor Ullate’s Ballet de la Comunidad de Madrid. Flamenco dance has developed in the last twenty years, from an outmoded genre to a living passion. Traditional flamenco vies with nuevo flamenco (new flamenco) in numerous venues throughout Madrid. Madrid’s talented flamenco dancers and musicians perform at Teatro Albéniz, during the Festival Flamenco Cajamadrid, during May. Film International stars including Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz made their reputations with Spain’s leading director, Pedro Almodóvar, who first claimed the world’s attention with Women on the edge of a nervous breakdown (1988). Although Almodóvar is not a son of the city, he moved to Madrid when he was 16 years old, where he studied cinematic art and made his now highly acclaimed films. His very first movie, Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls on the Heap (1980) was set and filmed in Madrid. All About My Mother (1999) won Almodóvar the Best Director award at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and Best Foreign Language Film at the 2000 Oscars. His latest movie, Hable con ella (Talk to her), released in 2002, has won numerous international awards, including a Golden Globe. Madrileños are great filmgoers, especially on Sunday nights. Prior booking is not the norm, so the queues are long. The most popular performances start at around 2200 hrs and earlier screenings are less busy. Reduced tickets are available on Wednesday (día del espectador). Cinemas cluster around the Gran Vía, notably the vast Gran Vía Cinesa, Calle Gran Via 66 (telephone number: (902) 333 231), with seating under sparkling chandeliers, for 1000 spectators. English-language screenings are marked ‘VO’ (versión original) in listings and local papers. The most popular venue is Ideal Yelmo Cineplex, Calle Doctor Cortezo 6 (telephone number: (91) 369 2518). Arthouse cinema is on show at Ciné Doré, Calle Santa Isabel 3 (telephone number: (91) 549 0011). Cultural Events Each season brings a wave of festivities and parades, where tradition, religion or just sheer energy provides the impetus. Perhaps the most intriguing festival is Carnaval (Carnival), accompanying the traditional masked ball, Entierro de la Sardina (Burial of the Sardine), the week before Lent (March/April). In May, San Isidore is held in commemoration of Madrid’s patron saint, with open-air dance performances, pop and rock concerts theatre productions, zarzuela and sports competitions. During July and August the Veranos de la Villa (Summer in the City), a season of theatre, dance, ballet, flamenco and concerts (pop and classical) featuring native and international performers takes place. Autumn (October to November) in Madrid is just as lively, with Festival de Ontoño (Autumn Festival), a host of cultural events (film, concerts and theatre), including a number of premiers in English and Spanish. Literary Notes Madrid has drawn its share of literary talent. The great novelist, Cervantes, author of the classic 17th-century novel, Don Quixote de la Mancha (1605), is buried in Calle de Lope de Vega and named in honour of the great lyric poet of Spain’s Golden Age of theatre. Madrid was also home to poet-dramatist Federico García Lorca. The literati would huddle together in the barrio literario in Old Madrid and drink together in the now famous Café Gijón (see Restaurants section). Hemingway was to join the literary crowd as a reporter in Madrid during the Civil War. His ode to bullfighting, Death in the Afternoon, was published in 1932 and For Whom the Bell Tolls was published in 1940. The late 20th century has brought its own talent, including the 1989 Nobel Prize winner, Camilo José Cela, who died in 2002, and feminist writers, Ana María Matute and Adelaida Garcia Morales. ______________ Madrid Festival - Events Madrid Festivals and Events Guide - TravelPuppy.com Reyes Magos (Epiphany) A procession of the ‘the kings’ with commercial floats, January, city centre. Carnaval (Carnival) Procession, masked ball and cultural events, culminating in the ritual Burial of the Sardine in the church of San Antonio de la Florida, February, Plaza Mayor. Semana Santa (Holy Week) Solemn religious processions and services, late March, throughout the city. Fiesta del 2 de Mayo (Festival of 2 May) Marks the day when Madrid rose up against the French in 1808, with films, poetry recitals, concerts and dance, May, various venues. Festival Flamenco Cajamadrid Flamenco dancing competition, May, Teatro Albéniz, Calle de la Paz 11. San Isidoro Commemoration of Madrid’s patron saint with procession to the church of San Isidoro, open-air dance performances, theatre productions, zarzuela, pop and rock concerts and sports competitions, May, Pradera de San Isidoro and various venues. Gay Pride Festival culminates in a parade through the Retiro, Sol and Casa de Campo, last week in June, other events in Chueca district. Veranos de la Villa (Summer in the City) Cultural events, July–August, various venues throughout the City. Festival de Otoño (Autumn Festival) Madrid’s most important annual arts festival, October–November various venues. Feria de Artesania (Advent Craft Fair) December, Paseo de Recoletos. Natividad (Christmas) Christmas and New Year celebrations, December, Plaza Mayor. Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) crowds gather to eat grapes and drink champagne, 31st December, Puerta del Sol. _____________ Madrid Nightlife Madrid Nightlife - TravelPuppy.com Madrileños tend to make not one plan for the evening but 3 or 4. The busiest nights are Friday and Saturday (with Thursday a close runner-up), the locals go out every night and miraculously manage to work or study during the day. Perhaps the secret lies in the tradition of consuming tapas, snacks of olives, chorizo (sausages), anchovies, gambas (deep-fried shrimp) and local specialities like callos (tripe), orejas (pig’s ears), mollejas (sweetbreads), snails in hot sauce and bull’s testicles. After a long night on the town, it is customary to breakfast on thick hot chocolate and sweet fried churros (dough). Nightlife centres on 3 major districts, Calle Huertas (traditional Spanish music, jazz clubs and bars), Chueca (Madrid’s gay village, which specialises in trendy restaurants) and Malasaña (mainly bars, and clubs frequented by a mainly young crowd). All bars and clubs are licensed but hours are very flexible. It can be hard to tell bars and clubs apart, since bars often have a dancefloor and not all clubs charge for entry. Where they do, €5–10 is the standard admission fee, which usually includes a first drink. The legal drinking age in Madrid is 18 and the price of tipple ranges from €1.50 for a small beer or glass of wine to €4.50 for spirits and cocktails. It is customary to pay on leaving and certainly worth noting that few bars accept credit cards. Tipping is discretionary. During the month of August many venues close. There are several listings magazines. The weekly Guía del Ocio, published in Spanish only and available from kiosks for €1 has information on concerts, film, theatre and other entertainment options. It also provides restaurant listings. The monthly What’s on, is published in English and Spanish and is less detailed but good on the opening times and contact details. In Madrid is a monthly English-language newspaper, available from tourist offices, Irish bars or Barajas airport. It is hot on the latest club news, DJs, bars and other aspects of night-time entertainment. And it is free. Bars Madrid’s bars range from dark, wood-panelled taverns to the fabulous Viva Madrid, Calle Manuel Fernández y Gonzáles 7, with its painted tiles of Madrid scenes from the early 1900s. The Garamond, Calle de Claudio Coello 10, has a castle-like interior and suits a smart older crowd. Chicote, Grand Vía 12, is Madrid’s most famous cocktail bar and has preserved its 1930s interior and it is easy to imagine American novelist Ernest Hemingway relaxing here during the Civil War. A former brothel run by gypsies, with a tiled interior depicting Velázquez’s The Drunkards, Los Gabrieles, Calle Echegaray 17, is now a respectable bar for a young chic clientele. Tapas bars cluster around Plaza de Santa Ana near Sol, Plaza de Santa Bárbara in Calasaña and Cava Baja and Calle de Cuchilleros, behind Plaza Mayor. One of the best is Taberna los Austrias, Calle Nuncio 17, situated near metro La Latina. As dawn breaks, revellers head for Chocolatería San Ginés, Pasadizo de San Ginés 11, a Mecca for those in search of hot chocolate and churros. Casinos Casino Gran Madrid, Autovía A6, Km 29 exit from Madrid, Carretera de la Coruna, is the only officially recognised casino in the area and is situated outside the city, near Torrelodones and a free bus service leaves from Plaza Espana 6. The dress code is formal and ties should be worn, the age limit is 21 and passports are required for entry. Clubs Many tourists head for the clubs around Sol and Gran Vía, although true hedonists might want to try out some of the locals’ haunts instead. A typical night might begin around 2300 hrs with the exotic elite at Serrano 41, Calle Serrano 41, Independencia, Puerta de Alcalá, or the tango-friendly Sportsman, Calle Alcalá 65, before moving on to Fortuny, Calle Fortuney 23, the laid-back Café del Foro, Calle San Andres 38, or super-trendy Mármara, Calle Padre Damián, next to Hotel Eurobuilding. There are no admission charges here, although chic dress is recommended. The energetic dance to techno at Pachá, Calle Barceló 11. Gabana 1800, Calle de Velázquez 6, is a popular venue for stylish 20 and 30 somethings, if the bouncer allows admission. Live music Madrid offers an eclectic choice of flamenco, jazz, salsa, rock, World music and cantautores, Spanish singer-songwriters. The Café de la Palma, Calle la Palma 62, is the venue of the moment for cantautores, as well as flamenco and Cuban music acts. For more Latino sounds, fans should head for La Negra Tomasa, Calle Cádiz 9, for live music nightly from 2100 hrs. Moby Dick, Avenida de Brasil 5, in the Castellana district, plays live pop and rock on weekdays and hosts DJs (reggae and rap) at weekends. The clientele is a charming mixture of foreigners and locals. At Café Populart, Calle Huertas 22, punters can experience everything from live jazz to swing, blues, salsa, gospel, African and reggae. There are 2 shows nightly, at 2300 hrs and 0030 hrs. The Irish Rover pub, Avenida de Brasil 7, imports Irish, folk and country music. International acts play regularly at the Café Central, Plaza del Angel 10, Madrid’s top jazz venue. Pop stars and the best salsa bands perform at La Riviera, Paseo Bajo de la Virgen del Puerto.