For those lucky fans of Europes premier football competition that did receive tickets and those supporters of the finalists Madrid offers some of the most secure surrounds possible and a fantastic city to enjoy before and after the match itself. However there are a few pertinent points that visitors should take into account when planning their visit to Madrid:

1, The airport is a good 40 minutes from the Stadium by car / taxi / bus and coupled with the spectacle and increased security of the final visiting fans should schedule their flight arrivals with no less than three hours before kick off.

2, Security, with high unemployment in Spain (almost 20%) the number of petty crimes has shot up by a corresponding amount. Unfortunately football fans celebrating pre or post match are an easy target and pickpockets on both the Metro and in the popular nightime tourist areas are common. Apart from keeping ones “wits about them” the only practical solution is to invest in some form of insurance although this is another minefield with premiums for Madrid over a weekend being higher than other countries. An effective way around this is by purchasing an annual travel insurance policy which will cover you both in Madrid and for other trips.

3, When it comes to accomodation Madrid offers every class and price however in the same manner as the airlines prices are substantially higher for the Saturday night than normal. The best advice is to take a “weekend break” package covering the Friday and Saturday in a Hotel that is normally used for business instead of tourism. There are actually deals where the weekend costs less than the saturday night on its own!

4, As happens with any major sporting event, the traditional “low cost” airlines have substantially increased flight costs for the 22nd May. An indirect routing or flying to an alternate destination such as Sevilla, Valladolid or Zaragoza (all conected to Madrid by very high speed train) will work out far more economical.

6, For the final there will be two types of police on duty; the Madrid city police (easily recognised by their flourescent jackets) and the National police (Navy blue uniforms). The former are friendly and accostomed to resolving tourist problems whilst the later are trained as riot police and tend to be far less cordial or approachable.

Whilst parts of this blog post may seem slightly “alarmist” nothing could be further from the truth as millions of visitors to Madrid each year are testament! So, enjoy the tapas, latin love of a party and make the most of Europes premier sporting event!

There’s little consolation for travellers in Madrid trying alternative means of transport as most high speed train services to Barcelona and the Night train Madrid Paris have become fully booked in no time. Add into the mix that the Spanish train operator Renfe is due to suffer from strikes starting today and the situation is fast becoming one of “wait and see”. A number of trains still have space on routes Spains northern coast from which it is possible to either take a ferry to the UK or drive directly to France. Details for going about booking tickets for these seervices can be found here: Madrid trains

Bus and coach routes in Spain are coping with the additional numbers of travellers but the situation is far from ideal with International long haul routes offering little availability. One way out for the exasperated traveller is to take intra regional services to points on the French border and then use Frances internal rail network where although crowded it still has capacity for those desperate to get home!

For all the different travel options from Madrid we recomend our Onward travel from Madrid section.

For those with a few days to spare… time to sit back, relax and hope the sun comes out!

Free Internet in Madrid…>

2010 Champions League final in Madrid

This years Champions League final will be played on May 22nd in the Santiago Bernabeu. Unfortunately this showpiece occasion will not feature either of the Madrid teams as Real Madrid followed Atletico Madrid out of the competition before the quarter final stage.

For fans wishing to attend the champions league final 2010 they needed to have registered their interest via the Uefa website before the 19th March. A long time before the finalists are even known…

Whilst European football is over for another year for Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid have been steadily progressing in Europes second football tournament, The Europa League, and have now reached the quarter final stage where fate has paired them against the only other Spanish team in the competition, FC Valencia. Most fans of both clubs lament the draw as an all Spanish final was their wish!

For the Champions league finalists they’ll find that the Santiago Bernabeu offers some of the best views of the pitch of any stadium. Unfortunately the 3rd and 4th tiers also offer some of the worst and for fans on the losing side in the final that paid out a hefty amount for these seats the combination will be a bitter pill to swallow. Just as well then that Madrid offers 24hr drinking for those wishing to celebrate or simply drown their sorrows!

Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw

If you enjoyed last year’s The Importance of Being Earnest then you’ll love Arms and the Man!

Timings, Location and Prices

Arms and the Man is being performed on

Friday 16th April at 8pm
Saturday 17th April at 5pm and 8pm
Sunday 18th April at 5pm and 8pm
at
Colegio La Inmaculada-Marillac
C/ Garcia de Paredes, 41
Metro: Iglesias/Alonso Cano
Bus:3, 5, 12, 16, 61

Ticket prices
Adults: 12€
Under 18s, Students (with card): 8€

Café Concierto La Fídula
Calle Huertas, 57 Madrid in the Barrio de las Letras
Metro: Anton Martin, Sevilla, Banco

Performing will begin at 9 pm.

To register and for further information, contact: margiekanter@gmail.com or www.elasunto.com/mkd.htm

Come to present your own work or just to listen in. Open to the public. No entry fee. You pay (only) for what you consume.

Guidelines for Performers:
- Your presentation must be your own creative words; spoken or readspoken. It can be a story, poem, lyrics (but no music), creative essay…
- We will readspeak in cycles of 3 minutes each depending upon how many we are. Please prepare your work in combinations of 3 minutes each to allow for flexibility in scheduling. If there is time, there will be a second cycle. Please clock your readings ahead of time.
- Sign up by emailing: margiekanter@gmail.com by June 6, 2009.
- Put Open Mic in the Subject or Asunto of the email.
- Include a short sample of your work or give me an idea of what you are planning to readspeak to help in the planning.
- Late registrants will be included when possible.

Atletico Madrid shield

Atletico Madrid reached their first final in major competitions for 10 years last night after a 3-2 defeat against Racing Santander in the second leg of the semi final of the Copa del Rey, the Cup of the King. Although a defeat on the night Atleticos 4-0 victory in the first leg was enough to see the “rojiblancos” (red and whites) safely to the final.

For a football club that has had a torrid season so far the Copa del Rey has provided a welcome distraction after elimination in the Champions league group stages and a league season that sees Atletico Madrid languishing in the bottom half of La Liga.

The final is provisionally pencilled in for the 26th May and the winners will be rewarded with a spot
in next seasons Europa League. Atleticos opponents in the final are Sevilla who although losing 1-0 in the
second leg of their semi final against Getafe reached the final thanks to a 2-0 home first leg victory.

Copa del Rey

The Cup of the King is Spains only cup competition and is open to all professional teams from Spains
four leagues; La liga, Segunda, Segunda B and Tercera. All rounds are two legged with home and away
matches up to and incluiding the semi final. The final is a one off affair played at a neutral venue agreed
between the participating clubs and the Spanish football federation.

Early speculation has seen Real Madrids Santiago Bernabeu stadium emerge as a possible venue for the 2010 Copa del Rey final. Some might see it as strange that the final could be played in Madrid with a Madrid club being one of the participants however the alternatives such as Barcelona or Valencia provide more transport difficulties than Madrid does from Sevilla.

The 2010 Madrid carnival procession is due to be comprised of imitations of screen greats such as Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin alongside rela and imitation stars of early Spanish film. A parade of more than
twenty historic vehicles, some more than 50 years old, will complete the line up. Complete that
is except for the obligatory Carnival queen!

After the procession the center of Madrid beomes a large party in which fancy dress costumes, although
not obligatory, become the norm. Visitors to Madrid are advised to get out and enjoy the festivities even if theres a nip in the air!

Particularly useful will be the connections to flights to Asia, Australia and New Zealand as flights are timed to coincide with departures to these regions. This offers travellers a saving of around 6 hours compared with present journey times through major European airports such as Heathrow and Frankfurt.

Flights will initially be operated by Airbus A330 aircraft.

PRESENT

“A THREESOME “

THREE SHORT PLAYS PRESENTED AS DRAMATIC READINGS

in aid of Haiti Disaster Relief

1. Celebration by Harold Pinter

   Expect strong language from the start

2. Sorry, Wrong Number by Lucille Fletcher

   Expect extreme tension throughout

3. Melissa McWhale by Walter Wykes

   Expect…something rather unusual

Location:
At Centro Gallego, C/ de las Carretas 14.

On 5th and 6th February at 20:30

Price only €5 per person

All profits go to Intermón Oxfam in aid of Haiti Disaster Relief

For reservations email vic@shipsandoil.com

or telephone 918575064

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