July & August in Madrid – Forget it!

Thats right, a Madrid travel guide suggesting you don’t visit the city in the traditional peak travel season of July and August. Why not visit Madid in July and August?

Well unless you come from a country that “enjoys” temperatures in the 35 plus degrees without even the slightest of breezes to refresh you then you will find yourself suffering in Madrid with the summer heat. Unless you are willing to brave these extreme temperatures than we suggest that the best time to visit Madrid is in either Spring (March to June) or Autumn (Sept & Oct).

For those of you visiting Madrid in July and August there are some practical tips to getting the most from your time in the city whilst remaining comfortable:

1. For outdoor activities do them in the early morning before midday
2. For indoor activities, eg the Madrid art galleries, try to plan to see them in the mid afternoon whilst the day is at its hottest
3. In the evening wear loose clothing and do the Spanish thing, ie don’t leave home (or the hotel) until after 2100
4. Take a bottle of water with you if walking around
5. If you notice headaches, diziness or general irritability get under shade and enjoy a cool drink
6. If all else fails…. Try a trip to the mountains, Segovia or one of the water parks!

It might sound strange or a little uncouth to some but its quite common to see posters in the toilets of Madrids public buildings asking you to look at your urine and determine the colour. Why? Its the quickest and simplest indication of dehydration!

Employment in Spain – situation summer 2009

Through the section on the main information site’s section regarding working in Spain we regularly receive emails asking:

• What job can I get?
• How are things in Spain job wise
• and even “Hi, I want to work for you” no idea why we get that email as we are not an employment agency

Well in 2009 we’ve, regretably, had to respond by saying the situation is dire. Many of the summer jobs that were part time in the bars and restaurants on the Costa have been stopped as owners try to salvage their business in the face of declining tourism and less spend per head from those tourists that do visit Spain. For those wishing to make a life changing move to Spain the situation is worse still as Spain is reaching record levels of unemployment.

Industries hardest hit

The two sectores of Spanish industry that have been hardest hit by the crisis are the biggest

1. Construction
2. Tourism

Which combined account for over 20% of Spains GDP (14% and 9% respectively according to the INE, instituto nacional de estadisticas). They also happen to be the two sectors which depend most on migrant labour either for cheap labour in construction or specialized (mainly languages) labour in the case of tourism. The BBC in the UK ran an article on just how this has affected communities in Madrid with Alcala de Henares being one of the hardest hit.

Our Advice

Whilst skilled professionals are always in demand, and even here there are some professions which are over staffed, 2009 is not the year to work in Spain. For those interested in working in Spain in 2010 the best advice is to start sending out CVs now and try to make contact with a number of potential employers before the end of August when the 2010 budgets will be finalised in many Spanish companies.

A serious alternative for those in the UK or USA is to contact the respective embassies in Madrid for details of any job markets they have open. Be it internships or permanent positions.

Real Madrid shopping again

So, Florentino Perez returns to Real Madrid with the cheque book out and promptly goes and buys two of the best players in Europe in recent years, namely Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo. Whilst his drive and enthusiasm knows no bounds one wonders if he has lined up purchases in Defence where real Madrid suffered most these past 12 months?

Whilst fans of los blancos celebrate the new signings some are begining to ask the same question as many envious opposition supporters are asking: “Where is the money coming from?” Its well known that Real Madrid are over 300 million euros in debt but the signings and links to new players keep coming thick and fast. This week its the turn of Valencia star striker David Villa to be linked with Real Madrid, the price tag? According to the press here a hefty 50 million euros. Something that will have the abonados (season ticket holders) execting a rise in prices when it comes to renewal time!

Every story has a silver lining and this time its in the red and white half of the city as eager Atletico Madrid fans hope to pick up Reals cast offs at bargain prices. Not that thats any guarantee of success for Atletico Madrid as the last player to cross the town was sent out on loan to Benfica of Portugal after just one season… A certain Reyes!

Jogging and beer in Madrid

Staying for a few days in Madrid and fancy working out or simply seeing a bit more of the city whilst exercising? If so then the “very social” Madrid hash house harriers would be more than willing to see you turn up for one of their “runs” followed by liquid refreshments! This long established Madrid chapter of the famed HHH or 3H is both popular and welcoming to newcomers and one off runners.

The informal and open organization welcomes runners and drinkers of all abilities to turn up and enjoy the friendship of jogging in Madrid. Routes cater for all abilities and whatever your physical condition you’ll find a few friends of the same level and have an enjoyable afternoon.

If you’re interested in joining in for a jog around Madrid then try their website for details of the latest meet!

Of note is that “Larrys bar”, supposed spiritual home of the MadridHHH, is next to Metro Cuzco in the north of Madrid and easy to find being just 50 meters from the station exit.

Gay pride Madrid 2009

Madrids 2009 Gay pride celebrations take place between the 27th June and 5th of July with Sunday the 28th of June being the day of Gay pride marches. During the celebrations the Barrio (block / neighbourhood) of Chueca sees a large number of free outdoor parties in the various plazas and narrow streets. Located between the main thoroughfare of Gran Via and the popular student nightspot of Alonso Martinez Chueca has long been a more tolerant area of Madrid and in the past 20 years has become a permanent home to the Gay community.  However like all “fiestas”  in Spain everyone (of whatever orientation) is welcome and this means you normally get all sorts of party lovers turn up!

The Gay pride marches on the 28th of June take the typical route of all marches / protests in the capital and work their way down the Paseo de la Castellana to the Plaza de Neptuno. This colourful spectacle has most of Madrid lining the streets and a carnival atmosphere prevails. There are the occasional Catholic groups that turn up with banners and placards to protest at the Gay community but this is never anything more than a peaceful protest and is now tolerated by all that attend.

If you are thinking of visiting during the festival be aware that accomodation rates go up during this time as its coming into the peak tourist season in Madrid and due to the popularity of the festival for Gays from all over Spain.  Recommended accomodation options are in the city center itself:

• Hotels in the Center of the city
• Hostels in the center of the city

For those coming from out of town the majority of information on the event is in Spanish and you’ll need to search in Spanish:

Madrid Gay pride = Madrid Orgullo Gay

Although here are some of the more important links:

• List of activities in one place.
• The Fiestas during the week
• Website of the Madrid gay pride 2009 organisers

If you know of fiestas or activities related to Gay pride Madrid 2009 please feel free to use the comment box to bring them to our attention!

Personal guided Madrid tours

Here at Madrid guiode Spain we offer a number of organized excursions and Madrid tours covering a diverse range of topics from culture to history and through to sport, but ever once in a while we discover an individual offering something different. This is the case of Manuel and the following is about his way of communicating his passion for his country to visitors.

Hello, I am Manuel López and if you are a traveler, let me show you the best way to visit Spain, moreover if you are studying Spanish, Spain Live is the best way to practice as well!

Travelers

You will have your own personal & private experienced guide and driver. I offer custom tailored walking / driving tours in Madrid and surroundings with an English/Spanish speaking guide. Write your own itinerary or use my extensive local knowledge to give you an insight into the diversities of our culture. I offer to you the opportunity to take advantage of my experience.

I really love what I do. I am able to give you something different by getting beneath the surface and finding special and secret places. Tailoring the whole experience to your personal preferences and needs (history, arts, places of interest, nature, local gastronomy, etc)

“You will not need to worry about a thing. I want you to have a lifetime experience not just a sightseeing trip.”

Spanish Students

Why practise Spanish locked up in a classroom? We will practice Spanish differently, in a relaxed environment, strolling down the lovely streets, or whilst having cup of tea or coffee in a typical Spanish bar. An experience you will never forget it.

The day trips beat being locked up in a classroom! You will have the opportunity to practice Spanish during unforgettable excursions to some of the most spectacular towns and villages near Madrid.

“You will learn more experiencing real Spain”

Visit Spainlive and contact me to discuss, without cost or obligation a personal quote!

Stuck for ideas in Madrid?

Something that comes up again and again is “What should I do in Madrid?” and to be honest its perfectly understandable. One only needs to consider that there are over a 150 pages of information full of recomendations, ideas and activities on the main site to see the information overload alarms going off!

Of course, no one wants to visit a city and go away with the feeling that they’ve missed out on one of the major attractions or forgotten to visit something that is unique to Madrid. So what is the solution?

• Identify what you like
• Research
• Ask

Easier said than done? You bet it is! However we have made the last two tasks that much easier. All you have to do is identify waht it is you like!

Ok, lets assume you’ve figured out what it is you like. Maybe you’re an arty person and want to see those paintings that are only available in Madrids art galleries, perhaps you are interested in the culture of the city, or rather you are here for a weekend and want it to be romantic? The only real fact is that one size does not fit all!

Next step = Research

Here you have a couple of options. The mainMadrid Spain information site is organised into broad categories with a large number of sub categories. Try the sitemap for suggestive titles of every page in the site! There are suggestions tailored to different interests and the descriptive titles of the pages give you a better idea of whats there…. you may even find the inspiration you need!

If that still isn’t giving you what you need then all you need do is Ask!

The Madrid forum allows you to ask about whatever detail, worry, query you have regarding Madrid. From a simple:

• Can I do this in a weekend?

to

• Whats the best museum / gallery / restaurant

We’ve assisted with a lot of questions about Madrid and although you need to sign up and activate your account (this is simply to stop the “spam” and we don’t keep your data) you can receive individual assistence in the space of 24hrs or 72hrs on weekends.

So, in resumen:

1. Identify what your “likes” are
2. Check the index for ideas
3. Ask away in the forum for tailored advice!

Madrid Airport – Barajas wins prestigious customer award

In the 2009 consumer feedback awards from industry benchmarking firm Skytrax Madrid Airport was voted to be the best airport in Southern Europe. Coming at a time when there has been significant investment in airports in Turkey and Greece this award is a little joy for the Airport as passenger numbers slow during the global financial crisis.

Whilst awards are two a penny or dime a dozen these days the Skytrax awards are seen as being the industry leader due to a whopping 8.6 million questionaires that are completed by real passengers!

The full results of all airports worldwide can be found at the awards website here…

Mad open Mic – Creative reading

Roughly every three months a dedicated group of aficionados of the written word get together to perform free readings and recitals in English in the center of Madrid. Free to attend and free to speak (although organisers do prefer a little advance notice, where possible) the list of those participating has grown dramatically since the first event and the Mad open Mic events are now well attended by repeat and new visitors.

Events take place in the long established Cafe Concierto La Fídula which for over 30 years has been famous amongst Madrids Bohemian crowd. The same venue plays host to live acts nightly and a list of which can be found on their Myspace page. The open Mad open Mic event organisers also have their own website where you can both browse the list of speakers as well as contact the organisers with the details of your contribution here…

Practical info:

• Sessions start at 2100
• Address: Calle Huertas, 57 (this is in the historic Barrio de las letras
• Madrid Metro: Anton Martin, Sevilla or Banco de España
• Cost: Free (just those “refreshments” you consume!)

Tags: creative reading, free, madrid, poetry

Atletico Madrid reach the CL

June 4, 2009 by admin  
Filed under Sport / Football

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In end of season drama Atletico Madrid qualified for the 2009/10 Champions League on the last day of the calender.

Needing to win at home in the Vicente Calderon against Almeria a three goal rout ensued infront of 54,000 fans. Of note was a goal by Diego Forlan which saw him crowned Europes leading striker and winner of the Golden Boot for most goals scored in a season.

Tags: Atletico Madrid, Champions League, football