ENJOY MADRID
The night is mythical. So is the sky, the street life, the way inhabitants welcome visitors. Yet... which concepts best define the city? Read these lines... and get ready to take the plunge and discover Madrid.
NIGHT. A Terrace with a View
With chill out music in the background, laughter rings out among the groups that party many metres from the ground, almost touching the sky. It's midnight: time to look upwards. Madrid´s most chic terraces are always open... whichever the season.
They're not located outdoors in squares, though. If you want to order a mojito or a soft drink here, first you have to hop in a lift... and ride up to the attic of the most fashionable hotels in the city -Urban, Puerta de América, Me Madrid-, of historical places -Gaudeamus, at the Escuelas Pías- and of buildings in the city centre -Casa Granada, in Tirso de Molina, or El Viajero, in La Latina-, which all offer spectacular urban views. Reach for the stars, without waiting for summer to arrive.
According the latest surveys, Madrilenians chose Gran Vía as their most-loved place in the city. It was designed exactly one hundred years ago and is still in full swing.
Especially at eight o'clock sharp, when a colourful audience starts to line the pavements that descend from Plaza de Callao to Plaza de España. Musicals are currently stealing the show: impressive made in Broadway productions and national plays. The rest of the city has also caught on, prompted by their success, and many theatres have given in to the musical fever.
ART. The Fourth Element
The Fundación La Caixa has always supported art in Madrid, and now demonstrates its passion by opening the fourth major cultural centre in the Paseo del Arte (Art Promenade), joining the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofía Museum.
Under the name Caixa Forum, the former Mediodía Electrical Power Plant, an example of late 19th century industrial architecture, will accommodate important exhibitions devoted to different themes and creative trends. The building has been redesigned by the Swiss team Herzog & de Meuron, who've also created the first vertical garden in Spain, right by the entrance, designed by French botanist Patrick Blanc.
SKY. A New Skyline
Orange, blue, violet... Madrid's sunsets are famous for the tonalities that colour the sky during that magical moment of the day. There are plenty of perfect locations for watching the sun go down -Debod Temple, Las Vistillas- where many painters, from Velázquez to Antonio López, have found their muses.
Madrid's sky looks different now, with a new skyline topped by the Glass Tower, Sacyr Vallehermoso Tower, Space Tower and Cajamadrid Tower, the four skyscrapers that compose a new business park in the heart of the Paseo de la Castellana. The latter, designed by architect Norman Foster, is, also, the tallest building in Madrid, rising up 250 metres.
Fitur, Arco, SIMO. These are just three examples of globally relevant fairs that are staged annually in Madrid. The exceptional installations -such as the first exhibition site in Spain and one of the most important in Europe, Ifema, the number of hotel vacancies and a complete cultural and leisure offer allow for the organisation of any event in Madrid. Barajas Airport, the bridge between Europe and Latin America, and the future Conference Centre, near the Towers in the Castellana, are two key locations, alongside the headquarters of national and foreign institutions (Stock Market, Bank of Spain, World Tourism Organisation...) located in the city.
NATURE. Green Heart
Madrid holds a very special title: it's the first city in the world in terms of lined trees. The future is green. The Casa de Campo park has already been closed off to traffic and new garden areas now start to popular zones that were almost uninhabited.
For instance, the Parque Lineal del Manzanares, in the Usera neighbourhood, where nature coexists with architecture -it was designed by Ricardo Bofill- and design. One of the hills, crowned by The Lady of the Manzanares -a head by Manolo Valdés-, offers one of the best panoramic views of Madrid, with the Guadarrama mountain range in the background. A bike lane and a Paseo de los Sentidos (Promenade of the Senses) complete this park, a genuine lung located on the river bank.
To stimulate the senses, vibrate with the combination of creative power, discover the passion of flamenco, mixed with the subtle tones of jazz and blues. The alchemy of contemporary and traditional rhythms, merged to create amazing blends... This philosophy governs Las Tablas (Plaza de España, 9), a venue defined as a meeting point between art and the diversity of tastes that perfectly represents the new airs that inhabit the world of flamenco, a tradition that is deeply rooted in Madrid, a city all artists want to succeed in to be considered genuine stars. Cardamomo (Echegaray, 15) offers flamenco sessions each week for flamenco stalwarts.
HISTORY. The Changing of the Guard
11 am on Wednesdays at the Royal Palace. Since last December, one of the newest -and most traditional!- tourist attractions is staged in that location at that time. The Palace sentries, dressed in a uniform from Alfonso XII's times, perform the changing of the guard every 30 minutes until 2 pm. Cavalrymen change each hour, but never coincide with the infantry. They stand to attention holding their spear or sabre, depending on whether they are lancers or cuirassiers, and, every 15 minutes, they march in front of the Palace façade. The Solemn Changing of the Royal Guard takes place the first Wednesday of the month with a ceremony that lasts some 40 minutes, with the participation of over 400 people and 100 horses. What a sight!.
* AND DON'T FORGET: FIFA selected Real Madrid the best team of the 20th century , and you can to do a tour by the stadium. |
