Hello! Un Grupo de Amiguitos y Amiguitas en Inglés
¿Crees que no hay actividades divertidas y educativas para tus peques? En Hello! nuestra meta es la adquisición de un idioma extranjero a través de las artes y del movimiento rítmico a una edad muy temprana mediante inmersión total.
Hello! Un grupo de amiguitos/as en inglés les proporciona a los niños de entre tres y seis años la oportunidad de moverse, jugar y divertirse al mismo tiempo que aprenden una nueva lengua y cultura. Hello! es un programa único, un ambiente en que los niños aprenden el inglés porque se enseña de una manera cariñosa y divertida a través de música nueva y tradicional, ritmos y baile, juegos y cuentos.
Tanto los niños que nunca han oído la lengua antes, como los que oyen el inglés en casa de uno de sus padres, aprenderán y disfrutarán de este programa.
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Hello! Un Grupo de Amiguitos/as en Inglés is a free expression workshop where children aged 3 to 6 get to learn and love English because it is taught by a native instructor in an exhilarating way through the use of new and traditional music, dance, creative movement and rhythms, games, and storytelling.
This extensive program and its various activities help a child to build cognitive skills, fine and gross motor coordination, as well as vocabulary to become bilingual later on. Both children who hear English at home from their parents as well as children who have never been exposed to the language before benefit from this unique class.
Welcome!
El curso de otoño empieza en noviembre.
Para más información y para registrarse en las clases por favor contáctenos al 697978771
o en hello.english.madrid@gmail.com.
Noche magica en Madrid: España es campeona de Europa de futbol
El 29 de junio será una fecha difícil de olvidar para todos los españoles. Hacía 44 años que España no ganaba la Eurocopa de futbol, y hoy por fin, lo hemos conseguido. Lo han conseguido el entrenador, los jugadores y los millones de aficionados que ayer tomaron todas las plazas de España para celebrar hasta altas horas de la madrugada la victoria.
Con un campeonato perfecto, sin perder ningún partido, y ganando a Alemania en la final, por fin pudimos gritar el famoso ¡¡¡¡CAMPEONES!!!!
Ayer en Madrid, españoles y muchas personas de otras nacionalidades celebraron la victoria vestidos con la camiseta roja de la selección, porque en Madrid, todo se celebra por todo lo alto, cualquier cosa sirve para hacer una gran fiesta, y la de ayer fue inolvidable. Hoy continuarán las celebraciones a la llegada del equipo a Madrid. La ciudad estará prácticamente colapsada durante toda la tarde y, seguramente, buena parte de la noche.
Euro 2008 where to watch it??
ok here is a quick list of cool pub/bars to watc the games… these are places where the real local ex pats go and there is always a good laugh, beer and food had by all…
La Parpusa - calle Cardinal Cisneros 39, metro: bilbao or quevedo
Finbars -calle marques de urquijo 10, Arguelles. metro: arguelles. www.finbarsmadrid.com
The James Joyce - C/ Alcalá 59, metro: banco de españa. www.jamesjoycemadrid.com
Are you ready for some Futbol?
David Beckham’s arrival in America was met with a resounding “Huh? Who’s the fruit with the anorexic? Oh that soccer guy, well, back to baseball.” As discouraging as this is for soccer fans in this country, if you are lucky enough to be in Madrid you can truly experience what Futbol is.
Madrid just happens to be the home of Europe’s most heralded team, Real Madrid. You can’t take two steps without being reminded of it. When they’re winning you hear the praise of the droves of Madridistas (Real’s supporters or fans) everywhere you go. When they’re on a cold streak you will hear them complain about how so and so is over paid, has a taste for the nightlife, or how his model wife/gf is ruining his game. Madrid lives and breaths for this team. So how can you become part of this madness that is Madridismo? Well, here’s a few tips for you:
Become a Socio: This will make you an official member of the club. It also gives you discounts to tickets (Champions League and Copa del Rey) and merchandise at any of the official Real Madrid stores and restaurants. You can become a member by paying a fee and filling out an application at any of the Real Madrid stores in town, online, or until you are harrased by one of their salesmen in the metro (Oh how I prayed for pepper spray those days).
Join a Peña: A peña or fan club, can be found all over the world.
Pizza
We all have lazy food days. The day you get home from work and you look at your kitchen and you wouldn’t step inside it even if scantily clad, oil covered Angelina Jolie (or Brad Pitt if that’s what suits you) was inside it. If you’re like me, then them days be pizza days y’all! So what are you options? Here are a few choices.
Telepizza: Spain’s very own franchised pizza delivery service. You would think being this close to Italy this would mean something, but regretfully it does not. Telepizza is bad, bad like pushing an old lady down a flight of stairs. Bad like Mr. Bush trying to read Dylan Thomas out loud. Bad like…well just bad. This should be your choice when it’s YOUR ONLY CHOICE, e.g. If you live far from the center of town and no other place delivers or local pizzerias are nearby.
Opera Pizza: If you live in the Center of the city this place usually gets to your place. If not you can visit them across the street from the Plaza de Isabel II, better known by its misnomer as Plaza de La Opera after the Metro station that exits there. This average looking pizzeria has a big menu that goes beyond Pizza (burgers, hotdogs, salads, etc.) and covers almost all American staples. The pizza is mom and pop’s pizzeria style pizza. Medium Crust, loads of sauce and good ingredients. The quality of the pizza is however enhanced by the piece de resistance of this place: The best chicken wings on god’s green earth. I kid you not my friend, the wings are out of this world. Being a guy who thinks a few slices of pie, chicken wings and beer are the equivalent to Earthly paradise made this place one of the numbers I had on speed dial.
Opera Pizza Slice
C/ Arenal, 23
+91 5591765
Pizzeria Vesuvio: Dank, small, packed and frequented by students; what says “awesome pizza” better than that? This little pizza place on calle Hortaleza is a staple of student dining. Dinner at this place never runs you over 7 € and the pizza is great: Small, crusty with a great flavor. My personal favorite is the shrimp and calamari pizza, the kind of pizza that would make me commit a crime just for another slice. On the downside this isn’t a place to take a first date, the place has no tables and you have to eat at the bar and there’s often a wait. This place is strictly for pizza lovers who don’t mind the surroundings.
Pizzeria Vesuvio
Hortaleza, 4
*91 5215171
Pizzeria Mastropiero: Yet another Pizzeria that looks more like a criminal’s hangout in a filme noir. Run by two extremely sweet, ultra left wing Argentinean old ladies, this hole in the wall was another fav of mine. It’s only open at night and is always packed. If you are a republican or PP follower the decor might not sit well with you; hundreds of posters boasting support for every wacky left wing cause out there. The pizza is crusty and has a nice, home made taste to it. The place is packed, but always has a nice ambiance, and a lot has to be said for a place where people are willing to eat standing up. I usually ordered a couple of slices of a very simple onion, cheese and oregano pizza, which’s name eludes me at the moment, and a couple of corn empanadas, which are a masterpiece. Also a word to the wise, be wary of the hot sauce provided at this place. It’s good and innocent looking, but it’s kicks like a mule. The bill is usually accompanied (always in my case) with a complimentary piece of chocolate cake with dulce de leche. The friendly service and scrumptious food assured return trips to this small wonder in the heart of Malasaña.
Pizzeria Mastropiero
Calle San Vicente Ferrer 34
There are dozens of pizzerias around the city, but these are my top choices. Each has a very distinct flavor to the others but all of them serve a great pie in my humble opinion.
Visit the bars and restaurants mentioned in “The Spanish Game”
People who have read my novel, The Spanish Game, a spy thriller set in
Madrid, ask if the bars and restaurants visited by the hero, Alec Milius, really exist. The short answer is: yes.
Here’s a chapter-by-chapter guide to the book. Think of it as a walking tour of
Madrid with me in tow – only I’ll be stuck in west
London while you’re eating tapas and sinking glass after glass of Ribera del Duero. Suerte.
Chapter One: Alec meets his lover, Sophia, at the Hotel Reina
Victoria in Plaza de
Santa Ana. The Spanish Game is set in 2003, before the Reina Victoria underwent a complete refurbishment. There were rumours that this legendary bullfighting hotel was going to be turned into a Hard Rock Café, but I’ve just had a look at their website and thankfully it looks as though this hasn’t happened. There’s a beautiful sculpture of Lorca outside the Teatra de Espana at the bottom end of the square.
Chapter Two: I used to live at Calle Princesa 16, just to the west of Plaza de Espana. By coincidence, Alec lives there to – on the fourth floor. There’s no plaque.
Chapter Five: Alec and his friend Saul play a game of chess at Café Commercial, a great
Madrid institution, situated at the junction of Carranza, Fuencarral and Luchana, right beside
Bilbao metro. If you go upstairs, most evenings during the week you’ll find old men playing chess on the first floor, and they probably won’t mind if you ask for a game. Non chess players will prefer the main café itself, which is at its best in the mornings and early evenings. Try to make one of the waiters smile. You could be there for a while…
Chapter Six: Alec and Saul have dinner at a fantastic Galician fish restaurant called Ribeira del Mino on Calle Santa Brigida, just off Fuencarral, about five minutes walk from Café Commercial. They do great pimientos de pardon, and a house speciality of prawns, razor fish and crab piled eight inches high on your plate.
Chapter Seven: Then they go for a drink at Pez Gordo, in Malasana. You’ll need a street map, but it’s only about ten minutes away, heading south-west. Alec mentions that he once saw Pedro Almodovar in here, which I did. Saul says he’s over-rated as a director. Which he is. By the way, if you turn left and immediate right out of Pez Gordo, there’s a fantastic nightclub – El Perro – in a basement opposite the church.
Chapter Fourteen: Alec agrees to meet the Basque politician, Mikel Arenaza, in Museo Chicote, arguably the most famous bar in
Spain. This is largely because – like most bars that are famous in
Spain – Hemingway drank there. It’s on Gran Via. There used to be a beautiful waitress called Carmen who worked on Friday and Saturday nights. Maybe there still is.
Chapter Fifteen: Most mornings while living in
Madrid I went for breakfast at Cascaras on Calle Ventura Rodriguez, where Alec has his first meeting with the Basque journalist, Patxo Zulaika. It’s just down the road from his/my apartment on Princesa. They do the best caña I’ve ever tasted. Maybe that’s because I was tasting it at 9 o’clock in the morning.
Chapter Sixteen: This is the bit of the walking tour most people might choose to skip. Peñagrande, the suburb where Alec stakes out Arenaza’s mistress. Believe me, there’s nothing to see here. The bar is based on a real place, but I’m not going to tell you where it is. You have better things to do.
Chapter Nineteen: The Irish Rover. A big Irish pub near the Bernabeu. Apparently Becks used to go there for a pint every now and again. I never saw him. It’s big. It’s Irish.
Chapter Twenty-Three: This is a great thing to do on a hot day. Head to Lago metro station in Casa de Campo and have lunch at one of the outdoor restaurants beside the lake. Alec and Bonilla, a private investigator, have lunch at Urogallo, where the food is excellent. Afterwards, you can go rowing on the lake itself, or have a swim at the two huge outdoor pools nearby.
Chapter Twenty-Four: Alec tracks Abel Sellini to the Hotel Carta off the Castellana, a few blocks north of Plaza de Colon. This place exists, but I changed the name for legal reasons. (To the best of my knowledge, doormen at the Villa Magna hotel don’t accept bribes in return for information about paying guests…)
Chapter Thirty-Five: Alec orchestrates a meeting with Carmen Arroya at a bar opposite the Alphaville cinema on Martin de los Herros. The bar isn’t named in the book and, to be honest, I can’t remember which one I set the scene in (there are about five of them all in a row on the south side of the street). Next time I’m in
Madrid, I’ll check it out.
Chapter Thirty-Six: Alec and Carmen go on a date to Huertas and have tapas at the Cerveceria Alemana in Plaza de
Santa Ana, just a stone’s throw from the statue of Lorca. Hemingway used to drink there.
Chapter Forty-Three: Alec has just beaten up Carmen at her apartment in La Latina. He runs into a bar near Plaza Mayor with a sign outside saying “Hemingway never ate here”. I think this is my favourite sign in Spain. 
Chapter Forty-Four: Finally, he ends up in Bocaito, on Calle Libertad, just to the north of Gran Via in Chueca. The tapas here is fantastic, but you’re better off eating at the bar rather than taking one of the tables at the back. If they suspect you’re a tourist, they’ll treat you like one. I once tried to get a free dinner by telling the manager that I’d publicised his restaurant in the Spanish Game. He smiled, brought me the visitor’s book to sign, then handed me the bill…[Copyright Charles Cumming August 2007]
Visit www.charlescumming.co.uk
The Spanish Game is available in FNAC and at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spanish-Game-Charles-Cumming/dp/014101783X/ref=pd_sim_b_5/203-9615813-5186336
What’s open on Sundays?
Madrid basically shuts down on Sundays and holidays leaving very few stores are open (more so in August). Although most of the large retailers are open on the first Sunday of every month, many of the smaller shops stay closed. However, here’s a list of some of the places which are open;
- OpenCor - This is a chain of stores dotted all aorund Madrid and is part of the super El Corte Ingles network. It’s open 365/24 hrs. It’s prices may be a pinch higher than in other shops, but you can find most groceries, meats and household items in those times of need. Click here for more info.
- VIPS - In addition to the restaurants, most VIPS contain a small store with food items, magazines, gifts, and various household items. The other restaurants in the VIPS family are also open on Sundays. These restaurants are Ginos (Italian), T.G.I.F.’s (American), and Starbucks (coffee). Insiders tip 1: If you live here it’s worth getting a VIPS membership card, it’s free and you get all sorts of discounts in all the above mentioned places. Insiders tip 2: You’ll find that lunchtimes can generate huge queues for the restaurant. Avoid these queues by asking to take-away the food, this way you’ll jump the queue, have a seat by the bar and watch the others queuing for what can be hours.
- Telepizza - One of few pizza delivery services, Telepizza also delivers on Sundays. There are also a small number of Pizza Huts that deliver.
- Principe Pio - The former train station has been converted into a mall containing all of the major chain retailers, a food court, and a movie theater. This is one of the few shopping options available on Sundays.
- “Los Chinos” - Slang for the small grocers run by Asian immigrants, these shops are generally open on Sundays and late at night. Be warned that they are ridiculously expensive!
- FNAC - Get all your electrical / entertainment needs fulfilled in this huge store. Talking music, books, films, cameras, entertainment systems - plenty of things to keep you busy.
- Museums
- Garden Centers
Retrieved from “http://www.aroundmadrid.com/wiki/index.php?title=What%27s_Open_On_Sunday%3F“
Parking Zones - (Servicio de Estacionamiento Regulado (SER)
2 years ago, the local government decided to introduce parking zones in Madrid. These zones were initially restricted to the centre of Madrid, but have proved more profitable than first believed. Find below a detailed breakdown of how these zones work:Specific times
Monday to Friday: 9 to 20.00. Saturdays 9 to 15.00 horas. Sundays & National holidays: no service. August: from Monday to Saturday 9 to 15.00.
Zones
BLUE ZONES: These are primarily for non-residents of the area, though they apply to all persons, even those who are residents of the area. The maximum time limit you can park in these zones is 2 hours. - Up to 20 minutes (minimum tariff): 0,25 euros - For 30 minutes: 0,40 euros - For 1 hour: 1,00 euro - For 1 hour 30 min: 1,55 euros - For 2 hours: 2,55 euros
GREEN ZONES: These are primarily for residents of that specific zone, where a yearly pass can be purchased from the vehicle registration office, All the information on parking zones in Madrid can be found here. The maximum time limit however for parking in your zone is 5 days in the same space. Visitors to the zone are only allowed to stay for a maximum period of 1 hour. - Up to 20 minutes (minimum tariff): 0,50 euros - For 30 minutes: 0,90 euros - For 1 hour: 1,80 euros
The annual rate for residents is 24,60 euros. You can obtain a monthly parking pass for a fee of 2,05 euros.
Paying for your parking ticket is simple. Just look out for the blue coloured automated booths. The instructions are simple and consist of simply depositing the money and getting the ticket form the slot.
Insider’s tip - Try and park in the blue zones as this gives you 2 hours parking (not the 1 hour max in the green zones).
Insider’s tip - If you do drive around Madrid, it may be useful to get a parking card which works like a pay-as-you-go type system. Get this card from the Oficina de Incidencias del Servicio de Estacionamiento Regulado on C/Covarrubias, 1 Bajo. You can top up these cards at several places, including the parking booths themselves, any El Corte Ingles & Tobacco & newspaper stalls.
Insider’s tip - Be careful when entering certain zones, especially Cortes in the centre of Madrid. If you are NOT a resident of this area (Zone 1:3) and decide to enter the Zone, you will be automatically fined 60 euros simply for entering, even if you are lost or picking someone up. Only emergency vehicle, delivery vehicles and residents are allowed to drive in this zone. Look out for the warning signs and intricate network of cameras.
Getting around Madrid
As with most European Capital cities, there are the usual 3 methods of transport - Metro (underground), bus and taxi. All 3 have their pros and cons, so let’s have a look at how Madrid fares in each one;
Metro
The Metro of Madrid is by far the easiest way to get around the City. It has an extensive, easy to follow system of numbered and coloured lines. Information together with interactive maps can be found here. First thing you should do is buy yourself a ‘Metrobus’, which is a 10 journey ticket with a validity of 2 months.. These Metrobuses can be bought from any Metro station and even street paper stalls. The price of each Metrobus is €6.15 (with a single costing you €1). The advantage of a Metrobus lies principally in the name - it can be used for the Metro as it can a bus (the red one’s). The only thing I personally have against the Metro is in the summer time - the lack of air conditioning on some of the older trains can turn a trip into a veritable sauna. However, it’s quick and cheap.
Buses
The bus network in Madrid is as extensive as the Metro, and although it may be a little slower, the advantages are that you can see more of the city and get to know your way around Madrid by sight rather than underground. I have always preferred the buses for that exact reason.
Insiders tip - if you don’t want to pay the price of a tour bus (about €14 Euros for the day), then check out the bus routes that take you round the city and pick a route. I recommend the Nº 27 for a North-South view of the city, which takes you all the way past the Real Madrid football stadium and back into town.
A great way to find out where buses go and how to get there is to use this link. Here’s another Insiders tip - if you have a Spanish mobile and are eagerly awaiting a bus, why not send a text message to 7998 with the word ESPERA and the Nº of the bus stop (which is printed at every bus stop). You will then get a text telling you when your bus is arriving. It’s worth the 5 cents in my mind!
NB - Buses DO NOT accept Euro notes.
Taxi
Taxis in Madrid are abundant and not too expensive compared to other European cities. Airport pickups/dropoffs carry a €4.50 surcharge, as they do at bus and train stations. Most are friendly and more of them are now accepting credit card payments.
When you need to order a taxi for whatever reason, it’s best to call either one of these numbers, 91 271 21 31, or alternatively 91 547 85 00. To find out prices, routes and more info on this, check out this link.
Cercanias
This is the name for the regional train network whcih goes further than the metro into the surrounding suburbs. Information on navigating these lines is available at the renfe page. Insider tip - little known by many residents is that you can use the monthly metro passes to use the Cercanias within Madrid. In fact, you can even reach some neighboring cities, such as Aravaca, using a basic “A” monthly metro pass.
Retrieved from “http://www.aroundmadrid.com/wiki/index.php?title=Public_Transport_in_Madrid“
Rock & Roll Aint Noise Pollution
When we first moved here from Amsterdam. We hated it here. The reason, we didn´t know where the fuck any of the good stuff was.
It takes a while to get that information, and its not just gathered from conversation or reading shit reviews, here you have to see it and do it for yourself and make your own judgements. Now, we are happy and maybe its time to share some of that to ensure that a visitor or new arrival gets a head start. The missus and I are very rock and roll people, no-one will tell you any differrent.
Ok we live in the Malasaña/Maravillas neighbourhood, probably the most colourful of all of the central barrios. There´s too much to talk about in one rant so in this one I will focus on a few decent boozers.
I have made a deal with the bar tender in my local Bar Dos2 which is located right on the Plaza Dos de Mayo. The deal, I supply him with good music whenever I can (normally twice a month, with a really good mix of Dub Reggae (U-Roy,Mikey, Big Youth),early Jamaican Ska, a good mix of New and Old Punk, New Wave and Rock, 50´s rockabilly, stuff that most bars dont have. I make sure that the new stuff is in his bar well before its in spanish record stores) and i get free drinks. Not a bad deal at all.
Once you´re in there, its easy to meander into a lot of the other quality bars around this zone, one or two streets away, or the terraza on the square. Bars worth a shout in the vicinity are Nueva Vision, which is the home to the spanish branch of the Ramones Fan Club (the biggest chapter of said fan club in the world). Shots dedidacted to Joey,Dee Dee & Johnny for about 1€, also shots dedicated to Joe Strummer RIP. Music policy?..have a guess. Another great place on Calle Palma, close by is El Vaca Austera a large dark bar with a different DJ every night playing everything from 60´s garage, classic mod tunes, through to 70´s metal and modern Brit and US punk. If you ever get to meet the bartender who sometimes works there (with few teeth),never, ever accept a bottled beer from him which he keeps under the counter as it will take your skin off. Nearby are Angies & Little Angies bar which are definitely worth a quick drink in. The other thing about this neighbourhood is that its very friendly, a good mix of different people and if you get the munchies there´s always somewhere decent to go for dinner or picky food nearby, wether it be tapas, mexican( El Catrina), authentic italian pizza (Plaza San Il DeFonso), or a decent burgers (Homeburger, veggie ones too,with original recipe coleslaw). Anyway…More to come….