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Costumes and Party Supplies in Madrid

February 16th, 2011 | Posted by AnneGA in Anne | Entertainment | Shopping - (1 Comments)

Living abroad is full of all sorts of adventures, including many reasons to celebrate.  You never know when you’ll be invited to a costume party or have the need to throw a surprise birthday party, so it’s best to act like a superhero and be prepared!

I recently had the experience of needing a costume and found myself at a complete loss, especially since I don’t actually like dressing up and didn’t have the box of random ‘dress up’ items we usually pull from at home when situations like this come up.  Thankfully, a good friend of mine had done her homework and knew just where to go to find the perfect costumes!

We took the metro to Sol and walked a short way down Calle Mayor to reach Il Barullo – a party supply and costume shop.  They had quite a selection for such a small shop and we found exactly what we were looking for.  Il Barullo has you covered whether you’re planning a 1st birthday party for your little one, a graduation party for a hard-working grad student, or are ready to get decked out for Halloween!

Il Barullo
www.barullo.com
Locations in Chamberi, Chamartin, and Centro

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Mental Health Resources

February 16th, 2011 | Posted by allisonstendardi in Guiri Guest | Health | Medical - (1 Comments)

Guiri Guest Alondra Palomino and her husband moved to Madrid from Jersey City, NJ. A long time AZ native, she is thrilled to be in the sunshine once again. She writes and teaches English to kids. In her free time, she is an avid bookworm, foodie, and goldsmith.

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Moving abroad can be exhilarating, exciting, and truly one of the best experiences in your life. But let’s not kid ourselves, there are times when it can be a difficult and overwhelming process. Each situation is unique and there are many factors that can determine whether or not you enjoy your new life abroad.

Despite speaking the language and having plenty of friends here, there have been times when I have been tempted to rip my own hair out. Just because you speak the language doesn’t mean you automatically understand the jokes, the food, or the culture. Add a partner, spouse, or children into the mix and you might find yourself wondering if you made the right decision to leave the comfortable cocoon of your home country.

A study in the March-April 1999 edition of the Harvard Business Review found that 25% of expat employees leave their organizations within their first year of living abroad. Often, they find the move abroad to be too much for their family. Before you pack up and go home, consider that there are resources available for you and your loved ones. If you reach out for help, consider the following:

1. Do you want the therapist to be local? There are plenty of sites that offer therapy sessions via Skype as well as in person.
2. Do you have a language preference? If so, this may be a key factor to getting the guidance you need.
3. What type of help do you need? Are you seeking help for yourself, your children, or you and your partner? Are you dealing with addiction, anxiety, depression, etc?
4. Do you have private insurance? If so, check with your insurance company to see if they will cover some of the cost.

Here are some sites that can assist you in finding the help you need:

Your Tango- If you are crunched for time, perhaps Skype may be the best option for you. This is a great starting point to help you search for qualified therapists who can provide their services via Skype.
Need a Therapist here in Spain?- A list of psychotherapists throughout Spain.
English Speaking Therapists - This is a great site for those who are looking for English speaking therapists. Contact information and links to individual websites are listed.
Centro Hispano-Columbiano – This is a great local non-profit, which despite the name caters to anyone in the Madrid community. They offer free group and individual therapy sessions, as well as many helpful workshops.

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Dancing in Madrid

February 14th, 2011 | Posted by AnneGA in Anne | Fitness | Lifestyle - (0 Comments)

The thought of dancing in Spain fills most people’s imaginations with brightly dressed flamenco dancers and sultry salsa in dimly lit clubs. Amazing, but not something the average person can participate in other than as an enthusiastic spectator.

I was lucky enough to discover another side of dancing in Madrid at the Madrid Dance Center – a modern facility near Retiro (a few minutes walk from the Principe de Vergara metro) offering a range of classes including jazz, tap, contemporary, salsa, ballet, tango, and even pilates.

I took a contemporary dance class last week from an impressive instructor – Stephane – who spoke Spanish, French, and English. The class had only three other people in it and I was by far the least talented dancer, but I enjoyed every bit of it and loved the challenge of moving my body and trying to keep up with the choreography!

Intrigued? Ready to take a class yourself? The good news is that the Madrid Dance Center is offering Guiri Guide readers a discount on all classes- 10E for an individual class, 90E for a 10 class pass, and 10% off all monthly passes.  Just make sure to tell them you’re a Guiri Guide reader when you sign up to receive the discount.

The best way to get started is to check out their class schedule - horario general on the website under actividades y precios – which changes each month, and decide what you’re interested in taking and how often you’d like to go. Then you can walk in and sign up any time.

I highly recommend trying out a class and taking advantage of the discount being offered.  Happy dancing!

Madrid Dance Center
www.madriddancecenter.es
914 355 981

Calle del Doctor Castelo 7, 28009

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Ostradivarius: eating oysters in Madrid

February 11th, 2011 | Posted by allisonstendardi in Allison | Food and Restaurants | What's Happening Madrid - (2 Comments)

I’m always on the lookout for new restaurants here in Madrid, especially those in my neighborhood of Goya, which I wrote about last week. A new oyster bar opened on Calle de Goya just recently and I was itching to try it.

For weeks the storefront was boarded up and I would often see the comings and goings of the construction crew. I was vaguely interested in what they were working on of course, but as the stores around Ostradivarius are mostly high end clothing stores, I didn’t have much hope that this new place would be for me. But oh is it. When the curtain dropped to reveal a small raw bar, a slick modern counter, and tall tables with elegant cast iron stools, I knew I would be trying this out.

Ostradivarius has a raw bar menu of course, along with a few other Spanish tapas items, and a hand drawn menu on the wall with specials. They are currently offering a glass of vino blanco with two medium oysters, or a vino blanco with one gigante oyster, for 3 Euros. I’ve tried the oysters at the Mercado San Miguel, which are good but extremely salty I found. I thought the oysters at Ostradivarius were perfect, a lovely blend of salt and fresh lemon, and the oysters were fresh and delicious.

Ostradivarius is a great spot for a before dinner drink and snack, or for a relaxing and calm evening.

Enjoy!

Ostradivarius

82 Calle de Goya

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Neighborhood: Goya

February 4th, 2011 | Posted by allisonstendardi in Allison | House Hunting - (2 Comments)

I live in the Goya barrio, which is part of the district of Salamanca, here in Madrid. More specifically, it’s basically a giant square bordered by Principe de Vergara, Calle O’Donnell, Calle del Doctor Esquerdo, and Calle de Don Ramon de la Cruz.

When we first moved to Madrid and were thinking about where to live we were admittedly a bit overwhelmed. Do we want the hustle and bustle of Sol? The twisty streets of La Latina? The gritty yet cool area of Chueca? Or do we head out of the center altogether? We decided on Goya for a variety of reasons. It’s very close to Retiro, a quick one-line ride into Sol on the red line, is rather upscale without being pretentious, and is pretty close to IE, my husband’s university.

I’d say one of the most awesome things about Goya is living near the Palacio de Deportes. I’ve never actually seen a concert here, but I’ve been entertained on many evenings by the happens in Plaza San Felipe II, right next to the venue. People lined up for concerts, food stalls, sometimes even music that’s being played outside of the Palacio de Deportes makes for an entertaining evening. If Shakira comes back to Madrid I will certainly have to secure a ticket and see her from a proper seat. On the other side of the Palacio is the Real Casa de la Moneda, which is basically a big money museum.

For food shopping there are plenty of options in Goya. There is a large supermarket at one of the two giant Corte Ingles buildings at the Goya/Alcala intersection. The other Corte Ingles building houses a level dedicated to luxury and gourmet goods, along with a stocked papeleria with a small greeting card section. A decent-sized Carrefour is located on Calle Conde de Penalver, not far from the Correos, and a KFC (hey, you might be hungry after waiting 45 minutes to post something). There is also a row of fantastic local shops (a butcher, fruit/veggies, and a fish guy) located on Hermosilla, if you’d like some local flavor instead of the big brands.

Just outside of the technical Goya zone, on the southern side, is a great little movie theater that plays English films, Renoir Retiro. Mondays are discount days. The theater only shows 4 movies at a time, and the theaters themselves are rather small, creating an intimate and friendly atmosphere. They even have a book swap book shelf on the second floor. Take a book, bring a book!

Other useful places to know: there is a hospital and a dentist’s office (a Sanitas office) on Calle del Doctor Esquerdo, and two Chinese “bazaar” shops (which are full of cheap but often useful items), one on Hermosilla, and the other on Alcantara.

Overall I really like living in Goya. It’s close to everything in Madrid, but isn’t smack in the middle of the party. Beautiful balconies, quaint European side streets, and proximity to the park and main center makes Goya a great barrio to live in.

http://www.palaciodedeportes.com

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