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Gay Pride Week in Chueca

June 30th, 2011 | Posted by allisonstendardi in Allison | Entertainment | Lifestyle - (0 Comments)

The rainbow flags are out in Chueca. The streets around Plaza de Chueca have been blocked off to traffic and are decorated with colorful flags; Madrid is ready to get the party started.

Gay Pride week here in Madrid began on Wednesday and will continue through the weekend. The annual parade that will take place on Saturday is the largest gay pride parade in Spain, and one of the largest in Europe as well, and attracts thousands of international visitors. The neighborhood of Chueca is the center of the gay scene, with many clubs, bars, cafes, and restaurants. Many events are being hosted in Madrid this week to celebrate, and you can check out the listings here.

I happen to be staying in Chueca at the moment, as I’m dog sitting for some friends, and therefore have a front seat to the party! The vibe is exciting and fun, and everyone seems ready to dance and sing and have a great time. The actual Chueca metro stop, located in Plaza de Chueca, was impossible to get to yesterday due to the huge crowd in the plaza, so getting off another nearby stop, like Alonso Martinez or Tribunal, might be a good option for getting here. Gay pride week aside, Chueca is a fantastic neighborhood that you should check out while in Madrid. The new Mercado de San Anton is a great place to eat, drink, and take in the atmosphere of this exciting and dynamic area of the city.

So enjoy the week everyone, get your rainbow flags and your face paint ready – the party is here in Chueca.

El Mercado de San Anton

June 29th, 2011 | Posted by JLynch in Food and Restaurants | Jamie - (8 Comments)

Since moving to Madrid, I have come to appreciate more than ever before the mercado culture. There is something about getting your fish fresh from the pescaderia, your meat directly from the butcher, and so on and so forth that makes everything taste better than when you buy it in the supermarket.  That is why when El Mercado de San Antón in Chueca opened its doors in May, I was one of the first guiris in line.

El Mercado de San Antón combines the charm and gourmet delight of the Mercado de San Miguel with the functionality of Mercado de la Paz.  The bottom floor is home to Opencor, a traditional supermarket in the Corte Ingles family. The next flight up is the actual mercado, which hosts various stalls where you can buy high quality basics such as meat, fish, poultry, cheese, bread, wine and hamburgers.

The second floor is where you can find the prepared food kiosks. The variety is impressive and hosts stations dedicated to the tapas of Greece, Japan, Italy and of course Spain. There are several areas to enjoy a wine, cider, beer or tinto de verano with your appetizers as well.

The distinguishing feature of the Mercado is undoubtedly the rooftop restaurant, La Cocina de San Antón. It is a large restaurant with an indoor section, a patio, and a cocktail bar. Although I have not yet had the pleasure of dining there, my trusted colleague tells me that it is truly exquisito. 

El Mercado de San Antón has something for everyone, whether you are looking for a place to take out of town guests, need to stock the fridge with some fresh food, or fancy a drink or a meal out.

El Mercado de San Antón

Calle de Augusto Figueroa, 24

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El Museo Sorolla: more than just an art museum

June 23rd, 2011 | Posted by Erin in Erin | What's Happening Madrid - (0 Comments)

Art museums – If you’ve lived in Madrid for more than three days, then you’ve probably visited a few. But have you been to El Museo Sorolla?

Awhile back, Courtney eased our museum fatigue by introducing us to some of the lesser-known museums in the Spanish capital. And today, I’d like to revisit one of those semi-secret spots.

The Sorolla Museum isn’t just any small museo filled with art. Instead, it’s a proper home hidden inconspicuously behind a wall on the always-bustling General Martínez Campos. Within its walls you’ll not only find Sorolla’s masterpieces, but an urban getaway replete with lush foliage and trickling fountains. For a moment, you might just think you’re in Andalucía.

Born in Valencia in 1863, the Impressionist artist is most famous for his depiction of The Vision of Spain. This series of paintings, commissioned by the Hispanic Society of America, features fourteen large panels depicting Spain’s regions. Now, his art displays around the world, but also occupies his old family home here in Madrid.

In 1925, Sorolla’s widow donated this house (built in 1910-11), along with all of their belongings, to the Spanish State in honor of her husband’s memory. Passing through the salons, hallways and gardens, it actually feels like a home (well, not my home, but some ideal version of it). Chandeliers, furniture, books – it makes the Prado feel like a sterile hospital.

Both art lovers and loathers will likely find something to appreciate about Museo Sorolla – whether it be the opportunity to admire a prominent Spanish artist, to check out unattainable Madrid real estate, or just to transport yourself, even for a minute, outside of the city. And hey, if none of that pleases you, the collection can be seen so quickly that the moment you realize that it’s not your thing, you’ll be done!

I was happy to find out today that the museum is often open on random Spanish holidays (speaking of which, happy Corpus Christi?) and that no admission is required to enter the gardens. That said, if you’re feeling a tad too lazy to make it over to the museum in the Madrid heat, you can instead take a virtual tour of the garden (which probably feels a lot cooler from the comfort of your own home). Turn on your computer sound, grab a tinto de verano, and you’ll be set.

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Introducing a new Guiri, Jamie Lynch

June 21st, 2011 | Posted by JLynch in Jamie - (0 Comments)

My first taste of Spain, and Europe in general for that matter, was in 2001 when I spent my spring semester of college studying abroad in Valencia. I immediately fell in love with the city, the culture, the language and the accessibility to the rest of Europe. My love for travel was officially born and I had quixotic notions of returning to Spain one day in a different capacity.

I first met my fiancé Raul in the fall of 2008. When I heard that there was a guy from Valencia working in my office in New York, I knew I just had to meet him. Our paths eventually crossed at the birthday party of a mutual friend and we traded Valencia stories and figured out that we went to many of the same places while I spent my semester there; we wondered if we were ever in the same place at the same time.  One year later, Raul’s contract in New York was up so we packed up our things and headed to Madrid to continue our romance overseas. I was lucky enough to be able to continue working at my firm’s Madrid office and we have been exploring and getting to know Madrid together ever since.

Thanks to my job, we had the good fortune of getting set up with an agency to help us find an apartment. We also had our friend Patricia, a real-life Madrileña, to give us the run-down on neighborhoods, transportation, nightlife and other Madrid essentials. Within two weeks of touching down in Madrid we were settled into a lovely apartment in the central and colorful neighborhood of Chueca.

The past 19 months have been the adventure of a lifetime, despite the inevitable series of growing pains along the way.  Learning to work in a foreign language and assimilate into the Spanish corporate culture has not been as seamless as the rest of my transition. That being said, Raul and I have loved getting to know our new city and are having a great time planning our upcoming fall wedding.

I am really looking forward to sharing what I have learned, and what I continue to learn on a daily basis in Madrid!

How did the Spanish crisis happen ?

June 20th, 2011 | Posted by Pierre in Pierre | What's Happening Madrid - (1 Comments)

Well, this great video sums up in a terribly funny way how did Spain got in such a mess. Oh, and it really happened that way, this video is not only funny but also true.

Ever since I arrived in September 2009, everyone around me has been talking a lot about the crisis. And I realised that in fact, Spaniards and expats alike, we do not really know how did it happen exactly. Yeah, of course, we all know it had to do with the real estate and construction crisis, bad debt, and surely because of corrupt politicians. But you know, no one could really explain clearly what happened and what did we have to do differently for it not to happen again.

More than 2,000,000 views and yet, most people keep thinking renting is wasting money, or that the price of their flats will keep on increasing every year after this strange period ends: “Real estate prices never go down”. Wrong – in fact, the consensus in Spain is that prices need to go down another 15-20% at least and that like any other market, it has cycles.

Fellow guiris, do you think the same thing happened in the US or the UK ? do you think the video is a truthful summary of what happened, or do you feel something is missing ? are some of you thinking about buying vs renting here in Madrid ?
Please feel free to comment, I will answer any opinion or question!
And if you have any question, do not hesitate to email me or tweet me @pierrewaters.

Madridly yours,
Pierre Waters – Moving2Madrid

My google+

PS: if you feel like digging in a bit more, here is the site of the maker of the video:
http://estepaissevaalamierda.wordpress.com/

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