When I first got to Spain, I had a freshly minted English degree, and while I didn’t notice it at first, I missed the experience of reading interesting literature and getting to hear other people’s opinions on it. So when I saw a little advertisement in a library talking about a literature circle in English, I decided that it would be a priority to at least give it a shot. I emailed with one of the moderators of the group – having moderators seemed like a good sign of a thriving group – and vowed to arrive for the first meeting only a few weeks after I got off the plane.

After getting lost on the residential school campus where the meeting was held and seeing about seven black cats, I made my way to the cafeteria where they were meeting. I had gotten the texts for the month via the internet; all of the things the group reads are available online in some format so it’s easy for everyone to be on the same page.

I was surprised to discover that everyone but me was Spanish, despite having near-native levels of English conversation. We had a spirited discussion and I felt like I was listened to but not coddled. The group finished by discussing a play that they were going to go see together, and they encouraged me to join.

I’ve now been to three monthly meetings, and the things we’ve read range from Caribbean poetry to British short stories and everything in between. The amount of attendees ranges from 5 to 15, depending on the month, and recently the group abandoned the residential school campus in favor of the more central and easily located Café Comercial near Bilbao metro. Generally the meetings begin with conversation and drinks, and then naturally continue into the literary discussion.

If this particular group doesn’t seem like what you would want to check out, definitely visit a library near you, either in a university or even in your public library, and see if you can find a discussion group that reads English (or even Spanish) texts. If you are interested in this particular group, contact madshortsmadrid@gmail.com for more information.

Guiri Guest Laura is a recently-arrived English Language and Culture Assistant. She graduated from university in the Spring and is exploring the options that Madrid has to offer for her varying interests in fiction writing, Spanish, teaching, and Journalism. She is from the United States and is still figuring out all the little things that Guiris have to master to become true expatriates in this city.

When I first got to Madrid two years ago, I spent time wandering the more touristy areas with my roommate and we discovered within a couple of days an attraction that still holds my interest for the views it gives and the simplicity of its design: Teleférico.

The premise is simple: it is a ride on cables from right next to the rose gardens of Parque del Oeste across the rest of the park, the rio Manzanares, and a large swath of Casa de Campo, with a breathtaking view of the city itself from many stories up in the air. The ride claims to be ecologically friendly, and it also is nice to get out and above the crowded city streets into the open air. The ride, round-trip, will set you back 5.35 euros. Cheesy music is piped in and a narration in excited Spanish tells you about some of the things you can see, but if you can tune that out, you are getting one of the most serene and expansive views of Madrid that I’ve experienced. I haven’t tried it on a cloudy day, but I can definitely recommend it for those days where the sky here is impossibly blue and the sun almost blinding; I would bet that it gives you a few extra kilometers of visibility.

The ride itself is under 15 minutes, but it works: not exactly a wild roller coaster, but it isn’t long enough for you to be antsy to get off. The Teleférico itself has a café on a terrace when you arrive, and there is also a very close-by playground for small children. Also consider hiking around in Casa de Campo for a while, or heading down to the Parque de Atracciones, an amusement park that is just a short walk downhill. A slightly longer walk will take you to the Zoo. The last time I went, though, it was just a break in a busy day and all we did was eat a snack on a bench before heading back to take our “vuelta” journey. This second trip, there was no narration, and the picture-taking and views were reversed so that we were approaching the city from the west instead of heading into the wilderness.

Each car can hold 6 people, so it’s ideal for anyone from a couple up to a larger group of friends who can easily divide into multiple cars. During the winter the ride has limited hours – most of the weekends in January and February they are open, but only the weekdays that are near holidays, such as the first week in January. The website talks about their hours, which grow slowly as winter continues, 12h to 18h in December, 12h to 18.30h in January, and so on.

I have seen these rides in other cities, but this is the first one I’ve actually ridden and I find that it was a thrill for a person who had just landed in a big city for the first time, and then, years later, a nice time-out from a busy day of showing a house guest around the popular attractions of Madrid. If you want to get away from it all just for an hour or two, this trip won’t disappoint.

Teleférico
www.teleferico.com
nearest metro: Arguelles

close to la Rosaleda (in Parque del Oeste)

Guiri Guest Laura is a recently-arrived English Language and Culture Assistant. She graduated from university in the Spring and is exploring the options that Madrid has to offer for her varying interests in fiction writing, Spanish, teaching, and Journalism. She is from the United States and is still figuring out all the little things that Guiris have to master to become true expatriates in this city.

My fellow Guiris, as I’m sure you’ve all noticed, the holidays are upon us. If you haven’t yet noticed, a quick paseo through the center or barrio Salamanca will certainly show you. Numerous Spanish designers such as Agatha Ruiz de la Prada have created arrangements using over 3 million LED lights that have flooded the streets of Madrid, from the skylines above Gran Vía to the gift boxes floating over Calle Goya.

As the sun sets and the cold air creeps in every night, the best way to see the lights is to hop on the bus–but not just any bus! The Navibús is an open-top double-decker bus that follows along the most illuminated streets in the city while playing the sounds of the season through the bus speaker system. The Navibús runs every night from 6-10pm and costs €1.50 to ride. The approximately 45-minute ride leaves fairly often from the corner of Calle Serrano and Calle Jorge Juan (metro: Serrano; exit C/Goya pares), just next to the Jardines de Descubrimento. The Navibús will run daily until the 6th of January, except for the 18th, 24th, and 31st of December, as well as the 5th of January.

After you ride the Navibús, head to Plaza de Cibeles this Sunday around 8pm to experience a show of coordinated music and lights projected on the beautiful Palacio de Comunicaciones. In addition to the children’s story preceding the light show, there will also be numerous holiday events for children all around city until the end of the Christmas season. Check the official Madrid Christmas events website for more detailed information.  Be sure to come back to Plaza de Cibeles on the 5th of January to catch the Cabalgata de los Reyes as well as the sweet treats that the Three Wise Men will throw into the crowd!

Christmas would not be Christmas in Spain without an abundance of belenes. A belén, sometimes referred to as pesebre, is a representation of the scene of the birth of Jesus. Setting up a belén is a tradition dating back to the 1200s, and even today it would be difficult to find a Spanish household celebrating Christmas without one set up somewhere in the house. During this time of year, Spaniards flock to see the belenes on display all over the country. This year in Madrid there are belenes set up in the Palacio de Comunicaciones (metro: Plaza de España), Museo de la Ciudad (metro: Cruz del Rayo), Casa del Reloj (metro: Legazpi), and the Royal Palace (metro: Ópera), to name a few. Click here to see a full list of belén locations in the city.

As for all of your last-minute shopping, don’t miss the mercadillos navideños scattered throughout Madrid. The one in Plaza Mayor has a bit of everything, including a carousel for the kids to ride, but be sure to stop by the mercadillos on the sidestreets of Gran Vía, and as always, be sure to visit El Rastro as more and more gift-worthy items begin popping up this time of year.

Whether you’re spending your holidays in Madrid or heading back to the guiri motherland, the decorations and holiday activities here in town definitely merecen la pena. Felices fiestas!

Shana came to Madrid in 2009 for a brief summer study program and couldn’t stay away for long. Immediately after finishing university, she came back in September 2010 and has since been spending her time navigating the English language with primary school children and constantly rediscovering all of the charms that captured her for the first time.

Guiri Guest Laura is a recently-arrived English Language and Culture Assistant. She graduated from university in the Spring and is exploring the options that Madrid has to offer for her varying interests in fiction writing, Spanish, teaching, and Journalism. She is from the United States and is still figuring out all the little things that Guiris have to master to become true expatriates in this city.

*****

It’s a corny dream, to be sure, but I’ve always imagined that if I moved from the small-town environment in which I grew up to a big bustling city I would discover a little café, a coffee shop or something, where the waitress would know my order and just nod to me and start making my food and drink.

In Madrid, I found this in the form of Macedonia Fruit Café. Like many other breakfast spots in the city, it offers breakfast specials that include tea, coffee, juice, along with pastries, toast, or sandwiches. However, unlike many of the places I’ve seen, it sells free-trade coffee and products from Intermón Oxfam, a non-profit committed to fair wages for the people who produce the products it sells, as well as educating the public about poverty and fighting to end hunger around the world.

The café has a cute, bright feeling and is done in oranges, yellows, and greens that make the walls look as fresh as the fruit that decorates everything; there is even a bar with a glass top that contains a rack of (hopefully) fake apples. A small cup of fresh juice can be acquired for one euro, and a full range of snacks and smoothies are available.

My favorite food there, hands down, is one of their breakfast specials, el desayuno Macedonia: for €2.30, I get a drink of my choice (my go-to is café con leche, but you can get a tea or a macchiato or what you will) and tostada con tomate, a big piece of artisan bread toasted with olive oil and tomato on top. Perfect at just about any time of day, I have eaten this so many times now that the woman who habitually runs the café just raises her eyebrows when I walk in and asks, “Macedonia con café con leche?” I generally just nod, unless I happen to be in the mood for a juice or a slice of cheesecake.

Macedonia Fruit Café is located near Chamberí on Calle Miguel Angel, and you definitely should check it out when you are in the neighborhood, but this post is more a tribute to good waiters and waitresses and bartenders everywhere than just to this particular spot. Wherever you live or work, it’s worth the trouble to find a place with a good coffee or a cheap beer and get to know the people who run the place, so that you can greet them with a grin rather than just a request. You can make a new friend and turn a random spot for a coffee into a little home.

Macedonia Fruit Café

C/ Miguel Ángel, 24

28010 Madrid