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In search of snow

February 28th, 2012 | Posted by Shana in Shana | Transit and Transport | Traveling outside Madrid - (0 Comments)

So close, yet so far...

Though it may not feel like it this week, believe it or not it isn’t summer in Madrid. Down here in the city it’s sunny and warm and it seems like spring has come a bit earlier than expected. However, a glance north to the sierra shows that it is indeed still winter! I’ve always traveled to Chicago at Christmastime, so a winter without snow is very strange to me. A few weekends ago I decided to hop on the Madrid Cercanías train to see some of the white stuff in the mountains.

The C-8 train from Madrid leaves from Atocha or Nuevos Ministerios and makes it up to Cercedilla in just over an hour. I took this time as an opportunity to drool over Madrid’s skyline and desertlike surrounding areas while the folks around me rode along anxiously in their snow gear. Upon arrival in Cercedilla, I approached the ticket counter to ask about continuing train tickets to Navacerrada on the C-9 line to Cotos, a small mountain town on the border of the Comunidad de Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha. The Cotos station is currently closed due to some construction work, so Navacerrada was about as far as I could hope to get.

Ticket Counter Guy informed me and the 25 or so people in line behind me that tickets for the C-9 train could be purchased on the train that would be leaving in two hours. I took those two hours and walked up into Cercedilla to enjoy the sun and have a quick lunch. From town I enjoyed beautiful mountain views and quaint small-town charm, complete with ridiculously cheap cañas and abundant aperitivos. After two hours passed, I returned to the train station to find an enormous crowd of snow-seekers decked out in their finest cold-weather attire waiting to board the C-9 and purchase their tickets. A different train employee walked to the front of the crowd and announced that only those passengers holding return tickets for line C-9 would be allowed to board the train, and that there were no available tickets to be purchased. A few people boarded the C-9; the majority boarded the C-8 back to Madrid. The moral of this story: I should have bought my ticket in advance!

So, how do you do that? Well, the C-9 has different rules from the 4th of December to the 24th of April this year. This means it will be 100% mandatory that travelers purchase their return tickets in advance at Cercanías stations before leaving. The C-9 tickets are different from C-8 tickets, as they’re in a different transport zone. There are a few ways for you to purchase your ticket up to the snow:

  • If you have an Abono Transporte, you can ask for an ampliación at ticket windows that will allow you to pay the difference between your Abono’s zone and zone C2.
  • If you do not have an Abono Transporte, I recommend that you purchase an Abono Turístico, or a Tourist Pass. A return ticket from Madrid to zone C2 costs 12 euros, but a single day Tourist Pass in “Zone T” also costs 12 euros, and this will allow you to take as many forms of public transport as you like, all over Madrid, for one day.
  • If you have an Abono Transporte for zone C2, you must still reserve a space at the ticket window. In the winter, this route is extremely popular but there are very few trains running on the weekend. Be sure to get your seat!!

Now that I know this information, I suppose I’ll have to try again very soon… if the recent weather patterns mean anything for the snow on the mountaintops, we don’t have much more time to see snow!

Andén Cero – a metro museum

December 10th, 2011 | Posted by jodiehop in Entertainment | Guiri Guest | Transit and Transport | What's Happening Madrid - (0 Comments)

Madrid’s metro system is one of the largest and best metropolitan rail systems in the world. Built in 1919, the Madrid metro was born out of the necessity to connect its citizens in a rapidly-growing urban environment. The construction of new lines and expanding platforms caused the Chamberí station to close in the 1960s, leaving it mostly abandoned until 2008, when the station was reopened as a museum called Andén Cero, or Platform Zero.

Situated in the Chamberí neighborhood, the museum at Andén Cero offers a short video that outlines the history of Madrid’s underground railway system. After watching the video, visitors can then see the fully-restored lobby and platforms, designed by architect Antonio Palacios, who also designed some of Madrid’s most beautiful attractions, such as the Palacio de Comunicaciones and the Círculo de Bellas Artes.

A quick trip to Chamberí is a journey back in time. With advertisements and metro system maps restored back to their original states, walking through the station feels like a trip to the 1940s. Palacios’ designs are still intact, down to every last detail, with bright tilework adorning every inch of the space. A large plexiglass barrier separates visitors from the train tracks, so you can safely stand on the platform and watch the occasional line 1 train go by.

Andén Cero is free to visit every Tuesday to Friday from 11am to 7pm, and on weekends from 11am to 3pm. Be sure to take metro line 1 from Bilbao to Iglesia so you can see Chamberí station from the train, and then walk down C/ Santa Engracia until you reach the museum entrance in the Plaza de Chamberí.

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.

The Road to an Abono Joven

October 21st, 2011 | Posted by Courtney in Guiri Guest | Transit and Transport - (2 Comments)

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.

*****

Abono

I thought I learned a lot of Spanish when I was in high school and college. I realized when I got to Madrid that my Spanish is not so much bad as it is odd, out of sync with local convention.

It all added up to me being mildly terrified of everyday encounters with Spanish-speaking people. I felt very brave whenever I walked into a shop and actually asked for what I wanted and was understood, even a little bit.

I live in a suburb, so the Metro system is a daily need. In order to do almost anything, I need to take the metro or bus, and the 1.50E-a-pop tickets (or 9.30E for ten trips) get pretty expensive.

This meant that I needed to apply for an Abono, a monthly pass that allows me unlimited rides on buses and metro in the city. Despite my fear, I had to go and talk to real people in multiple shops in order to get what I needed. Through my own errors, I learned the steps it takes to get your hands on one of these excellent money-saving tools.

  1. Determine your needs – Check out this page in order to determine whether your age qualifies you for a discount. Also, this is the place to figure out what zone you want. Some people who work in the outskirts need a particular pass, which is more expensive but still far less than individual tickets.
  2. Acquire photos – In metro stations and at any photo shop around Madrid, you can get “fotos carnet,” which are a specific size photo that is used for a lot of official documents. You may need them for other things, so don’t worry if they are sold in batches of 6 or 8. You will also want to get a photocopy of your passport.
  3. Visit an Estanco – These are the Tabacco shops that are all over Madrid. While some are open in the afternoons, I recommend visiting in the morning. You can apply for a regular abono on the spot, or fill out the paperwork for an abono joven, the one with the youth discount, which will be available in 15 days, either at that Estanco or by mail to your address. There will be a nominal fee (less than 5E) for the abono’s plastic wallet.
  4. When your Abono Arrives – you will still need to purchase your monthly ticket. The easiest way to do this is go into a metro station and find a ticket machine. It will have you insert the card wallet, which will allow you to purchase your monthly ticket.
  5. Use your Abono – Remember you can purchase next month’s pass using your card wallet a few days before the next month using the machines.

Believe me, the process and the talking-to-people-in-Spanish were well worth getting my abono and having unlimited public transit.

Two Years in Madrid

September 20th, 2011 | Posted by JLynch in Communications | Food and Restaurants | Jamie | Learning Spanish | Transit and Transport | Work and Employment - (2 Comments)

This past September 15th marked my two year anniversary in Madrid. This milestone (which came incredibly quickly by the way) prompted me to do some reflecting about life and learning since moving to Madrid:

  • Spanish food and wine have exceeded my expectations in every way. Neither my semester in Valencia in 2001 nor the emergence of Spanish cuisine in NYC exposed me enough to the diversity in the Spanish dining landscape.  From the fabadas and sidra in Asturias to the pescaito frito and Manzanilla in Seville, I have never before been so gastronomically stimulated.
  • Making friends was harder than I thought. Before I came here, I had visions of making loads of new friends at work, whether through happy hours, apartment parties, long nights at the office or what have you. That has not been the case. I learned that (at least at the company I work for) happy hours and apartment parties are not a big thing here (as compared to the States) and people, while extremely friendly, are generally not really looking to make new friends. While I have been greeted with nothing but kindness, the experience was more isolating than I expected. Luckily I was able to connect with some fellow expats (and the amigos of my Spanish novio) and have finally been able to expand my local network and feel much more at home.
  • Transportation in Madrid (and Spain for that matter) is world-class. The Madrid metro is spotless and efficient (albeit a bit overcrowded during rush hour), the bus lanes should be a model for other big cities (take note NYC), the roads seem to have been designed in hindsight (the way the traffic flows in certain parts of the city is genius) and the national AVE rail always manage to make the proverbial “journey” a pleasure.
  • Embarrassingly enough, I still cannot say “Hasta luego” and “Madrid” properly (despite my best efforts).  I feel like a poseur every time I try to pull it off like a native. I have no idea why these words are so hard for me, but they just do not and will not roll off my tongue. Anyone else have this problem?
  • Working in Spanish has been easier than I thought (but certainly not easy).  As I noted in an earlier post, I was initially terrified of working in Spanish, especially in the high-pressure corporate environment that I was thrust into upon arriving here. I am happy to report that my fears, while healthy, were mostly unfounded. My coworkers and clients have immeasurable patience with me, enough people know English to help me out when I stumble, and even when I make mistakes, people usually get the idea. Due to all of these factors, I was able to get by until I improved, which happened rather organically through the 10+ hour per day trial by fire.
  • I am finally (finally!) getting used to the vast difference in size of the unspoken “personal space sphere” in Spain versus the US.  Take the metro, walk down the street, see for yourself. I have never in my life stood so physically close to people when it is not mandated by a lack of space.  This elevator is huge – why are you so close to me?!  We are walking right at each other, why won’t you yield?! After two years I have finally come to accept this cultural difference and my daily anxiety levels have decreased as a result.  Serenity ahora.

After two years I can confidently say that I feel really at home here.  I found a network of people that I can trade stories and spend time with, I am in a good routine at work, I know my way around the city quite well, and I know almost everything on the menu when I go out to eat.  For those of you just arriving in Madrid, know that this level of comfort takes time and patience, and the trials and challenges along the way are those things that make you appreciate getting there even that much more in the end.

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Riding the Metro in Madrid

March 2nd, 2011 | Posted by AnneGA in Anne | Lifestyle | Transit and Transport - (0 Comments)

After spending the last 11 years living in Seattle – a city who’s transportation system is limited by lots of water (i.e. no underground trains) and can’t seem to gain the critical public support it deserves (i.e. super crowded roads) - I was thrilled to leave my car behind and take advantage of Madrid’s metro system.

When I first arrived I found it quite easy to pay 1 euro per trip and use the automated machines that offer instructions in English.  Soon, I learned that I could save a little money and time at the machine by purchasing a 10 trip pass for 9,30E. 

Now I’m riding the metro daily to get to my Spanish class and I decided it was best to buy a monthly pass for 47,60E.  This was the first ‘tricky’ experience I had with the metro, but it wouldn’t have been if I’d checked out this website in advance, although it’s still not super clear.  You’ll want to purchase your pass at the beginning of the month because they are only good from the first to last day of each month.  Here’s what you should do if you’re planning to purchase a monthly pass…

  • First, find a photo booth to have your ‘headshot’ taken (you can find these in the larger metro stations like Ave. de America or even on the street if you keep your eyes peeled)
  • Second, take one of your photos with you to any Estanco or Tobacco shop – you’ll see them all over with their maroon and yellow “Tobacco” signs
  • Third, tell the cashier you’d like a monthly pass, “Yo quiero una tarjeta mensual“
  • Fourth, fill out the form provided with your local contact information

At that point you should get a red pocket pass with your photo and a small metro ticket that slides in place.  Each time you take the metro you’ll have to pull out the ticket and run it through just like a single or 10 trip ticket.  If you decide to get a monthly pass the next month, the process is much easier.  Go to one of the automated machines, select monthly pass, stick your pass (without the little ticket in it) into the machine, pay with cash or a card with a chip in it and you’ll have your new ticket for the month!

A couple of important notes:

  • You can plan your route and find the quickest way to get where you’re going at www.metromadrid.es (available in English)
  • If you’re coming or going from Barajas Airport, the metro is a great way to go, but remember that you have to pay an extra euro at the machine in order to pass through (unless you have a monthly pass)
  • It’s always good to have a metro map, which can be picked up at any metro station or found online here
  • The lines are labeled with the final destination to let you know which direction it’s going – a map will help you figure this out or you can always find a detailed sign that lists the stops on that line

Happy metro riding!