Is it perhaps at this at with which we shudder? this charming, dreamy and somewhat disturbing building facing a pond whose character and essentially vaguely oriental dream is reinforced by elements such as artificial caves located on one side, offering an incomparably dramatic vision  of the beautiful glass structure and wrought iron palace, or the stylized trees starting at the bottom and its vertically stylishly crossing of the crisscrossed waters fringed by goldfish and swans, ducks and geese that seem to a communicate an extremely important truth in the most disturbing of languages.

The almost quality alpine of the Madrid winter sun, especially in the hours that serve as a prelude to the last sunset, seems to give the place a surreal texture that nevertheless feels close to the hidden truth of time and things by a palpable light yet untouched by fear. As the finest crystal, all the scenery shatters to pieces at the slightest touch of anything else than someone looking at it

It doesn’t matter how accomplished the Crystal Palace and the building itself are, the visitor can never escape the feeling that the real work of art remains outside the enclosure, in the prodigious spectral light of the park, either in a vibrant or muted feeling. You might have just entered the palace to see light like you’ve never seen it before, as something new, never used or ever contemplated upon, the important true art is not what is inside but  what is left outside, savoring the thrill that this perception causes and has never has been nor will never be an art that true essence other than just pure observation

The beautiful installation by Soledad Sevilla “Written on celestial bodies”, which can be visited at the Crystal Palace until 29 April http://www.museoreinasofia.es/exposiciones/actuales/sevilla.html somehow largely staged the conditions pertaining to such a privileged place, such a sensory and emotional perception of light and space, and the abysmal delicate tension between inside and outside, the visible and invisible, public and private

Paul Oilzum

It is a palace within a palace which inside opens up to a purple sky punctuated by stars from a telescope that says that they are but linguistic signs tattooed on the void of the superabundance of the gift of light and its changing forms. Be amazed by its metamorphosis when renting apartments in Madrid

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Translated by: Marc
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Faunia is one of the places you can not miss in your travel log. Known as one of Europe’s most attractive bio-parks, not only for its 140,000 square meters, but also for the excellent reproduction of four biosystems: temperate forest, tropical forest in Africa, the tropical ecosystem of the jungle and the polar ecosystem . It also has 4,000 animals of 700 species. If this does not encourage you , I can tell you that there are very attractive themed areas for children, such as the crocodiles Mangrove with 9 hungry specimens, or the Lake Theatre, where they can see the adventures of aquatic mammals. It is open every Saturday and Sunday In January and prices ​​per child go from 3 to 10 years  old and 19.50 euros to 25.50 form 11 years to 59 euros.

An activity that everyone can enjoy is a cable car ride of Madrid. This starts at the Paseo del Pintor Rosales and from it you can see the city from a different perspective . The ride is 40 feet high and reaches  a speed of 3.5 meters / sec. The hours you can use it is from 12:00 to 20:30 from Monday to Friday and weekends from 11:00 to 21:00. Price is 5 euros per person.

The Amusement Park of Madrid is a must in any family traveling  agenda. Located in the Casa de Campo, it has a range of entertainment that few places have. There are 41 sets of machinery, 21 places to eat and 7 shows. Just let yourself go and ride the roller coaster or the shuttle that rises to 63 feet to drop at full speed. The kids can enjoy an incursion into the cave of spiders, where they are mounted on a wagon and shoot 30 mobile tarantulas. There are also cute games for children, such as the baby boat or the kid shuttle among other games that will free your child’s imagination. The prices ​​of the wristbands to enter the game area  will depend on the age. From 3 to 6 years  its 10.60 euros, from 7 and up 29.50 and form 60 onwards 23 euros.

Museums are also a good alternative for fun between parents and children. The preferred are CosmoCaixa, the National Museum of Natural Sciences, the Railway Museum and the Wax Museum. There is also the American Museum, where you can learn many aspects of pre-Columbian cultures and be fascinated by mummies. The football fans can visit the museums of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

Nancy Guzman

If you want to start 2012 with a joyful spirit, rent apartments in Madrid and enjoy these great panoramas with your family.

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Translated by: Marc
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According to the most famous definition offered by Max Estrella in Luces de Bohemia, “Classical heroes have gone for a walk to the Cat’s Alley. Classical heroes reflected in concave mirrors are the grotesque. The most beautiful images in a concave mirror are absurd. “

These mirrors, which graphically illustrate the idea that what is tragic about the Spanish reality can only be expressed through aesthetics based on a systematic distortion, are still there, holding the traveler in a hurry, unable to overcome his disturbing and abysmal power of complaint, but despite the plaque, which serves as a reminder, it is more than possible that most locals do not associate the fundamental role they have played in contemporary culture, but to the bar where, according to another legend, the best patatas bravas (fried potatoes in the form of irregular plated given a spicy tomato sauce) in the city are serve, the bar-restaurant  is called Las Bravas.

Madrid is famous for its patatas bravas, one of the favorite tapas for their inhabitants and it is hard to choose the best places to try them, but surely in any list the famous Cat’s Alley will be in the top five.

It’s more than possible that the Cruz Blanca Brewery in Olavide Square, was another prominent place, as well as the Bar-Restaurant Docamar (http://www.docamar.com/) which has been very famous since its opening in 1963. Despite being somewhere outside the city center, everyday a lot of its clients come from different parts of the capital to consume the potatoes with the secret sauce they use for their preparation.

Magerit, in the Plaza Mayor, is another favorite restaurant, placed in an unbeatable location, making it in a double pleasure.

Something similar happens in the very traditional winery La Ardosa (http://www.laardosa.es/), famous for its excellent selection of wines and beers, as well as its more than 200 years in the market.

Paul Oilzum

Despite the suggestions here contained, when you rent apartments in Madrid you will see that Las bravas tradition is so entrenched that probably the best places are kept strictly secret, so be sure to enter to any bar that for whatever reason that inspires your confidence.

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Translated by: Hans
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To begin the evening of Friday, few things are better than to have a traditional vermouth on tap along with a tasty snack in the beautiful traditional Corps Tavern, located in the beautiful Plaza of the Corps Guards , next to the huge Cultural Center Conde Duque (http://www.esmadrid.com/condeduque/portal.do), a walk along the imposing Baroque architecture is always advisable to open your appetite.

Not far from there, we suggest a cozy dinner at Gumbo restaurant which specializes in cocktails and New Orleans style meals before going to see any of the six daily sessions of the 5 functions of less than 15 minutes of less than 15 people offered at the Microteatro project for money, close to the club ocho and one of the temples of modern indie-pop-rock in Madrid.

As expected on Saturday it is hard to get up early, a good way to awaken can be by taking walk in the West park to the University and eat in the gorgeous modern building restaurant in the always seductive Museum of Costume  worth a visit just for its fantastic collection of Fortuny y Madrazo gowns. Often semi-deserted, the Zen atmosphere of the museum, emphasized by its most serene,  hypnotic gardens can be an excellent anti-hangover prescription .

In this idyllic setting the elegant Palacio de Cristal in the Retiro Park, fits in perfectly and where we can extend our sluggish state of trance surrendering to the mixture of geometric order and organic sensory experience that the installation of Soledad Sevilla offers to then descend the Moyano slope to enjoy sharing the view of the long afternoon vanishing  and turning into night from the terrace of the extension of the Reina Sofia Museum with its futuristic views of the south of the city.

And before going to bed, take advantage of the opening until eleven at night of the Thyssen Museum’s temporary exhibitions to familiarize yourself with the seminal Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot.

You should not rise late on Sunday afternoon to enjoy the magic of the Rastro flea market  and the extraordinary culinary magic of La Latina when the market is over, for they are few better places for tapas in a big way that the environment formed by the Plaza of the  Humilladero The Plaza de la Cebada and the Plaza de la Paja and, above all the adjacent streets, including the famous Cava Alta, Cava Baja and Almond Street.

Paul Oilzum

Theatre, music, drinks, museums, flea markets and tapas are a very comprehensive plan for an intense weekend when renting apartments in Madrid whether you follow the suggested routes or you decide to alter them.

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Translated by: Marc
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The drawings are a chronicle of fashion at the beginning of the 20th century, and in them we can see the role of women through the aesthetic of the body in those year. In an era of post-war and recession in the world, both events would generate change in production, and fashion begins to have a preponderant role and a strong impact on the economy. These are the years where designers like Coco Chanel emerge, and with her modernism in fashionm that would transform the aesthetics of the feminine figure including, for the first time, trousers as a feminine piece of clothing.

The exhibition, that has the support of the Madrid Council, contains interesting documents that enhance the image of Sáenz de Tejada, like, for example, an article written by the historian Jaime Brihuega, that gives good account of the time, and an article by the New Yorker journalist Judith Thurman.

Carlos Sáenz de Tejada de Lezama, son of an old aristocratic family from La Rioja, was born in Tangiers, Morocco, in 1897. He was a painter, illustrator, decorator, poster designer and also did drawings, always alienated to the main trends of the time. During the Spanish Civil War he actively supported the Nationalist Front, making propaganda illustrations that were in the Press Service and the Propaganda of the National Army in Salamanca. After the war had finished, he collaborated with book illustrations: ‘Poemas de la Bestia y el Ángel’ (‘Poems of the Beast and the Angel’), by the monarchic activist José María Pema and ‘Historia de la Cruzada Española’ (History of the Spanish Crusade’) by the journalist and historian of the Franco regime José Arrarás.

His studies in painting began with Daniel Cortés in Oran and, in 1916, he entered the Royal Academy of San Fernando. He began to publish illustrations from a very young age in important publications of the time such as ‘Nuevo Mundo’, ‘La Libertad’, ‘Elegancias’ and ‘Esfera’ among others. In 1924 he was selected for the Autumn Salon of Madrid, where he shared the honor with painters like Picasso and Gutiérrez Solana.

In 1926, the Junta de Ampliación de Estudios gave him a grant to carry on his studies of mural painting in Paris, staying there until 1935. That’s where he developed a prolific illustrating career at Femina, Harper’s Bazaar, Jardin des Modes, Vogue and Robe, transforming his strokes into a stylish representation of beauty and fashion. These would be his best years of production and they would be put down in 775 illustrations.

For more information: http://www.museoabc.es/es/exposicion/83/La_elegancia_del_dibujo

Nancy Guzman

A good alternative to relax and begin 2012 with positive energies is to rent apartments in Madrid Don’t miss out on this chance to spending a few pleasant days of relax and get to know the work of Sáenz de Tejada at Museo ABC.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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In such circumstances it’s good to know some good, nice and cheap restaurants where you can eat for under 20 euros, such as Ernie’s Station for the 50s rock style lovers, American border food with Tex-Mex flavour and the vertigo of the sound of Harley Davidsons on Route 66.

Or, if we prefer the Izakaya style restaurants in Japan, the wonderfully cute Hanakura (http://www.hanakura.es/) doesn’t just offer daily menus for under 13 euros but also a free hour’s car parking.

For the lovers of a more Mediterranean atmosphere, there are few better options than Grazie Mille, Roman charm put through New York’s Italian aesthetic with contemporary design, where it’s nice to drink a few Martinis at the bar listening to soulful, chill-out and electro-tango in front of its excellent dishes (it also has a daily menu that costs around about 10 euros, including an exquisite coffee and an entirely Italian menu).

But the star of the moment in terms of value for money and beauty is probably Con Dos Fogones. Located in the charming and galdós-esque district of Conde Duque, it offers a menu based on Mediterranean food from Monday to Friday for just 10 euros, a menu that mixes tradition, avant-garde and fusion with an elegant and informal presentation. The dishes, for which they use seasonal ingredients only, change every day in cycles of about two months.

Paul Oilzum

The four aforementioned restaurants are places with a special charm of their own that offer good food from different traditions at a very reasonable price. You might want to visit them when you rent apartments in Madrid

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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Much of this history is unknown to the public, despite the name and image ownership of the club that Franco used for almost forty years of dictatorship, Republican affiliation of the institution in the years before the victory of the  coup in the Spanish Civil War, parentage of which are testimony to this day both the purple stripe of the shield as well as the T-shirt that the team has worn on countless occasions as a guest team

Indeed, in August 1936, on the verge of when Madrid was surrounded, terrified and bombed almost at a  daily rate by the rebel army with military support from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, which used the Spanish war as a testing ground for weapons and military tactics they would use in the Second World War, the majority of members of Real Madrid,  requested the seizure of the club by the Popular Front, the coalition of democratic parties won the elections earlier that year and consequently ruled legally in Spain.

What should not seem strange if we consider not only that the area of ​​the Madrid field, the legendary Chamartín stadium was in a sensible socialist tradition neighborhood but most of its members were left wing Republicans (in fact former president, Rafael Sanchez-Guerra, was a Republican-Socialist candidate for the municipal elections in 1931, who later on became Minister of the republican government in exile in the forties).

For such a rich and contradictory history its  worth visiting the Museum of the Real Madrid (http://www.realmadrid.com/), where photos, glasses, documents, videos, boots and shirts weave the path of the world’s most successful club in the very belly of the impressive Bernabeu stadium, which you may also visit on a very complete tour (including visiting the pitch and the dressing rooms) for the same price.

Paul Oilzum

Probably you never would have imagined that there was a defining time in our history when Real Madrid was the favorite team of the anti-fascists in the world. The city itself is so full of exciting surprises, as you will see for yourself when you rent apartments in Madrid

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Translated by: Marc
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It had a long life, from 1941 until 1978, when, probably due to changes in society, it couldn’t adapt to new times and stopped being published. However, it’s definitely the ‘dean of comedy press’, as it self-proclaimed later on. Its graphic and literary humour inspired other magazines that were to be born in the dawn of democracy, such as ‘Hermano Lobo’, ‘El Papus’, or ‘El Jueves’, with the latter still on sale.

The founder of ‘La Codorniz’, Miguel Mihura, who was also its director, had in its first years writers such as Ramón Gómez de la Serna, Wenceslao Fernández Florez and Enrique Jardiel Poncela, among others, as collaborators. In 1944, Mihura sold the publication and its chief writer, Álvaro de Laiglesia, became the director of the magazine. And so a new era began, a more fruitful one. Together with Fernando Perdiguero, his right-hand man, big figures of comedy such as Mingote, Chumy Chúmez, Gila or Forges began to collaborate with the magazine, as well as writers such as Rafael Azcona. The latter years of the magazine were directed by Manuel Summers and Cándido respectively.

‘La Codorniz’, that in its beginnings presented a more reduced format, began selling at 50 cents and ended up costing 15 pesetas. It went from selling 35,000 copies a week in its first stage to 80,000 later on, even surpassing 250,000 copies in its extra issues. It didn’t escape censorship, which it dodged masterfully, and it had to pay many fines and even deal with closure during four months.

This retrospective of ‘La Codorniz’ can bee seen at the Museo de la Ciudad in Madrid (Príncipe Vergara, 140) in an exhibition that will be open to the public until the 15th of April. The exhibition, commissioned by Felipe Hernández, tries to pay tribute to the magazines soul figures – De Laiglesia, Perdiguero and Herreros- as well as reviving it for those who knew those stories full of absurd, intelligent and avant-garde humour. And for those who never got to know it, now is a good chance to do so.

The exhibition also gathers more than 300 sketches, all of them originals, from Spanish cartoonists who dedicated themselves to comedy during the last century and this one as well.

From its birth on the 8th of June 1941 until its disappearance on the 11th of December 1978, they edited a total of 1898 issues. 37 years of history of a magazine that inspired new publications, such as the aforementioned, as well as the digital newspaper ‘La Kodorniz’, who takes pride in being its successor.

For more information: http://www.lakodorniz.com/.

Dew DROPS

If you are in the Spanish capital, come to the Museo de la Ciudad de Madrid to see the exhibition ‘La Codorniz. 1941-1978′. But, above all, don’t forget to rent apartments in Madrid

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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From the hand of Pérez de la Fuente Producciones, this sensational play based on the novel of John Boynton Priestley, published in 1937, arrives at the Teatros del Canal.

The story could fit in the drama genre, but that plot goes a lot further. The historical context of the lives of the characters is the first half of the 20th century. Europe is a swarm of new democracies, social leaders, found thoughts and dreams of freedom. But the arrival of the First World War was to change everything that was established until then. When it seems that the light of hope is shining in the horizon, the Second World War takes it away with its dark halo. Fear, misery and misfortune invade the hearts of the Europeans again, who see how their hopes of prosperity are once again broken. The characters show us the story of a wealthy family from outside of London, the Conways. We can see the reactions and the feelings of the ten characters for two nights only. The nights in which they knew of the beginning of both wars. A dramatic plot which was completely revolutionary for the time in which J.B. Priestley wrote the story, but also for more contemporary times.

The adaptation of the work was possible thanks to the excellent work of Luis Alberto de Cuenca and Alícia Mariño. The director of the play, as well as the scenographer, is Juan Carlos Pérez de la Fuente.

The chosen stage for this play is no other than the Sala Roja de los Teatros del Canal. Located right in the centre of Madrid, on Cea Bermúdez 1, it can be easily accessed by public transport. The capacity of the theatre is of 863 seats set out the ‘Italian way’, to increase the visibility of the spectators. The name comes from the decoration and the lining of the armchairs (Roja is red in Spanish). At the highest point of the room, a large and innovative LED lamp is able to change the appearance of the room thanks to its spectacular colour changes.

The prices for the best-placed general seats for ‘Time and the Conways’ are of 25€, while in the amphitheatre they cost 18€. Wednesdays is ‘Spectator Day’ and the prices reduce themselves to 7€. If you buy the tickets in advance you get a 15% reduction. Using the Carnet Joven or the OAP Card you will have a 25% discount. The tickets can be bought at http://www.teatroscanal.com/1000351000201/tiempo-conway__1.html

Visiting the city of Madrid in January always has a special charm. Nobody should be surprised if one day we wake up to find that the parks and the trees are all covered in snow.

Fernando Paterna

Travelling to Madrid in January is a unique experience. The Paseo del Retiro, the Prado Museum, the Plaza Mayor or the Palacio Real are excellent places that must be visited during the stay in the Spanish capital. Renting apartments in Madrid is the most comfortable and practical way to spend a few days visiting the city. For money and comfort reasons, don’t hesitate to rent an apartment, you’ll come out better for it.

Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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A double concert will open the year of live music for lovers of Gothic and Darkwave, two bands of great experience, lots of records and, at least in the case of Clan of Xymox, tons of musical experimentation.

Clan of Xymox starts in 1984, when Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert and Pieter Nooter join the project, which by then was rather based on Darkwave with an electronical background  that made a difference in the sound of the band. The first albums are released by the label 4AD, which include songs such as Muscoviet Mosquito, A Day, Medusa and Louise, among many others. They then begin to experiment with other sounds and the band lineup changes, perhaps the strangest stage is the one of the Metamorphosis album, after that phase of experimentation they return to their dark bases with excellent work such as Hidden Faces and Creatures. The current lineup of the band is: Ronny Moorings, Mojca Zugna, Denise Dijkstra, Jasper Agnes and Mario Usai.

On the other hand, we have The Arch, a band formed in 1987 in Belgium, which to date have at least 10 albums with cult themes that acquire characteristics of true anthems like Ribdancer. A great double bill for a concert that will take much of the past but also from the future, as Clan of Xymox has a new album entitled “Darkest Hour”, there you will have the opportunity to hear the latest of the Dutch Formation and all their hits.

The concert will be held at the  Sala Heineken in Madrid, on January 13, the door opening time is at 20:15 hrs, ticket price is 22 € in advance and 25 €  at the box office. If you are planning a trip to Madrid in January, there is no excuse to miss this event, and if you do not plan to do it, Do it now.

For more information visit:: http://www.facebook.com/events/225365060826050/

Luz Obscura

Good live music and good company in a beautiful and interesting city, isn’t that a great deal? Rent apartments in Madrid and do not miss the concert of Clan of Xymox and The Arch

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Translated by: Marc
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