The Madgarden Festival takes places between the 26th June and the 27th July. It takes place in the Jardín Botánico de Alfonso XIII at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Acts include the Beach Boys, Booby Mc Ferrin, Pat Metheny, Chicago, amongst others.
Website
Madgarden ’14
Map
Spain is a predominantly Catholic country – regardless of whether people try to say it has become more secular (acceding to the Spanish statistics office 92% of the population have been baptised Catholic). And as in other mediterranean countries (Italy, Portugal and Malta) the Holy Week is the focal point of the church calendar. All over Spain you will find processions taking place, from small villages to large cities like Madrid. Starting with Palm Sunday and going through to Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Weekend, you will find these processions heading out from many churches in the centre of the capital.
These are the main processions taking place in the centre of Madrid over the next week:
Cristo de la Fé y del Perdón
Sunday 13th April – 7.00 pm
Basílica Pontificia de San Miguel
Calle San Justo, 4
Nuestro Padre Jesús de la Salud “Los Gitanos”
Wednesday 16th April – 8.30 pm
Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen y San Luis
Calle Carmen, 10 – Centro
Maundy Thursday
El Divino Cautivo
Thursday 17th April – 7.00 pm
Colegio Calasancio de los PP Escolapios
Calle General Díaz Porlier, 58
Neighbourhood: Salamanca
Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno “El Pobre” y María Santísima del Dulce Nombre
Thursday 17th April – 7.00 pm
Iglesia de San Pedro “El Viejo”
Calle Nuncio, 14 – Centro
Nuestro Padre Jesús del Gran Poder y María Santísima de la Esperanza Macarena
Thursday 17th April – 8.00 pm
Real Colegiata de San Isidro
Calle Toledo, 37 – Centro
Good Friday
Jesús Nazareno de Medinaceli
Friday 18th April – 8.00 pm
Iglesia-basílica de Nuestro Padre Jesús de Medinaceli de los PP Capuchinos
Plaza de Jesús – Centro
Procesión del Silencio
Friday 18th April – 7.00 pm
Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo de la Fe
Calle Atocha, 87 bis – Centro
Santísimo Cristo de los Abaderos
Friday 18th April – 7.00 pm
Iglesia Catedral Castrense
Calle Sacramento, 11 – Centro
El Divino Cautivo
Friday 18th April – 7.30 pm
Colegio Calasancio de los PP Escolapios
Calle General Díaz Porlier, 58 – Salamanca
María Santísima de los Siete Dolores
Friday 18th April – 7.30 pm
Parroquia de Santa Cruz
Calle Atocha, 6 – Centro
Santo Entierro
Friday 18th April – 8.30 pm
Parroquia de Santa Cruz
Calle Atocha, 6 – Centro
Holy Saturday
Procesión de la Soledad
Saturday 19th April – 4.30 pm
Real Iglesia Parroquial de San Ginés
Calle Arenal, 13 – Centro
Virgen Dolorosa
Saturday 19th April – 8.00 pm
Iglesia-basílica de Nuestro Padre Jesús de Medinaceli de los PP Capuchinos
Plaza de Jesús – Centro
Related Links
Find out more about Holy Week in Spain or
in Spanish Semana Santa en Madrid
If you’re from the UK, you are probably familiar with the comedian Eddie Izzard. For those who are not, you may want to type his name into YouTube. Well, for the first time ever he will be performing in Spain – Madrid actually – and you have 6 nights to catch him. But the only downside is that the venue he is performing that only holds 100 people. Here’s what the website promoting the event has to say:
Internationally known Comedian Eddie Izzard will have played some of the biggest rooms all over the world by the time he arrives in Madrid for 6 of the most exclusive dates of the entire mammoth Force Majeure World Tour. He is the first ever Stand Up Comedian to have performed the Hollywood Bowl and is more often than not to be found in Arenas and other huge venues such as New York’s Madison Square Garden and London’s O2 Arena, so with just 100 seats a night these truly are special gigs , they are on a 1st come 1st served basis from the purchasing to the seating and we expect the to sell fast!
Tickets can be bought (if you’re lucky) from this website.
I’d also recommend you check out this interview by English journalist Simon Hunter with Eddie Izzard on El País.
This looks like it could be fun. We have all seen (I assume) the films of Charlie Chaplin on tv – or possibly at the cinema. But how about watching one of his films – The Circus – at the theatre and with the Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid providing the score? Well, this is the treat film-goers are in for if they visit the Teatro de la Zarzuela on April 22nd (8.00pm).
More details can be found on the Teatro de La Zarzuela website.
After two and a half years and with the help of over 1,200 architects, carpenters, electricians, builders and other professionals, the Archaeological Museum of Spain opens its doors on April 1st, 2014. The refurbishment actually began in 2008 and has cost over 60 million Euros. In total 13,000 pieces of archaeology from Prehistory, Greece, Egypt and the Near East, Hispano-Roman, Middle Ages and the Modern Age will be on display to the public. 50 audiovisual screens, maps, illustration and touchscreen points will offer a state-of-the-art experience for visitors.
More Information
Website: National Archaeological Museum
Travelling there
C/ Serrano, 13
28001 Madrid
Spain
Tel: (0034) 91 577 79 12
Public transport
Buses
1, 9, 19, 51, 74: Stop outside museum
5, 14, 27, 45, 150: Stop on Paseo Recoletos
21, 53: Stop at Plaza de Colón
2, 15 20, 28, 52, 146: Stop at Plaza de la Independencia
Metro
Serrano (Line 4) and Retiro (Line 2) underground stations
The Cava Baja in Madrid is one of my favourite ‘night-time’ streets. It is full of great little bars and restaurants and has a lot of character. The street is one of the oldest in Madrid, in the La Latina area and was known in the past as the pony in Madrid where post entered the city and where muleteers brought in coffee, hay, coal, wheat and much more. The street has quite a few posadas and one I particularly like is the Posada del León de Oro.
This place was totally refurbished in 2010 and the building itself dates from the 19th century. It houses a smart hotel, restaurant and bar (I have never stayed here but the bedrooms look fabulous). On entering the place it is well worth having a hick look around – notice the how the balconies look down on the restaurant and the glass floor displaying the old walls and an assortment of wine bottles!
Head over to the bar and view the wines that you can buy by the glass from all over Spain. Whatever your favourite Spanish tipple, you will probably find your needs catered to in here. Like much of Cava Baja it is also an ideal place to order some ‘raciones’ to share with friends or family. I would definitely recommend the croquets – they are delicious.
Directions
Address: Cava Baja 12, 28005 Madrid
Telephone: +34 91 119 14 94
Google Map
Last year my son and I went for lunch with a very good friend of mine to the Real Café Bernabéu. It was actually the day that Real Madrid played Manchester United at home and, luckily, we managed to get a table. If you like your football, then you’ll love this place – the chance to have lunch overlooking the Real Madrid football ground. The café is situated behind the goals of the great ground and all of the tables offer good views out over the stadium. If you’re lucky enough, you can even bag a window seat. The food good and the price is reasonable (given the location). For 19.90 Euros you can enjoy elect your plate of choice from the starter, main and dessert and each day they change the menu selection (I suppose this is standard for most menús del día). The kids menu is 11 Euros. If you are in the area, you may want to consider doing a tour of the stadium before heading off for lunch.
Here’s a copy of their latest menu (March 2014). You’ll notice that the menú del día is in the top left but you can select a variety of starters, main and desserts.
Getting There
Bus: 14, 27, 40, 43, 120, 126, 147 y 150
Metro: Santiago Bernabéu. L10
Google Map
Here’s a neat video from the folks at esMadrid which gives you a flavour of what Madrid may have in store for you. Let me know what you think!