The Lowdown on Madrid, Spain. September 13th, 2005
Madrid, Culture, Where to Stay
The "Paradores" are an entire network of state-run hotels located mostly inside ancient constructions that were at some point in history important castles, monasteries or convents...
November 3rd, 2004
Madrid, Food and Drink, Secret Stuff
Buried in a commercial center down a stairway on the corner of Fernando El Católico and Hilarion Eslava is one of Madrid's most hard to find bars...
December 18th, 2003
There really is nothing fast about food in Spain, and that's exactly how the Spanish like it. Eating is a time to enjoy the company of your friends and family and distance yourself from the busy hustle and bustle of the day...
October 30th, 2003
When you tell people you are going to Madrid, one of the first clubs they will recommend is Kapital. Kapital is great - seven stories, three dance floors, and tons of attractive people - but the one thing you will find missing is Spaniards...
December 2nd, 2002
It was Saturday night and the bars were packed at 9 p.m., an unusually early hour for Spaniards to be out, except that it was the night of the Big Game, the unparalleled match-up between Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona...
November 22nd, 2002
Visiting Spain is like visiting many small countries wrapped up into one. It is a beautiful country with wonderful people, interesting food, amazing art, and many fascinating places to visit...
November 22nd, 2002
Madrid, Culture, Living Abroad, Study Abroad
I have only one month left in this precious country, and I honestly don?t know what I will do when I have to leave. I know this for sure: I will not want to leave...
November 16th, 2002
Madrid, Culture, Living Abroad, Secret Stuff
The Fall's light in Madrid invites you to go for a walk and see the ancient splendor of Old town's places. During the cool evenings have a stroll from La Puerta del Sol, in the very center of the city (metro Sol, lines 1,2 or 3) to La Plaza de Isabel II...
November 9th, 2002
The sweet smell of waffles and chocolate floats your way, teasing and taunting you until I feel forced to enter the pastelería to try a gofrey.
One of the most exciting things about traveling to a new country is experiencing the new, interesting cultural foods, and Spain is no exception...
October 21st, 2002
Madrid, Culture, Living Abroad
My eyes are fixed intently on the coach addressing our team, and I can only hope that I don?t look like I have a blank stare on my face, but I wouldn?t be surprised if I do.
"Concentrate. Just relax and concentrate," I say to myself...
October 11th, 2002
Madrid, Culture, Entertainment
The ideal place in Madrid for movie lovers is the "filmoteca". Located in the center of the city and offering a varied program in which you can find a wide range of films, from the classics to new releases.
Filomteca has three show rooms, a coffee shop and a bookstore...
October 5th, 2002
This is it. This is Spanish life in Alcalá de Henares, an historic city 35 kilometers east of Madrid. Public transportation, including the bus I am on, is ridiculously convenient, well organized, and inexpensive...
October 4th, 2002
Madrid, Culture, General Info, Secret Stuff
Lavapies is not just a subway station on Madrid's "metro" map, it's a whole neighborhood just in the core of the capital...
September 29th, 2002
Four or five blocks away from the very center of Madrid, is the "Sala el sol" (the Sun), a small club known among other things, for its rather bright lighting. I suppose that's how the place got its name...
September 29th, 2002
Two police officers speed down the street, blue lights flashing on the front of their motorcycles. Not far behind is a cyclist, donning sunglasses as he races against the clock. In an instant, he?s gone.
Right now, he is at an altitude of about 600 meters, approximately 35...
September 27th, 2002
Because we view experiences through our own eyes, how special a place is depends on how special you want that place to be. It all depends on your experience, on what you have felt. You may already know all about the climate, the food, and the people...
September 20th, 2002
When you travel, you have the sensation that time stands still; you lose not only the notion of time and space, but sometimes you can even lose your identity...
September 16th, 2002
Church never had such competition. Sundays in Madrid are not just a day for prayer, but for cheap purchases at El Rastro.
Every Sunday thousands of anxious bargain hunters storm El Rastro Street's mega-flea-market...
Travel goodies for your trip
Urban Lowdown writers are there, now, writing about Spain with an insight printed guidebooks lack.
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