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Written by Angelo Segobvia
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Monday, 28 April 2008 |
 Traveling to Europe when the dollar is whirling its way down the toilet? Well, it helps if you have friends who offer you a place to stay. I went on my third visit to Madrid recently. We stayed with friends in a beautiful suburb called Las Rosas. With easy access to trains, buses and taxis, I think I finally understood and was able to participate in the uniquely Madrileño nightlife.
The first time I went to the Spanish capital was in 1993. For four consecutive nights, I tried to arrive at a variety of popular bars and discos at the perfect time, when the locals would be out enjoying themselves. The first night I arrived at 10:00pm. The next I arrived at 11:00pm. On the third night I arrived at midnight. Each time I was told the bar/disco would be busy later, “mucho más tarde.” On the last night I arrived at 1:00am and found the beginnings of a happening bar.
Of course, Madrid has its’ own unique concept of time. Trying to find a restaurant that serves dinner between 5:00pm and 10:00pm is virtually impossible. That first visit was before I discovered my love for wine. Now a couple of glasses of “tinto” at any bar with the small plates known as “tapas” makes for a fantastic meal at any hour.
With the value of the dollar continuing its’ free fall, shopping was not on my list of activities. But if I had considered it, I would have found most stores closed at mid afternoon for the traditional siesta. I can only assume the siesta is essential to Madrid’s all-night party ethic.
My 2005 visit to Madrid was part of a much greater Spanish tour. It encompassed visits to Barcelona, Sevilla and Granada. Only one night was open to explore the scene in Chueca. We were able to bar hop and enjoy the crowds before cutting it short at 3am in order to make a flight back to the US.
On our most recent visit, we were determined to be in sync with the Madrileños. At 10:00pm on a Friday in March we had a lovely dinner of Tortilla Española, a Spanish thick fried potato omelette,
Jamón Ibérico, Spanish cured ham and croquetas, lightly breaded, fried fritters.
We started our club crawl at about midnight. Each of the bars was lively with great music and fun crowds. The atmosphere was world class and very sexy. I must say, Madrileños are very handsome people. We mostly drank the local beer, Mahou. When in a foreign country, I always try the local beer and wine. It’s usually good and easy on the wallet.
 We left the third and last bar at about 5:00am. A long line of new arrivals waited to get in. The streets were packed with people trying to either get cabs or getting out of them. Competition was fierce. Once we finally got a cab driver willing to take us to Las Rosas, we were more than happy to pay the 50 euro fare (about $75.00). The next night we saved about $50 by taking a cab to a bus stop with hourly departures to Las Rosas.
Madrid has an impressive, comprehensive subway system, second in size in Europe only to London. But it shuts down at 2:00am, re-opening at 6:00am. Many people just stay up until subway stations open, drinking thick hot chocolate and eating churros.
Waking up at 1:00pm with jet lag and a slight hangover on two consecutive days cut into other sight seeing we may have enjoyed. Nevertheless we managed to walk the Paseo del Prado from the Atocha Station to the Ritz hotel. Along the entire route in front of the Prado Museum, beautiful, enormous bronze sculptures of perfectly proportioned, but dismembered body parts by the Polish artist Igor Mitoraj dwarfed the pedestrians.
 We also visited the comprehensive Picasso exhibit at Reina Sofía National Museum Art Center and saw the impressive new buildings designed by Jean Nouvel. The new Iberia Airlines terminal at Barajas Airport must also be seen as one enormous artwork. A collaboration between Richard Rogers Partnership and Studio Lamela, the terminal with an undulating roof has the organic feel of walking under the canopy of a high-tech forest. It almost made me forget that Iberia had lost one of our suitcases…almost.
And while I’m nit picking, please do not make the mistake of sitting at a table in the Plaza Mayor and ordering without a menu. Our humble plates of “tapas” and soft drinks came to 79 euros (about $120.00). I blame my “slight hangover” on this lapse in judgment.
Madrid is an incredibly beautiful city, rich with culture of every sort. It is experiencing a financial boom that, as an American, I can only envy. The optimism, joy and wealth of the city will call me back again and again. I only hope my money will be worth something. |
Angelo Segobvia |
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