Student life in Madrid!

Hi there!  If you don’t know what to do or where to go during your stay in Madrid, here are some of the best places according to one of our students; she has so much to tell us so let’s get started!

Best bars and clubs

1. Circulo de Bellas Artes

This has been mine and my friends’ go-to bar throughout my time in Madrid. The bar provides you with a 360 view of Madrid and a relaxed, informal atmosphere so it’s the perfect place to enjoy the sunset and some casual drinks at the end of the day!
Metro: Banco de España (line 2)

2. Platea

Platea is one of my absolute favourite bars if I want a bit more of a fancy place, perfect for an occasion like a birthday. Serving every drink under the sun, from a caña to exquisite cocktails, Platea serves something to everyone’s taste. It also has a great restaurant on the bottom floor with an extensive menu, as well as endless tapas counters scattered around making it even more appealing!
Metro: Serrano (line 4) or Colon (line 4)

3. Espit Chupitos

As is in the name, Espit Chupitos specializes in serving shots which are sure to start your night off in style. Altogether it serves over 600 different types of shots (a personal favourite of mine and my friends´ is the cannabis absinthe shot), cocktails and other drinks in unimaginable flavours and so with 2 euro shots and mainstream chart music playing throughout the bar; it’s a great place to go for some fun before heading to the club.
Metro: San Bernardo (line 2)

4. Teatro Kapital

Kapital is one of Madrid’s most exclusive nightclubs and I still haven’t been to all of its floors! The slightly elevated entry price is worth it, especially in a big group. You can get there early and enjoy a drink on the 7th floor rooftop bar and stay there until the early hours of the morning dancing away to the different types of music played on each floor. Although I don’t go to Kapital very often, it’s my favourite place to go for a birthday or a big night!
Metro: Atocha (line 1)

5. Joy Eslava

If you’re looking for a slightly cheaper and more casual night out than Kapital can provide, Joy Eslava is a good bet. However, just because it is cheaper and more casual than Barcelo or Kapital, it doesn’t mean that it’s any less boring. There are 4 floors and it is open 6 days a week so is my go-to for a spontaneous night out!
Metro: Opera (lines 2 or 5)

Best places to eat

1. Mercado San Miguel

This is hands down my favourite place to eat in Madrid. It offers a huge variety of food and it is all fresh and is reasonably priced. Perfect for whether you want just a caña and some quick tapas or whether you and your friends want to go to have paella.
Metro: Sol (lines 1, 2 or 3) or Opera (lines 2 or 5)

2. Casa Maravillas

Casa Maravillas is great because it serves a great variety of food and drinks. The restaurant always has a great atmosphere and is the perfect setting to catch up with your group of friends. I really enjoy the ‘Spanish vibe’ that the music and decoration gives to the place.
Metro: Príncipe de Vergara (lines 2 or 9)

3. 100 Montaditos

100 Montaditos is the definition of the Spanish phrase ‘bueno, bonito, barato’. My friends and I always go to a 100 Montaditos to have some cheap drinks and food. Another great thing about 100 Montaditos is that every Wednesday and Sunday, the whole menu, food and drinks, is 1 euro. It provides the perfect hangover cure on a Sunday after a heavy Saturday night!
Metro: various, these are all over Madrid!

4. El Tigre

With a free portion of tapas coming with every drink, you really can’t go wrong in El Tigre. The atmosphere is buzzing and I love spending my Friday nights here catching up with my friends after a week studying. It’s a great place to absorb the Spanish culture with beer and typical Spanish plates!
Metro: Chueca (line 5)

El Día de Los Reyes Magos is upon us!

The holidays still aren’t over in Spain! El Día de Los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day), otherwise known as Epiphany in English speaking countries, is even more important than Christmas here in Spain. It is the celebration of the arrival of the Three Kings into Bethlehem and it takes place on 6th January.
The celebrations actually begin on the evening of 5th January with the Calbagata de los Reyes Magos (The Three Kings’ Parade) – it is one of the most important and special events of the year in the Spanish calendar. However, before we go into the details of the celebrations themselves, it's worth looking at the history of this significant event.

History

The arrival of the Three Kings!

In religious tradition, El Día de Los Reyes Magos marks the day that the Three Kings, also known as the Three Wise Men, arrived in Bethlehem having followed the North Star across the desert for twelve days. They came to Bethlehem to give gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. In 1885 the Spanish government decided to mark the Epiphany with a parade and thus it remains a beloved tradition and the longest standing parade in Spain.

The Celebrations

As we said before, the party actually begins in the evening of 5th January with the Three Kings’ Parade. In Madrid, La Castellana, one of the main streets running down through the heart of the city, is shut down for the arrival of the Kings. Hundreds of families and friends seek out the best spots along the road in order to get a good view of the reenactment of their arrival! If you want a good view, we recommend planning ahead and heading down there early – it’s definitely worth it! The atmosphere is incredible as the Kings ride through on horses or extravagant floats, dishing out sweets to the crowd, surrounded by camels, musicians and acrobats. If you’re in Madrid, you must go and admire this amazing spectacle – we cannot recommend it enough!

Los Reyes Magos

After the procession, everyone goes home with a sugar rush from all the sweets and the children, very excited, leave out their shoes for the Kings to find and leave presents in. They also leave food and drink for each of the Kings and their camels! As you've probably noticed, it’s very similar to the tradition of Santa Claus – we all know how exciting it is!

Food

A Roscón de Reyes

As with almost every Spanish fiesta, food plays a vital role! It’s traditional to eat a Roscón de Reyes for breakfast on the 6th which is a ring shaped cake decorated with fruits. Two plastic objects are hidden inside the cake: a faba bean and a King. Whoever picks the piece of cake with the king in it is said to have good luck for the rest of the year whilst the unlucky one who pulls out the faba bean has to pay for the cake! Be sure to get your Roscón de Reyes this week and join in with the Spanish tradition!

We hope you have a wonderful day on the 6th and we wish you a happy New Year from all of us here at AIL Madrid!!

Wogaboo

Wogaboo offers more than just Spanish food

One of the best things about Madrid is that, as well as being able to find the most typical cuisines, you can find the best food from the whole world over. And the great thing about Wogaboo, is that you can find all of this great cuisine as well as spanish food in one place. An example for you, have you ever imagined having more than 100 different types of pasta to choose from? You can combine them as you so wish with, perhaps, some Asian food as appetisers and even a small plate of Spanish food to follow, or viceversa! Also as if that wasn't enough, there is the offer of free Mojitos all night, every thursday night. Be careful though, we have class on Friday!

Cava Baja, the street of a thousand bars

La Latina - the social heart of Madrid

Do you know any place in Madrid where it is more difficult to decide on which bar you want to go to? If you have already visited this street in the centre of Madrid, then you have already realised that there is always something new to discover. And it is this street, la Cava Baja, that lies right in the heart of La Latina that offers us a journey through all of the Spanish foods and flavours. We are going to take a journey through the street with our recommendations, do you accept the challenge to try and discover them all?

Paella in Madrid

Introducing our beloved Blanca!

Hello everyone! We are starting a new section for our blog, and every week we will give you recommendations for ways to best spend your weekends. By way of introduction for those of you who don't know me, my name is Blanca and I am a Spanish teacher here at AIL Madrid. 

Spanish Food in Madrid [Part 3]

I think I should mention some of the most important places in Madrid that make up a rite of passage for the hungry traveller here in Spain for a first time, or even on a repeat visit:

Spanish food in Madrid [Part 2]

Then comes the paella, the Clint Eastwood of Spanish cuisine. It originates in Valencia although this is heavily disputed. Some say the Basques, some say Madrid, but most say Valencia. It was originally a labourer´s dish, an amalgamation of everything left over from the week´s food. 

What meat it contained depended in which class you belonged: Chicken and rabbit were available to the upper classes in Spain whereas Spanish lower-classes often used snails to bulk up their protein quota. 

Spanish food in Madrid [Part 1]

Spanish cooking has a very colourful heritage partly due to the fact that it has had a very rich history of battles, occupation, overthrowing and liberation. Spanish tapas and cooking has all the genetic infusions of a promiscuous mongrel but better tasting.