| Destinations
> Spain > MADRID
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| Puerta
del Sol, Madrid |
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Madrid is the capital city of Spain,
located at its center. The city is featured in various cherished works
of Ernest Hemingway and was immortalized by the great Spanish author
Benito Pérez Galdós, in his novel Fortunata y Jacinta.
Madrid is full of a spirit unique to a place which is both the heart
of traditional Castile and a great cosmopolitan metropolis, open to
all the world and innovative in its art and culture. [Full
Profile]
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Featured
Sights
The Plaza Mayor may be the most cherished and interesting of the major
tourist sites: Europe's largest enclosed, open-air public plaza, once
the site of notorious autos-da-fé and even bullfights, it is now
a haven for street artists, independent musicians and open-air café
goers. |
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Getaway: Parque del Buen Retiro |
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in the heart of Madrid, near the Prado Museum and Atocha train
station, the Parque del Buen Retiro was the country resort
for Spain's ruling monarchs, but now is a favorite sojourn
for the city-dweller tired of the traffic and the noise. |
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Museums
/ Culture
Three of the world's preeminent museums are situated within a few blocks
of each other at the heart of Madrid: El Prado (Goya, Velázquez,
Bosch), the Reina Sofía (Picasso, Miró, Dalí), and
the Thyssen-Bornemisza (Rubens, Titian, Pollock) |
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Architecture
Madrid is composed of a seemingly endless array of barrios, each with
its own atmosphere. See refined, 18th Century monuments around the Puerta
del Sol, the bawdy canyon of the Gran Vía, or the small-town feel
of the quieter neighborhoods. |
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Restaurants
Madrid offers a taste of everything. Like many great metropoli, Madrid
is home to fine cuisine from all parts. Try her ríoplatense offerings,
or Las Cuevas, the underground bars favored by bohemians in the early
20th century.
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| Featured
Favortie: La Cabaña |
| Parrilla
argentina: An Argentine-style grill and steakhouse, features
hearty food, mysteriously good "medicinal" mineral
water, Argentine wines and a perilously inviting grilled provoleta
cheese dish. [Contact...] |
Ventura
de la Vega, 10
Metro: Sevilla, Sol |
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Hotels
Even the busy city center boasts the full range of options, including
five-star marvels and tiny one-star hostels in private homes. |
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Transportation
Getting around Madrid is easy, if crowded, when you ride the underground
Metro. You can start from the Puerta del Sol, in the center of the city,
and from there reach almost any point within the capital, including the
major train stations and the airport. |
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Travel
Facts: from  |
| Spain's
capital and largest city, home to 3,500,000 madrileños.
Madrid is situated high up on the plains of Castile. At 2,200
ft above sea level, it is the highest capital city in Europe.
Just to the north are the Guadarrama Mountains, snow-capped
in winter. Madrid is more or less slap bang in the center
of the country. The (insignificant) river that runs through
it is the Manzanares. |
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Madrid
is searingly hot in summer and can be bitterly cold in winter.
Its overcrowded, buzzing streets throb with life 24 hours
a day, 365 days a year. At the same time, Madrid claims
to have more green space than any other city in the western
world. In terms of its museums and cultural attractions,
Madrid rivals—perhaps even surpasses—any other
city you can imagine. Its nightlife is legendary.
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Full
essay
from
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©
Passports, Inc., 1993-2003
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| Oxígeno
y ciprés: junio en España |
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ENTRANDO...
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| Camino
por el pasillo abierto que lleva hasta la puerta. Me recuerdo.
Recuerdo sin fallos el lugar y el sentido del lugar. Ver el
mismo cactus, el encanto de las plantas que llueven sobre
los muros, ver la casa, el umbral, la cara y bondad insondable
de Gloria, que siempre me cuidaba tan bien, significa una
colaboración improbable con el fluír temporal.
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| Cenamos
y hablamos de literatura, de leyenda y de la verdad. Hablamos
de ese espacio infinito que corre por entre los nudos y planicies
de la biografía a medias. |
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Me
encuentro entre planes, entre mundos, entre variados trayectos
de un progreso incierto que se llama vida. El aire tenue
y privado está repleto de fantasmas e ideales, preferencias,
gustos, y todo lo demás que pueda trascender los
cambios cotidianos de la vida... [Texto
completo]
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©
2001 Joseph Robertson
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is a comparative media source, gathering information from publications
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through Casavaria, their mutual publisher. |
| MADRID
BOMBING INVESTIGATION |
5
DETAINED IN CONNECTION WITH THURSDAY'S ATTACKS
14 March 2004 |
| The
Spanish government has announced it arrested 5 men in connection
with evidence related to Thursday's bomb attacks in Madrid.
3 of the men are Moroccans, 2 carry Indian passports but may
be Spanish citizens of Indian origin. Thousands of protesters
gathered outside the ruling party's HQ on Saturday, to demand
answers. Suspicions turn from ETA to Al Qaeda. [Full
Story] |
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| CHANGE
OF GOVERNMENT |
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SPAIN
ELECTS ZAPATERO, VOTES OUT PARTIDO POPULAR
15 March 2004
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Only
three days after the worst terrorist incident in Spanish
history, Spain has ousted the governing PP and installed
the socialist PSOE, which had governed throughout the 1980s
and the transition to democracy. Tension over issues of
war and peace had been growing since 90% of Spain's population
opposed its government's involvement in the Iraq war. Turnout
was up 8.46% over 2000. Zapatero pledges to combat terrorism
as first priority. [Full
Story]
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| EUROPEAN
UNION |
EU
CAMPAIGNS TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY
17 January 2004 |
| The
European Union requires a ban on the death penalty for all
members. While the EU has been a staunch proponent of human
rights, and is home to the World Criminal Court, EU officials
have announced they will intensify their global campaign against
capital punishment. Representatives of the EU are touring
Asian countries, hoping to lobby their governments for the
cessation of the practice. [For more: IHT] |
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