Finding a good bar in Madrid isn't hard because there aren't any, its more a case of finding them in the sea of other bars in any given area of the city. Admittedly, you'll find it easier in certain areas, Malasana for example definately has more than its fair share, but even there there's a lot of pretty average and downright crap drinking holes on offer too and it takes a fair bit of wondering back streets to find a gem. So with this in mind, and having some experience in these matters after designing and managing a bar in Manchester, I thought I'd start writing bar reviews on here too. (Although maybe this would make a good sister blog - My Madrileno Hangovers?). The problem is, I can't remember what half of them are called so it'll have to be an ongoing project, but heres the first batch.
Imperfecto, off Calle Huertas, Sol
This bright and colourful bar is definately from the Quirky school of bar design. Covered in random bits and bobs, its certainly interesting to look at, and has some interesting seating (although in some cases, for interesting, read uncomfortable. Not too busy in the week but there's usually at least one group of noisy locals in the back to give it a bit of atmosphere.
El Matador, Sol
El Matador is one of those Spanish cavern-like bars where the yellowy-brown colour of the walls matches that of the legs of Jamon hanging behind the bar. El Matador has taken very typical format and given it an edge of cool with a Matador skull and crossbones logo and lifesize Matador manaquin hanging off the wall, which means the tiny bars usually pretty jammed. Not too pricey, plus your canas come complete with sweaty chorizo and cheese tapas. Mmm!
Pandora's Liberia, West La Latina
On the bluff just south of the Cathedral, the potential view from this cafe/bar is somewhat blocked after dark by the trees and feral teenagers in the park opposite but inside its got a dark old-world feel, with a 'library' (well, bookshelf, don't flatter yourself Pandora) of mostly Spanish books at one end. Despite the fairly snooty staff, its a nice place to settle in for an evening... as long as you keep an eye on the tab! Tapas here means a curious but original collection of nuts, jelly tots and slices of melon. Mmm?
I've spent this week mostly catching up with friends and family on Skype - surely an expats best friend - and doing a fair bit of going out, including to watch Spain get thrashed 4 - 0 by Portugal. Interesting to see the reaction of Spaniards to this. In England, it would be a continual stream of shouted abuse, grumbling and opinion, whereas here most people just turned away and pretended it wasn't happening. I suppose when you've just won the World Cup you've got less to prove.
Other interesting/worrying things I've learnt this week:
- Men flashing women (mainly on public transport and in parks), as happened to a friend of mine on her way to work at 8am last week, is so common that they're known as hombres verdes (green men - as in mouldy).
- There is no word for strap in Spanish.
- It is near-impossible to find anywhere with the combination of wifi, a seat, and a plug socket in central Madrid. I've started using the wifimas thing that broadcasts from kiosks around the city. Tip - when signing up for anything on the internet in Spain, United Kingdom is Reino Unido. Took me a while, that one.
- Spanish music videos are almost as bad as Spanish pop music. Almost.
- Saying 'Buenas' is like saying 'Good day', but calling someone 'Buena' is saying they are good enough to eat. Watch your pronunciation.
I've had an idea about doing some kind of street theatre on the Metro. I got the idea after seeing a guy get on, playing guitar for a bit (which happens all the time), only for his friend, who no-one had noticed to burst out rapping halfway through and go up and down the carriage making everyone laugh (I had no idea what he was saying). Got me thinking about various performance stuff you could do - not for money but just for an entertaining afternoon, and to make a few people days. So far I've only had a couple of ideas but got a few people making interested noises about it.
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