Heading For The Hills

I've spent many an hour sitting up on my building's roof terrace, staring out at the mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama in the hazy distance, but somehow I'd never got round to going there until last weekend. I don't know why, they're only an hour and a half and €4.20 away on the cercanias (commuter train) and I do love mountains. Anyway, better late than never. After reading up on where to go here, me and Kate headed out to Cercedilla (that's "Ther-theh-deeyya" for those of you unfamiliar with Castillian pronunciation) on Saturday. The perenially unreliable weather forecast had been for rain but apart from the odd drizzly shower, it was fine.

The first impression you get when arriving in the mountains from Madrid is just how green everything is. The Madrid plateau is pretty dry and dusty, vegetation is sparse and the trees are small and low. Not so here. It took me a while (and a few weird insect sightings) to believe I wasn't back in the Peak District, perhaps near the Derwent dams. You often see the Sierra shrouded in clouds while the rest of the sky is clear blue, and the effect of this is clear to see - tall trees, ferns and moss. Moss! Sometimes you don't notice something's been missing 'til you see it again. It felt like we'd travelled a lot further than we had. It felt like another country.

Having arrived fairly clueless, we found a helpful guide to the hiking routes around the Cercedilla valley in the train station with everything from short easy ones to longer, harder and higher ones. We arrived fairly late in the day so we only had time to go a little way, but still ended up getting to a beautiful rocky outcrop with a great view across the valley after walking through fairly dense evergreen woodland. Our progress was, mind you, delayed by our first encounter with some Spanish cows that were grazing across the path with a calf in tow. Now, these aren't quite fresians, and after seeing a bullfight a month or so ago, I was pretty wary of the potential damage their horns could do! In the end they turned out to be fairly passive though.

Thick walls

We were staying in a lovely little 'Casa Rural' right opposite the station. These are essentially big country cottages split into hotel rooms, and not too pricey at €60 for a (really nice) double en suite room with breakfast. The enormous exterior walls must have been more than two feet thick, testament to how cold it must get up there in winter. Not expecting much, we set off in search of some vegan dinner for Kate. Lo and behold, before we even got to the main town centre, we stumbled across another, quirkier, Casa Rural offering a vegetarian menu who obliged us with some tasty wok fried veg. You get the feeling that Cercedilla is a bit of a haven for slightly alternative folk, a bit like I imagine Aspen, Colorado to be after reading Hunter S Thompson's autobiography. From what we saw it definately had a bit of an older ski-hippy feel to it. Over dinner, we discussed how it isn't exactly that Spain doesn't do vegetarian - it's often not too difficult to find a vegetarian restaurant - more that the standard non-veggie places will just not have any veggie options.

The next day, we headed higher up to Cotos on the amazing little mountain train that precariously winds it's way up the hillsides. The snowplow-equipped engine parked in the station demonstrated why the ticket price (€11.40 return) for this short journey was more than it cost to get from Madrid to Cercedilla. It obviously costs a lot to keep it open. Once it got going though, it was worth every centimo. Great views snatched between gaps in the trees and the amazing sight of the winding track ahead (while sticking your head out the window) were incredible, even if it feels a little hair-raising when it goes round a sharp outside bend! The word that kept springing to mind was Alpine. It almost looks like Switzerland in places, but the glimpses of the plain stretching out past the slopes reminds you where you are. There isn't much to Cotos, which means 'hunting grounds' apparently, only a couple of chalet type buildings with walker's restaurants. From there, there's a route, again on display in the station, to the summit of the highest peak in the sierra. We weren't quite equipped for, or up to, that, but there are pretty spectacular views on the route up to the foot of it too. This maybe isn't recommended for hay-fever sufferers though. You could actually see swirls of pollen blowing off some of the trees, and I swear you actually could see great clouds of it rising out of the woods across the valley.

After a bit more bovine bother on the way back from an angry sounding cow following us up a trail, and a quick beer and bocadillo outside one of the chalets, we caught the train back down the mountain, breathing in the lovely fresh mountain air, and then transferred onto the cercanias back to Madrid. There seemed to be some kind of singing club going on on the train, with a group of older men and women heartily (albeit not always tunefully) belting out evocative traditional Spanish songs with a guitar and encouraging the rest of the carriage to join in. They had a right old laugh when I asked them for a photo - "Take a picture of my wife, not him! He's an ugly bastard!" (or something along those lines).

Deluge

Back to Madrid where it promptly hammered it down with rain. It doesn't really do drizzle here, it either spits briefly or releases an absolute deluge complete with thunder and lightning. I got caught in one of these between classes the other week and ended up very wet on the metro. Spare a thought for those still camping out in Sol through this. They're still there, with a creative buzz still running through the square, although it does seem to be more of a hard core left now that the movement has spread out to individual neighbourhoods. They actually agreed a list of demands last week which makes for interesting reading.

I can't believe I've only got 3 weeks left, and only 2 weeks of teaching left. Looking forward to seeing home but also sad to be leaving Madrid. I think I'll come back and visit from (probably) Barcelona after September. I'll be writing some things summing up my time here and giving advice with the benefit of hindsight for potential Madrileños before I go, as well as a Best of Madrid post.

Meetings, Heat and Trains

On Saturday, the 15th May Movement (as the protests have become known), held local meetings in squares across the city. I went along to our local one at Plaza Puerta del Moros, where around 300 people were gathered, sitting and standing under the trees, sheltering from the midday heat. It is incredible how organised this movement is for a spontaneous thing. There was a PA system set up with mics and two sign language interpreters on hand. The mics are open to anyone and consensus decision making is used, which makes the process very slow but ultimately, I always find, more satisfying. I watched a discussion about whether to meet locally, how often, and where unfold at a crawling pace. The mood was quite light however, and people blocking decisions would stand aside if a large majority was in favour, and were rewarded with applause. Many of the speakers also made the crowd laugh and, although their purpose was serious, people weren't taking themselves to seriously, which I have often seen in similar meetings in the UK climate movement. It seems that the camp in Sol will stay for now, and the neighbourhood groups will meet weekly so it looks like this movement is here to stay.

 
I've had some interesting reactions when getting my students to do mini-presentations over the last week, from 'I'm going tonight' to 'They need to shut up and get jobs'. Mostly though, they seemed to sympathetic, largely agree with the aims of the camp and share their anger at the political system, but not necessarily agree with their tactics. The fact that there's a fair amount of cannabis being smoked in Sol came up a couple of times too (I'd noticed this when walking around as well). I told a couple of them that if they really wanted a three-party system, we could probably spare Nick Clegg for a while...

It's now getting really hot here, and you can see why people describe Madrid as being a place of extremes, either frozen or scorched. It's cloudier today but I realised the other day that it had consistently been hotter than the hottest summer's day you'd get in England for about a week. Most of the companies I work in have air-con but bussing round the city is becoming an increasingly clammy experience.

I've actually been feeling quite homesick over the last week or so. One of my friends summed it up well recently when they said "Sometimes you just get sick of feeling like a foreigner." It's very true, and I haven't been home since Christmas and that wasn't for very long. Really looking forward to being on home ground and seeing people over the summer. I cannot wait to kick back and shoot the breeze in a good old-fashioned pub. I've just booked my travel home, for the rapidly approaching end of June. I'm taking the train to avoid flying (for environmental reasons), for which I'm paying considerably more. £240 for an overnight from Madrid to Paris and Eurostar to London. Surely it could be made cheaper? It's also ridiculously difficult to actually buy a ticket, and I ended up having to have the tickets sent to my parents house in Sheffield and then sent out here for some bizarre reason. A subsidy to make it more attractive compared to flying would be nice, but at very least could they make it less of an effort to get yourself a ticket.

It will be an experience anyway... an 18 hour one.

Safe Cycling In Madrid

So, after a fairly manic weekend running round trying to see all there was to see at the protests, writing about it and trying to lead my normal life around it, it's been back to the same old English teaching routine this week. It does feel like a bit of a daily grind really, especially shipping around the city all day, but I've relaxed a bit more now that I've only got a few weeks left, and at the moment my students are just as likely to be a few minutes late as I am. The protests in Sol are ongoing, until at least Sunday, and today it's been reported that they have launched a clean-up operation after complaints from local businesses. Attention has shifted away a bit in the wake of the election results (and some calls renewed calls for Zapatero's resignation), and the camp isn't quite as vibrant as it was before, but there still seems to be a high level of energy, and the square just south of Sol was crammed full of people sitting and having small meetings when I passed on the bus on Tuesday. Anyway, time for something completely different, here's my guide to cycling safely in Madrid.

A lot of people I know would only use one word for this: "don't", but in my experience people say this about every city and they usually turn out to be non-cyclists. Cycling around a city is a brilliant way to get around and can be a real pleasure. In Madrid, there's no actual monetary incentive to cycle. Even if half your journey's are by bike, you'll still want an abono metro, it's that good value (€47 for unlimited metro and bus travel in Zone A). However, cycling can make getting around the city much quicker, rather than waiting for bus connections or walking to metro stops. All this considered though, Madrid is very different to, say, Manchester, and there are some things that you should consider when cycling on the road here.

Firstly and most importantly, as when cycling on the road anywhere, it's important to be a bit bold and a bit stroppy. Don't hug the pavement. Studies have shown that the further out in the road you are (within reason obviously), the more room cars give you when passing. Also, if you don't want a car to pass you, get in the middle of your lane. As a general rule, motorists don't intentionally mow down cyclists, in Madrid or anywhere else, so as long as you've signalled you're coming out and checked behind you, this can be the safest place to be, especially when approaching a junction or turn.

Now, Spanish driving is notorious for being a bit haphazard and careless, and having witnessed it first-hand and up close, I can confirm this is true to a certain extent. You see parking cars giving others a little nudge a lot more often than you would in the UK, and no-one looks remotely fazed by this. Really though, it isn't recklessness so much as a different driving culture. There are a lot more zebra crossings in Spain, and the traffic lights change with less warning, and so because of all this sudden stopping and starting, cars will speed up to traffic lights before swooping to a halt, which is more than a little disconcerting as a pedestrian! I still always have to wait for the car to stop before I dare stepping out at a zebra crossing too. There's also a flashing yellow on the traffic lights, which comes on with the green man, apparently meaning 'go, so long as you don't run anyone over'. It's a good idea to make sure your brakes are pretty sharp just in case you need to follow suit and make a quick stop. My back brake snapped the other week and I felt very unsafe only using the front one and got it fixed quick-sharp, despite riding a bike with only a front brake in Manchester for the best part of a year.

The main hazard for a cyclist however, is Spanish drivers' use of the slow lane. Most main roads have two lanes, and cars parked down the side, however the main purpose of the slow lane is generally accepted to be to provide a place to stop, turn on the hazzards and drop someone off/nip in to a shop/have a chat with a passing friend/go for a cervesa. Cars very suddenly deciding to stop right in front of you can get pretty iritating, particularly with taxi drivers (who tend to always be the least concerned about cyclists safety anywhere in the world). The police are actually also some of the worst offenders at this too. This also means you have to be on constant watch for every cyclists nightmare: a suddenly opened drivers-side door, particularly when passing stopped cars.

Another thing is that there just aren't as many cyclists as in most British cities. There are a lot of scooters though, so drivers do still look for you, but not as closely and have different expectations of your behavior, speed etc, which is something to be aware of. Also, beware old grates, particularly in Old Madrid (double particularly in Malasana). Many of the slits are easily big enough to get a racing bike wheel stuck in and I've nearly come a cropper a couple of times this way. The climate is also a lot hotter and drier than the UK and something I didn't expect is that this leads to more dust, detrius and bugs in the air and therefore in your eyes. I've been considering buying goggles. It can be pretty hairy when you're coming up to a big junction you suddenly find yourself having to do it an eye down. Lastly, big junctions: some of the roundabouts and the like are pretty complicated in Madrid and if you don't feel confident, it's far better to just get round it on the pavement. Chances are you'll get around it just as quick too!

A little ironically, before writing this I actually had a nightmare cycling home this afternoon. Two punctures on a 15 minute cycle, very unusual, and I botched the first repair as well. I think I might try and sell my bike soon actually, seeing as I've only got about a month left and if it keeps on getting hotter, which I'm told it will, it'll be untenable to cycle to work in a shirt and trousers. Honestly though, sometimes nothing beats cycling around a city, and it's a great way to get to know a place and see some sights. Madrid is on a gentle slope, not too hilly and has a small city centre which makes it ideal for this too, I only wish I'd bought sooner after I arrived.

Word of the Day: bicicleta carretera - racing bike

Camp Stays For Election Day

There was no sign of the police moving to disperse the Sol protest camp last night, which was probably very wise on their part. There were a huge number of people camping out in the square, some sleeping, some sitting around chatting, the odd guitar here and there. They covered virtually the entire square, and the camp looks firmly entrenched. Someone had even been busy replanting the trampled flower beds around one of the fountains with a herb garden.

I don't think I've emphasised yet how out of the blue this protest has come. There had been some relatively small demonstrations that I'd seen, often union organised, and some posters and graffiti, but no real sign of any great anger at the crisis until now and it seems to have taken everyone by surprise. Furthermore, this isn't a usual kind of occurence in Spain and hasn't been seen since the transition to democracy. Where the movement goes from here after today's local elections, and how the political class reacts to it, will be very interesting. There are parallels with the 'Arab spring' protests, particularly Tahrir Square in Egypt, although obviously the stakes are different. However, both are demanding greater democratisation and representation and expressing anger at being marginalised. How Spain will change to reflect their demands, or if it can, will be fascinating to watch.

No Hay Pan Para Tanto Chorizo!

An even bigger turn out at Puerta del Sol tonight, with the surrounding streets filling with people too and the camp expanding to fit a bigger crèche and more sleeping space. People had also scaled the scaffolding on the building where the famous Tio Pepe sign used to be and unfurled more banners. When we arrived the TV crews were trying to make live broadcasts from a platform in the square. I say trying, because every time the reporter stood in front of the camera, a huge whistle and boo went up. It's not only the politicians this crowd are angry with it seems but the mainstream media. I even read that people were refusing to give interviews to Spanish TV.

Again, the atmosphere is just great. People stopping to read all the slogans posted in the camp, while others were furiously painting more. Among the chants of "Democracia! Real!", one of the most popular was "No hay pan para tanto chorizo!" - There isn't bread for so much chorizo! As well as the sausage, chorizo can also mean a kind of thief or scoundrel, so meaning not enough money for so many theives. Corruption in politics is another major issue in Spain, with some politicians likely to get re-elected tomorrow depsite being involved in scandals. There are homemade banners wherever you look, some personal, about not being able to get a job, some optimistic (`The future is now'), some not so ('No hay pan...'). Many also made a big deal about the fact that it was Sol where the protests were taking place, given it's symbolic status as the centre of Madrid, and the whole of Spain. There was also a samba band in full swing by the time I left and a party atmosphere, although with people still being urged not to drink.

The samba band highlighted by camera flashes

The best moment however, was while the crowd jeered the TV crews, the message to be quiet spread through the square, and for around a minute everyone was silent while shaking their hands in the air, the only noise the rustling of thousands of fingers. Then a whistle sounded and a great cheer went up over the whole square, a really incredible show of organisation and unity. I can't see the police even try and move the crowd tonight, and the police chief has said that they won't try to solve one problem by creating another, but I'm going to go back later and check what's happening. The only police presence this evening were 4 riot vans pressed right up against the Town Hall.

 

Meanwhile, although the crowds were spilling into the surrounding streets and  neighbouring squares, down the road in Plaza Mayor it was business as usual, with tourists eating expensive dinners and maybe a few more street performers than usual because they'd been pushed out of Sol. You wouldn't have known anything was even happening.

Protest In Sol II

Just got back from Sol again, the camp is still very busy and full of people with a massive public meetings going on with many speakers mostly young but of all ages. There's a friendly and fun atmosphere and still no police entering the camp itself. However, there's at least one newspaper headline saying that the authorities are unable to enforce the law. The day before an election, that's a dangerous thing, but they probably won't want to look like they are preventing free speech either which makes the situation interestingly poised, so we'll see how it plays out. It's difficult to see how they would even go about trying to move people though, the camp is very entrenched and if there are as many people tonight as on the previous few, it'll be near impossible.

It's all very organised, with a PA system announcing (to cheers) that paella would be available from the shop in 15 minutes and reminding people to drink water because it's such a hot day. It feels like a kind of political souk under the tarpaulin in the centre of the square, with people wandering through, lounging on camp beds, signing petitions and seeing whats happening. I wish my Spanish were better so I could understand what was being said in all the speeches being made, but I can more or less get the drift. A sign that seemed to some up the mood of the camp read "No estamos contra el sistema, el sistema esta contra nosotros" - We are not against the system, the system is against us. There are plenty of other signs along the lines of "Revolucion no es botellon!" - Revolution is not street drinking! - trying to discourage it turning from something serious into a street party at night. I'll be going back later to see what happens tonight.

Protests In Sol

On Thursday night and yesterday, I went to have a look, and join in, the huge protest in Puerta del Sol, dead in the centre of Madrid outside the town hall. It started last Sunday after a march protesting against youth unemployment (45%) and the financial crisis in general, ended in the impromptu occupation of Sol, one of Madrid's main landmarks. It was then reported that the police had evicted the campers in the early hours of Tuesday morning, but by the time I went down on Thursday evening, the square was overflowing with people, chanting, pumping fists in the air, climbing scaffolding and unfurling banners over the giant advertising hoarding on the north side.

After dark, the atmosphere was incredible - all smiles and people chatting. No violence or aggression and a barely visible police presence since the protest had been allowed to go ahead after Tuesday. Cheers went up every time a new banner, with some pro-democracy slogan was thrown out over the massive shampoo advert. The aims of the protest are very vague, but 'organisers' insist that it is independent of any political party or union movement (according to English news), and it seems to be a general outpouring of anger over the crisis and the political response to it, in particular the austerity measures proposed by both main political parties. Many are frustrated with the lack of choice offered by the two main parties under the current voting system, and one of the most numerous posters I saw featured pictures of Zapatero and Rajoy, the opposition leader, with an equals sign between them.

Over the last couple of weeks, the electioneering of the two parties has heated up, with posters for the candidates for mayor and president of the commuity (which controls a large proportion of welfare spending) everywhere you look. The election is tomorrow, and the electoral commission has ruled that the protest cannot continue on election day as all campaigning is banned

Although Thursday night seemed chaotic and revelous, when I went back yesterday afternoon, the (considerably less crowded) camp, under huge blue tarpaulins stretched between lamposts, was engaged in big public meetings, workshops, committees and building and banner making parties. There was also a couple of shops, a kitchen and portaloos, apparently donated by a sympathetic building company. The camp is also completely covered in posters and signs with demands and slogans written on, as is the Gaudi-style entrance to Sol metro station (that someone has been round renaming 'Plaza del SOLucion').

Most of the meetings seemed to be using some form of collective desicion making, with people doing the 'jazz hands' for "I agree", familiar to anyone who's used it before. The lack of police presence, given it's one of Madrid's main landmarks, was incredible. They seem to have been given orders to stand well off, presumably for politicians fear of a backlash in the election if they are seen to crack down too hard. The atmosphere reminded me a lot of Climate Camp in the UK, but with the strange sight of bemused tourists walking through the middle of it all.

The camps demands, although still pointedly non-specific or party orientated, seem to have crystallised a little through the public meetings, with greater democratization and representation being one of the key demands on the central poster pasted onto the metro entrance. Funny that that's exactly what we in Britain just voted against in the referendum on AV. The protests have now spread to other cities around Spain and it's being dubbed (unironically) 'the Spanish revolution' by the protesters. It certainly looks like the camp is there to stay, but there may be a confrontation in the offing with the police later today or tonight as they have been ordered to clear it before polling day tomorrow.

Sorry if this seems to be written a little breathlessly, I'm typing it quickly so I can go back up and see what's happening now! Expect an update later. You can see other news stories on it here and here.