La Casa Vertical

A while ago Cat and I decided to meet up for a drink and wanted to try one of the famous "roof-top" bars that are dotted around Madrid. The first one we tried in Lavapies was shut and the second one in Sol was full so we ended up wandering around and came across this shop:

 

 

 

The clothes outside were only 5 euros each so naturally we had to try some on... Inside the shop is full to bursting with Indian clothes and decorations. This place is well named as there are about 4 tiny floors all joined together by a steep wooden staircase:

We tried on several pairs of Indian trousers (or as I like to call them Aladdin pants) which are so soft and comfy!

 

In the end we bought 2 pairs each and then explored the rest of the shop. There's everything you could want here to decorate your house in an Indian style and the jewellery on offer was amazing. It's all pretty cheap too; leather rucksacks that I've seen go for about 135 euros in Toledo were only 40 euros here!

 

If you're in the area definitely check out La Casa Vertical!

Calle Imperial, 14, 28012 Madrid, Spain

A Day in Segovia!

What with only a few months left in Spain I couldn't pass up a chance to visit Segovia. I'd heard rumours of a fairytale castle that inspired Disney and one of the best preserved Roman aqueducts in the world, so, last Saturday I set off with Annie, my daytrip pal, to see if it was worth the hype.

We caught the comfy and super fast AVE train from Chamartín station arriving just outside Segovia after only about 30 minutes. The view from the station is pretty impressive:

 

It was an odd experience being frozen and burnt at the same time but an icy breeze cut through my jumper and the sun beat down so hard I was regretting not bringing suncream...with good reason... (my nose now looks like a cherry tomato someone's tacked to my face).

After literally falling out of the bus (I was leaning against the middle door and wasn't aware we'd stopped) we arrived in Segovia. A kind Spanish guy saw us looking about a bit helplessly and led us with him to the town centre. On the way we learnt he was an engineer who'd spent his year abroad in Nottingham, that his parents had been married in the church we passed and that his grandma lived not far from there. Thanks for your help Germán!

El Acueducto de Segovia was definitely a sight to see:

 

Incredibly tall and somewhat fragile looking in places, (I don't know how some of those stones were still standing!), El Acueducto runs for a fair distance through the centre of town. The amazing thing is that apparently it would still function as a means to transport water if it was reconnected to the spring that supplies it in the nearby mountains.

After a few photos Annie and I wandered on through the town towards the Plaza Mayor. We passed some hilarious graffiti:

Buttocks to you too!

And plenty of lovely little churches:

 

La Catedral de Santa María de Segovia is right in the Plaza Mayor and one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've seen in Spain.

 

We decided not to pay the entry fee as we'd seen Toledo Cathedral and wanted to have enough time for El Alcázar de Segovia. This is the famous Disney castle and is a little way out of the main city so you need to schedule in the walking time (though it's only about 20mins at most). We passed yet another church on the way:

Until we arrived at the gates of the Alcázar along with their resident Roman soldier.

 

Before we headed to the ticket office I got a few photos of the birds that filled the garden in front of the castle. It had rained the night before and everything was green and lush with the eerie calls of peacocks ringing through the trees:

 

 

 

 

We paid 7 euros for our tickets to the Alcázar that included access to the tower and the roof. The first room you're met with is full of suits of armour and stained glass:

 

To be honest I was fairly unimpressed with the interior of the castle. The majority of the rooms were bare except for a four-poster bed in one (the only piece of furniture in the room) and several wooden chairs in another. What stood out the most were the incredibly ornate ceilings.

 

 

 

 

 

 This was the ceiling in the "Pineapple Room":

 

 

The most impressive ceiling was guilded in gold and around the walls were dozens of sculptures of royals from history:

 

 

 

 

It only took about half an hour to see all the rooms on show in the castle so we set off to climb the 152 steps of the tower. This is not for the claustrophobic!! Obviously in the middle ages health and safety wasn't a priority so the stairway is cripplingly narrow. There's barely enough space for two people to pass each other and with only one way up and the same way down jams are common. After we squeezed out at the top a relieved selfie was in order :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the top the views of the countryside around and back over the town are lovely:

 

 

 

 

By hanging over the battlements we were able to finally see the peacocks we'd heard screaming all morning. I got some super zoomed in photos:

 

 We slowly walked back towards the cathedral to find somewhere for lunch. Sitting in the sun we ate jamón, queso de cabra and tumaca baguettes. It was only afterwards while we explored a bit more that we discovered the traditional dish of Segovia is cochinillo (what looks like a piglet that's come a cropper in a cartoon and then been roasted...)

I really wanted to try and get a good photo of the "Disney-looking" side of the Alcázar so we thought we'd walk down and round to the opposite hill-side. I got a couple of photos:

But then it started to rain gently so we headed back up the hill to sit in the garden and people watch for a bit under my umbrella:

I really enjoyed our trip to Segovia! It got a bit cold waiting for the bus to the station (Segovia is in the mountains so is usually a couple of degrees cooler than Madrid) but apart from that it was a great trip. My favourite thing that we saw has to be the Acueducto as it really is unique. I'm definitely looking forward to my next foray out of Madrid in May when I'll be travelling for a week through Andalucía!

Librerías - Where to Buy Books in Madrid

A book-lover in Madrid is spoilt for choice; from huge multi-storey book empires to tiny little independent shops, the city is full of places to get your literature fix. There's nothing I like more than a mooch round the city centre on a sunny day and over the last 6 months I've discovered quite a few of these lovely spaces. So, without further ado (and in no particular order), here's a roundup of all the librerías or bookshops I've happened upon so far:

El Corte Inglés

This one is probably the easiest to find as it's right in the Puerta del Sol in the city centre.

Inside it's pretty much the Spanish equivalent of Waterstones with a similiar layout, different sections by genre/author etc, and is of a similar price range (they occasionally have "buy one half price/2 for 1" deals etc) They also have an excellent translated fiction section so if you're on the hunt for a newly released book translated into Spanish this is the place to come. As it's so close to home and has such a good range of books I'm often to be found here on rainy afternoons.

 

El Corte Inglés Preciados Libros, Calle Preciados, 2, 28013 Madrid.

 

FNAC

The FNAC building is also hard to miss; four storeys of music, electrical gear and, right at the top, books. Think HMV but MASSIVE!

I'm not such a fan of FNAC as a bookshop as I am of the other places on this list. They have some beautiful books but the browsing experience gets me down. It's always baking hot and stuffy with fluorescent lighting that just makes me want to get out and breathe some fresh air!

Having said that though this is the place to come if you're looking for graphic novels or manga. I've never seen such a large space in a bookshop dedicated to comics and illustrated books. This fits in with the cool, techie vibe of the rest of the shop perfectly. Though cool this place is pricey; FNAC's current idea of a deal is "buy 2 books and pay €1.50 for a FREE canvas book bag"...um free??

 

Calle Preciados, 28, 28013 Madrid

 

Casa del Libro

This is the place to come if you want a specific book in Spanish; with its miles upon miles of shelves Casa del Libro is sure to have it somewhere. This shop also makes for a great visitor experience with squishy chairs, slidey shelves and brass staircases to book heaven.

Again expect to pay more or less what you would in Waterstones and have fun browsing 'til you drop!

Gran Vía, 29, 28013 Madrid

 

Desperate Literature

This gorgeous little shop is included in my Lonely Planet guidebook but under a different name. Petra's International Bookshop is now Desperate Literature but still sells secondhand books in Spanish, English and French.

Inside is an Aladinn's cave of twinkling fairy lights, crazily patterned carpets and floor to ceiling books.

This place is my kind of bookshop; being secondhand the books are cheaper, the selection in English is certainly my cup of tea and the staff are lovely. Speaking of tea you're likely to be offered a cup as you enter... Terry and Charlotte the couple who've recently taken charge of the shop are looking to get going with all sorts of bookish events so if you're in Madrid at any point be sure to check out Desperate Literature's facebook page (give them a "like" from me!)

Calle Campomanes, 13, 28013 Madrid

 

La Central

 

In my opinion the queen of the bookshops in Madrid is La Central; think Foyles of London and you'll know what I mean. With the selection of Casa del Libro and FNAC combined, foreign language sections and housed in a beautiful old building just off Callao it's everything you could want in a bookshop...except of course for the price. But ah well, we can't have everything.

 

 

 

In La Central a genre has its own room rather than its own shelf and what rooms they are! Just look at how they kick off the children's section:

 

 

The complete opposite of the stifling FNAC with it's honey wood staircases, creamy white walls and cosy reading room, I think I might just move in for the summer.

 

Calle del Postigo de San Martín, 8, 28013 Madrid

The next few on the list aren't exactly bookshops (more bookstalls) but I just couldn't leave them out!

San Ginés Book Stall

At the corner of San Ginés and Calle Arenal is undeniably the cutest book stall I've come across.

It stocks secondhand books but also old posters, postcards and prints. Nice for a quick browse while en route somewhere else.

Claudio Moyano Book Stalls - Retiro

This is one of my favourite places to actually buy books due to the selection and the price (the cheapest I've found in Madrid). Plus its proximity to the park doesn't hurt. Read my full blog post here: Book Stalls - Calle de Claudio Moyano

Calle Claudio Moyano, 28014 Madrid

El Rastro

And finally El Rastro, Madrid's biggest flea market, you can find pretty much anything for sale here. In terms of books look out for hidden gems amongst the jewellery, old furniture and paintings; there are some true antiques to be found. Check out my earlier post about the market here: El Rastro

Well that's it for my bookshop roundup! I've loved compiling this list and I'm sure there'll be a part two in the future what with the number of bookshops still to explore. I hope you've enjoyed reading this and if any of you have any suggestions of posts you'd like to see in the future (book-related or not) just let me know!