El Jardín Secreto

Tucked away at the top of the Salvador Bachiller building in Calle Montera is Madrid's worst kept secret - El Jardin Secreto. This bar/café is so popular that I've been turned away several times as all the tiny tables were packed with people. Persevere though, or better still make a booking, and you won't be disappointed.

 

 

The partly covered glass roof, along with the greenery and most importantly the ice cool water spray that mists in clouds periodically from the walls mean that the temperature here on the roof is kept comfortable while the sun burns from on high.

 

 



 

The garden theme runs throughout with flowers on every table, a rope swing, leaf shaped coasters and of course the pots and pots of plants. The waitresses in their red air hostess uniforms (something that I didn't completely understand) are kept busy ferrying glass after glass of fruity iced cocktails, lemonade and milkshakes to and from the bar at one end. I only briefly glanced at the menu as we were there just to grab a drink but it seemed fairly wide ranging with plenty of sandwiches and light meals.

 

 



 

If what you're after is a good view of Madrid from on high then head elsewhere as this place is mainly surrounded by trellis and only faces the busy Calle Montera at one end. (Look out for a future post on the terraza at Palacio de Cibeles!)

 

 

 

 

The lovely garden theme is what makes this place well worth a visit and it's perfect for a first date or a birthday lunch with friends. If you arrive and there's a waiting list don't despair - we were kept waiting for only about 20 mins and then led to our table. You'd be hard pushed to find a better place to relax over a cocktail or a cup of tea!

 

 

El Jardín Secreto is located on the roof of the Salvador Bachiller building at Calle Montera, 37.

 

Chris to Madrid!

Chris has just left after a lovely 5 day long visit; though it passed so quickly it hardly felt like any time at all! After only an hour in work on the Wednesday morning I hurried to Nuevos Ministerios to meet him on the platform (thankfully this time without falling flat on my face on an escalator...). We wandered around Sol for a bit and then found some huevos rotos for lunch in a little place with a TV showing a live feed from a chicken coop...exciting times. Chris had woken up at about 4am to get to the airport in time for his early flight so we just headed home that evening and relaxed (in case anyone's interested The Maze Runner is a pretty decent film).

Thursday morning was spent at the Museo Arqueológico Nacional which is only about a 20 minute walk away from my new flat up past the Prado Museum. It's really worth a visit if you're ever passing by as there's so much to see. We were there for almost 3 hours and had only just moved into the Middle Ages after passing through the Roman occupation of Spain and the Prehistoric galleries. They had a reconstruction of the first human Australopithicus Afarensis, or Lucy for short, which was brilliant as I'd heard a lot about her over the years but never seen her. She's much smaller than I imagined at only about a metre tall. There was also a replica of the Taung Child's skull with the marks left by the eagle that killed him all those millions of years ago still visible. The rest of the galleries were full of treasures and weapons from throughout history. My guidebook said that the museum would be free which it was for me with my student card but it turned out to be 3 euros for Chris.

That evening we made sure to arrive early at Café Central, the most famous Jazz café in Madrid, to bagsy seats. We turned out to be really lucky grabbing the only 2 bar stools left which meant we had a great view; right in front of the stage and over everybody elses' heads. We'd come to see Pardo & Carmona & Colina & El Bandolero who played a kind of flamenco jazz fusion which was incredible to watch. Pardo switched between sax and flute accompanied by guitar, double bass and with El Bandolero or "The Bandit" on drums.

 

 

 

 

It was a brilliant concert and we sat there in the dark happily munching giant salmon and brie tostadas. Café Central is a little pricey but definitely recommended if you want good jazz in a Spanish atmosphere - I didn't hear another English voice for the whole evening.

 

 

 

 

On Friday came the hour Chris had been waiting for...ParaPark! This concept originated in Budapest and has now spread to the rest of Europe (I know that there are centres in London and Paris at least). The idea is that you're locked into a room and are told to escape within a set time limit. The room is full of all sorts of mind puzzles, clues to solve, passwords to find etc that gradually let you come closer to finding the passcode for the door. It's so much fun! I won't say anything about what's actually in the room in case I spoil it for anyone but having to figure everything out as a team with the added time pressure is really exciting. When the door finally opened with 15 minutes to spare the feeling was incredible; a kind of mad relief and crazy exhilaration! You can play in teams of up to 5 people and there are 2 different rooms to choose from with different levels of difficulty. The place itself can be quite hard to find as there's no big sign outside; you just need to look for a mirrored door that has the ParaPark symbol on it in red paint and press the bell to the right side.

A quick snap of us (and assorted room decorations) that the lady took after we escaped:

After ParaPark we found a bar for a drink and ordered a couple of cocktails...both a bit of a failure. I ordered a Sex on the Beach but the barman made it with white rum instead of vodka which was disgusting while Chris ordered a Michelada. The World's GROSSEST cocktail. It was like a Bloody Mary at first but then after he'd poured the beer in it was just not drinkable. After a while we moved on to a bar that I'd heard about called The Passenger which was supposed to be made up to look like the inside of a train with screens showing passing countryside. It sort of worked but we weren't really impressed in the end; the screens weren't very good quality so it seemed a bit of a waste of time.

Next came the Templo de Debod a real ancient Egyptian temple moved to Madrid in the 1960s and now the best sunset watching spot in the city. We got there in time to see the sun sink behind the temple and although the sky was mostly ragged clouds it was still beautiful. A Trumpeter was leaning on the balaustrade looking out over the Palacio Real playing lazily along to a sound track while his little dog wagged his tail and tried to make friends with everybody that passed. It's definitely one of the most romantic places I've found in Madrid; perfect for the day before Valentine's Day. We also got to have a go on the slacklines that a group of people had strung up between the trees next to the temple. These are like giant stretchy tightropes that people walk along trying to balance and not fall off. It's really tricky!

Dinnner was traditional Spanish fair in La Bola. I ordered Arroz a la Madrileña and Chris had roast lamb which turned out to be the entire front leg of a lamb... hoof and all. He said it was delicious though.

Saturday was skiing day. We decided to visit the indoor ski slopes at Xanadú; a giant shopping and leisure centre on the outskirts of Madrid. It took us only about 20 minutes to get there by bus from Principe Pío. Chris was really good at skiing as he'd had lessons as a kid and been on holiday a few times. This was my first attempt and needless to say I was...less good. A particularly memorable moment was when I crashed head first into the opposite fence after having crossed the entire slope trying in vain to turn and failing massively. Unfortunately we didn't manage to get any photos as Chris' phone got too cold and refused to turn on. The slope is covered in real snow and has a proper ski lift to get you up to the top. I'm not sure how I feel about skiing now; on the one hand when you're doing it right and are speeding along it's brilliant but on the other hand when you're completely out of control and are heading for certain death it's bloody terrifying!!

Sunday was just a chill day. We met up with Cat and her boyfriend Matt, who was also visiting, for lunch in La Fragua de Vulcano a really good Spanish restaurant close to Plaza de Santa Ana near Sol. We wandered around afterwards and headed up to the restaurant floor of El Corte Inglés for mango and chocolate ice cream. Then Cat and Mat left us to try and see if they could hire a row boat on the lake in Retiro and Chris and I headed to a beautiful bar/restaurant that I'd found in Goya when out with a friend. We ended up dallying quite a bit too long and Chris had a mad dash to the airport; getting there after the gate had supposedly closed but thankfully still making it in time.

It was a bit of a rushed end to a lovely few days but it was brilliant fun from start to finish. The time passed so quickly it feels almost like I dreamt it but am now back in the routine of things here with work and YARPing to be getting on with. Next time I'll see Chris will be back in England over Easter and I can't wait!

Navibus!

The Christmas lights in Madrid were all aglow and I was desperate to go on a photography spree when somebody at work told me about the Navibus. An open topped bus weaves its way in a big loop around the city passing all the main landmarks like Gran Vía, La Puerta de Alcala and Plaza de Cibeles. This being Madrid the tickets for a 50 minute round trip only cost 2 euros each! If it had been London I know we would have paid at least £10. Cat and I hopped up to the top deck all wrapped up in scarves and hats against the cold and I had my camera at the ready.

 

 

 I thought I'd try something a bit different and make a video this time so here goes:

 

 



 

 Afterwards we wanted to go for a hot chocolate to warm up and ended up walking past this lovely little book shop.

 

 

We were searching for a particular coffee shop that Cat had walked past before and thought looked really cool (apparently people were drinking out of glass jars...). But try as we might we couldn't find it and after getting turfed out of another café as it was closing time we started back towards the metro. After a few minutes, however, we found another place that was thankfully open and managed to order two cups of hot chocolate. In Spain when you ask for hot chocolate you are given a cup of melted chocolate (if you want the stuff we have in England you have to ask for Colacao) but that's exactly what we wanted after such a cold evening.

 

 

I apologise for the lateness of this post, we're already nearly into February, but I was having technical issues regarding the video...and I didn't want to leave it out :)

 

If any of you are in Madrid in December definitely make sure you take a ride on the Navibus! 

Lolina Vintage Café

Lolina Vintage Café is included in my Lonely Planet guidebook so it's not as though no one knows it's there. I just thought I'd include it in a post because it's every bit as good as they say it is.

My friend from Southampton, Darina, and I planned to meet up for coffee on Tuesday. She's been here for about double the time I have but hadn't got round to visiting Malasaña/Chueca yet so we hopped on the Metro and set off. The Café is actually in Chueca right opposite my favourite book/gift shop Las Tres Rosas Amarillas (which I'll definitely have to do a post about in the future).

It's really cosy and warm inside with squishy chairs and crazily patterned wallpaper (apologies for the quality of the picture, I left my snazzy camera at home). The drinks on offer vary from the usual coffee and hot chocolate to cocktails and smoothies. There's a whole other floor downstairs with even more comfy corners to curl up in and the music was excellent; all 1950s rock and roll mixed with 40s swing band. It's a great place for a drink and a chat with friends or even a study sesh - a couple of people were obviously working on laptops. Plus if you're craving caffeine but are worried it's too late in the day then worry no more -Lolina's is open til 2.30am everyday of the week!

Lolina Vintage Café is located at Calle Del Espiritu Santo, 9. The nearest Metro stop is Tribunal.

Populart - Jazz Café

The idea of going to a proper Spanish jazz café has been in my head since choosing Madrid as the destination for my year abroad. There's just something really romantic about sitting in a dark bar with a drink in your hand and watching a good jazz group playing away in the corner. On the plane out I was leafing through my guidebook and made a note to visit Populart. This jazz bar is somewhat overshadowed by its more famous (and expensive) neighbour Cafe Central. On the way to Populart I passed Cafe Central and there was a queue out of the door and along the pavement! I got to Populart...and there wasn't a single person there.

 

 

I stuck my head through the open door and realised that most of the little tables had "reserved" cards placed on them. The barman noticed me and asked if I wanted one; with a quick scribble on a post it note I had reserved a table for 3 and set off on a wander until the show began. Catriona and her boyfriend Matt, who was visiting from England, had agreed to meet me at about 9pm for the concert. I came across them having tapas down the road and we waited together eating albondigas (meatballs). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got to Populart and by about 9.30pm the tables started to fill up as people arrived to claim their reservations. I'm not sure if it was because it was a Sunday or because it was the last night of the Canal Street Jazz Band's run at Populart but there was no chance of not getting a table. There were even a couple left over as the band started to play.

 

 

 

The Canal Street Jazz Band are known for their own style of traditional New Orleans, Dixieland jazz. Made up of a piano, double bass, drums, trombone and trumpet, they launched enthusiastically into "When You're Smiling" and the whole place was tapping along with the beat.

 

 

They played an hour's set with the only other tune I knew being the "Pink Panther" which everyone loved. My favourite was Pepe the trumpeter who sang a throaty spanish love song whilst playing the trumpet with one hand. I managed to record one of their numbers and have linked it below for your delectation - enjoy!

Entry to this Jazz Café is free (unlike Café Central where it's about 10-13 euros to get in) but they do ask you to buy a drink. This means that drinks are fairly pricey; a coke cost us 5 euros while a gin and tonic cost 8. This is well worth it, however, as for less than the price of the entry fee to Café Central you get to enjoy both a drink and the live jazz.

Populart has live music every night of the week and is located at 22, Calle de las Huertas, the nearest metro stop is Antón Martín.

http://www.populart.es/



El Café Comercial

During my year abroad I have to complete an extended project for my university called a Year Abroad Research Project or YARP. I've chosen to focus mine on the café culture of the 1920s and the reasons why cafés were so important to the avant garde movement in Spain during this decade. This means I get to spend lots of time in old cafés listening to jazz and watching the world go by (whilst doing important research obviously...) I thought it would be nice to keep a record of the cafés I visit so here's the first on the list.

El Café Comercial claims to be Madrid's oldest café; officially it first obtained its licence in 1887 but there's evidence to suggest that there's been a café on this spot since 1870. It's been in the Contreras family since 1909 and is currently being run by the fourth generation. In the past it was a favourite meeting place for many famous artists, writers, musicians, poets, toreros (bullfighters) and journalists. Now its marble tables are still likely to be occupied by a pretty diverse crowd with an internet café upstairs and long-standing chess club meaning it's popular with both young and old.

A friend from Southampton, Catriona, and I decided to visit the café as we'd heard there was a language exchange going on between 1-3pm. Once we'd arrived, however, it was obvious that this particular exchange wasn't really what we were looking for as the majority of the small group were retirees. Knowing there are plenty of other exchanges dotted around the city that cater for younger people, we decided to just have a coffee and a look around.

The café has a great atmosphere with everyone, from students on laptops to families and groups of friends out for a drink, enjoying the space and a snack or two.

Drinks are served by waiters in old fashioned uniforms which is nicely nostalgic and doesn't make them any less friendly.

The walls are lined with books which I think are part of some sort of mobile library/bookshop initiative. Even if you don't buy one it's still nice to have a quick read with your coffee. On the whole I heartily recommend this place. The only thing that lets it down is the soundtrack; admittedly you can only really hear it round at the bar, but who wants to listen to trashy pop while sipping their café con leche?

El Café Comercial is located just opposite Bilbao Metro Station at Glorieta de Bilbao