(Literally) Cool Places in Madrid

It's now the last week of June here in Madrid and the temperatures have soared. Once a fairly toasty 32 degrees the thermometer on the bus stop outside my flat now reads in the early 40s. This isn't lovely, sunhat and ice-lolly holiday weather this is lie down in a darkened room with a fan on at full blast and pray it cools down soon weather. You know things are getting serious when even the city itself can't take the heat and the plants shrivel while the tarmac melts into a shiny black mess. Things have gone beyond sitting in the shade with a cocktail - you need to be in an air conditioned space NOW! Here are a few of the places I've found that, while still providing some interest, will keep you from roasting where you stand:

1. Museums

 

 

One of the nicest ways to spend an afternoon is in one of Madrid's many museums. Depending on what you fancy there's something to suit everyone from ancient artefacts, to modern art, to books, or even waxwork celebrities. Though full-price tickets can often seem a bit steep there are options for students (make sure to take your ID card) and sometimes designated free opening times (check online for info). A couple of my favourites are the Museo Arqueológico Nacional and the Museo Reina Sofía.

2. The Cinema

When the heat is at its highest, round late afternoon, what could be nicer than sipping an iced drink in the cool darkness while watching the next box-office hit? Being a capital city Madrid has plenty of cinemas dotted around the place so they're easy to find. The two that I normally go to are Cine Princesa near Plaza de España and Cine Ideal just along Calle Carretas a little way back from Sol. Wednesday is the best day to go as tickets are significantly cheaper (around 5 euros instead of the usual 9 or 10) and it's something fun to do mid-week. You can check which films are available online; many show English Language films with Spanish subtitles (these are labelled VOS on the posters). Don't worry if the film you're desperate to see hasn't come out abroad yet, it generally will though sometimes a month or so later.

3. Indoor Shopping Centres

I can hardly believe I'm including this on a supposedly "fun things to do" list, I find shopping pretty stressful, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Throughout the year if I've seen anything I like in a shop window I've usually just let it pass...too much hassle. Now, though, as it's now or never I've reluctantly decided to take the plunge and GO SHOPPING! After my first disastrous trip round the centre of Madrid in the full heat of the afternoon I thought there had to be a better way and there is - indoor shopping centres! My favourite is Principe Pio. Here you can find all the main highstreet stores and many more without the baking heat and screaming children. What's more it's right next to the metro mouth for Principe Pio so involves barely a minute of sweaty walking between the air conditioned train and a shopper's paradise. As it's coming to the end of June most shops have got their sales on and I have to say that despite myself I had quite a good time mooching around here the other afternoon.

4. Madrid Snow Zone

If you really can't bear the heat any longer and are yearning to be far away where the breeze blows through the mountains and the pine trees are sparkling with frost then your best bet is to visit Madrid Snow Zone. This indoor ski slope is the closest you're going to get to the chilly north while stuck in Madrid. From about 35 euros you can hire all the necessary gear and spend about an hour and a half whizzing down on real, ice cold, snow. The journey to Xanadú, the out of town shopping centre that houses the slope, may be a bit of a chore in the heat but once your breath is forming misty clouds in front of you, you'll be glad you made the effort.

Those are a few of the places I've found to take refuge in during the hot summer here in Madrid but I just thought I'd end with a few common sense tips on keeping cool in the city:

How To Beat the Heat!

• There's a reason the Spanish take a siesta (they're not just being lazy). The heat gradually builds throughout the day until it becomes unbearable around 4-5 o'clock. Follow their lead and take it easy in the afternoon; planning on doing anything other than relaxing over a late lunch and staying inside until the heat dies down a little is just asking for trouble.
• If you're lucky where you're living has air conditioning. If not BUY A FAN! You won't be able to survive otherwise...
• Be sensible and take the precautions you would in England - wear a hat, slap on the sunscreen and carry water everywhere you go - there's nothing worse than getting a headache and feeling sick due to sunstroke.
• Stock up on all things icey! I'm talking ice cubes, ice lollies, ice packs. Half fill your water bottle the night before and leave it in the freezer; next morning you'll have a ready supply of chilled water. Leave a jug of water in the fridge to use throughout the day.
• Keep your windows CLOSED!! This may sound counter-intuitive; you want fresh air right? Not in summer in Madrid; the air outside is hotter than inside. The only way to keep your apartment cool is to keep the windows closed and the blinds down throughout the day. Then when you get back from uni/work turn on the fan and only open the windows when there's a noticeable drop in the outside temperature.
• When out and about you'll often see people, especially women, carrying wooden hand-held fans. There's some debate about whether these are worth it or not with some claiming the action of fanning yourself generates more heat than it avoids...but maybe have one in your bag just in case.
• Take the metro! Walking long distances through the city like we used to during the autumn and spring is out of the question now.

and lastly...

• Don't forget to eat! I know it sounds stupid but with the weather so hot most of us just can't face eating a big dinner or standing over the hot oven. Though it's summer you still need regular meals but, instead of trying to force down huge, hot dinners, eat little and often throughout the day. The Spanish have been dealing with this heat for centuries and thankfully have come up with some great cooling recipes. Why not give the refreshingly tomatoey andalucían Salmorejo or Gazpacho a try? These cold soups are delicious with crusty bread and a few slices of jamón.

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!