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!

Beggars - To Give or Not to Give

For someone that lives in a fairly small cathedral city in Hertfordshire, moving to Madrid was a shock in more ways than one. The sheer number of people I encounter on a daily basis is staggering. I was chatting to my Dutch/French housemate the other day and she joked that the people sharing her metro train probably outnumbered the inhabitants of her entire village!

All echelons of society are squashed together in one noisy, frantic, multicultural mess. This means that, while also sharing the pavement with impeccably coiffed women clacking along in high heels and business men in their loafers and blazers, you inevitably encounter those who are less fortunate. In a word - beggars.

At first Madrid's beggars made me feel deeply uneasy. This might seem a bit pathetic but bear in mind that these people are often terribly disfigured. There's the man in Sol with no arms who sits rattling a plastic cup full of change by holding it with his teeth. An awfully burned man with no fingers walks the train on my metro home every day calling "yo no tengo dedos, una ayuda por fa!". A woman with an empty eye socket stands at the base of the stairs to Sol metro trying to get the attention of passers by. These are just a few examples of the people I've encountered and there are many, many more.

I'm happy to say that after 6 months abroad I am no longer frightened by beggars but they still give me cause to think. I have never given one of them any money. I defend my actions by saying that it would be impossible to give money to them all and who am I to decide who is more deserving? This doesn't mean that I don't feel sorry for them though and I can't say that my heart doesn't sink when I hear "yo no tengo dedoooos" ringing through the train.

Most beggars are not aggressive in their asking; they simply hold out a cup of change. On the street it is easy to walk on by and I find that on the metro is where begging can feel the most awkward. Here many people look away or try to hide behind their tablet or smartphone which can cause the beggar to stop and be a little more persistent. It is entirely up to you whether you give money or not. If you decide that you'd rather not there is nothing to worry about - just shake your head and say no. I have never seen a beggar stop or make a scene after this.

If you're from London or Manchester you're probably wondering what all the fuss is about but let me assure any small town people like me that there's absolutely nothing to be worried about! If you're heading to a big city for your year abroad it's inevitable that you'll encounter the homeless, or people asking for spare change, fairly regularly. Begging, unfortunately, is a fact of life and whether you choose to donate or not it isn't going to be a problem that disappears any time soon.

Medical Matters

When on a year abroad the everyday sniffles and headaches that can crop up in England don't just disappear. What can make for an even bigger headache, however, is working out how to get hold of the medicines you need to get you feeling better.

A few weeks before Easter I came down with a horrible virus that affected my ears and throat even spreading to my eye in the form of conjunctivitis (super sexy...). I wanted to make sure it wasn't a bacterial infection but delayed trying to get a doctor's appointment because I thought it would just be a massive faff. In fact the opposite was true:

How to register with a Doctor/Make a Doctor's Appointment

Things you will need:

• Your European Health Insurance (EHIC) card
• Your Passport or NIE (if you've got it)

Find your local health centre/doctor's surgery and explain the situation in person at the front desk (you're an english student studying abroad who needs to be registered with a doctor as you'd like an appointment). In my experience the registration process should take about 15 minutes and you'll be assigned a doctor to see while abroad. I asked for an appointment that day and after waiting for about 30mins was seen by a GP.

Once registered you can make any future appointments over the phone.

I'm sure it's pretty obvious but make sure you swot up on the vocab you'll think you'll need regarding your specific complaint. It'll be a pretty awkward appointment if all you can do is point at parts of your body and mime pain...

Medicine

If what you have is mild or can be treated with a medicine that you can buy over the counter head to your nearest pharmacy. You'll most definitely have seen these on travels in Europe as they advertise their presence with enormous neon green signs in the shape of a cross. I've found the staff to be knowledgable and helpful with any questions I've had. In fact if you're not sure what you've got, or even if you need to find a doctor in the first place, paying a visit to your local pharmacy and asking the pharmacist is often the best thing to do.

Find out the name of the medicine you're after in Spanish/French etc as it's often different to the English name.

CHECK THE DOSAGE!! - Before you take any medicine check the dosage on the pack to avoid accidentally taking too much.

In Spain, for example, Paracetamol can be found in packs of up to 40, 1g tablets whereas in England each tablet contains around half that amount. The maximum amount per dose is 1g but if you're used to taking 2 tablets it's easy to see how you could accidentally take double that.



IMPORTANT
This post is designed to give general advice to future students on their year abroad about getting hold of medicine while away. Of course if you have a long standing or serious health condition that requires certain medicines or care then you must consult your doctor before going abroad.

If there's a medical emergency and you need an ambulance phone the EU Emergency Number: 112

Parrots in the Park!

The Wednesday before last was beautifully sunny and warm so I decided to head to Retiro to take some photos and enjoy the weather. Unfortunately after a whole day's use in Toledo my camera decided to run out of charge within about 10 minutes of arriving but I still managed to get some shots of the cerezos in flower and their resident parrots - enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These birds aren't in captivity but living wild throughout Madrid and most of Spain too I think as I once saw some in Barcelona when I was there years ago. They certainly are beautiful but they don't half make a racket squawking and flapping about in the trees. They didn't seem to be eating the flowers they pecked off either; just ripping them apart and dropping them on the grass - little vandals!

 

A Trip to Toledo

Toledo is the capital of Castilla La Mancha and one of the easiest and prettiest trips you can take from Madrid. A mix of Christian, Jewish and Moorish cultures over the centuries has left its narrow streets full of incredible architecture and atmosphere. After a journey of just 30mins by high speed train Annie and I arrived in the glorious sunshine and set off to walk to the city centre. Almost every guide to the city moans about the journey from the station saying that it's incredibly tiring and suggests taking the bus or getting a taxi. There really is no point though as the walk was gentle (even for someone as unfit as me!) and if you get the bus you miss out on views like this - the Alcázar de Toledo and the beautiful Río Tajo

 

 

 

 

After following a thick pink line painted along the pavement for about 10 minutes we came to the escalators. These are designed to skip the hardest part of the walk and I highly recommend them! Though a bit dingey they mean you start the trip fresh and enter the city as quickly as possible from a point that's easy to navigate from.

 

 

 

 

Once you've wormed your way up to the surface again you'll be met with a square from which the little tourist train departs on its round of the city. This is perfect if you've only got a limited time to see everything but Annie and I had all day so gave it a miss in favour of wandering about.

 

 

 

 

Tantalising glimpses of towers and turrets are everywhere as you walk around the city.

 

 

 

 

The first place we headed was La Catedral de Toledo which, together with the Alcazár is Toledo's most famous building.



 

 

 

We ended up finding a side entrance which led to a quiet prayer room and had to back out again to find the main door but I'm glad we did as the views inside from that angle were incredible - great soaring columns and vaulted ceilings. 

 

 

 

 

Eventually we found the actual entrance and had to hand over 8 euros to get in (pretty steep for a church we thought - though this does include a rather dry and long-winded audio guide)

 

 

 

The stained glass threw shards of rainbow light onto the columns and there was certainly no shortage of sumptuous gold.



 

 

 

 

 

 

After the cathedral we were hungry so set off to find a good place to eat. After a mix-up about which restaurant we were actually in (we'd found a nice looking menu but accidentally sat in the place next door) we were brought two pans of steaming paella and glasses of cool peach juice. A scraggy looking cat with ginger and black blotches came and sat at our feet throughout the meal; though when she turned her nose up at fresh calamari I knew she couldn't have been that desperate!

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we'd finished we wandered around to the other side of the cathedral and sat in a small square watching the school groups mill about. All of a sudden there was a whooshing sound and an empty metal rectangle on the ground began to fill with water. This was swiftly taken advantage of by every bird and toddler in the vicinity who was after a drink or a splash about.

 

 

 

 

Once full to the brim the still water reflected the cathedral perfectly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toledo is most famous for two things; swords and marzipan. This unlikely combination can be found everywhere and on our way round the city we found shopfronts full to bursting with boxes of the sweet treats and others packed with weapons of every kind.

 



 

 

 We had been planning on visiting another of the main tourist sites such as the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes or the Iglesia de las Jesuitas but in the end we found a mirador alongside a synagogue with a fairly decent view and just sat enjoying the sunshine.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 You honestly can walk around the entire city of Toledo in a single day with no need to hurry. Annie and I did a big loop starting at the escalators and heading round to the Puerta de Bisagra; from there the route to the station is an easy downhill walk. We had a bit of a job finding the Puerta though; we ended up walking around it on the inside as we'd gotten bored of just following the city wall and had to double back.

 

 

 

The view through the Puerta is quite special:

 

 

 



 

As are the sculpture that crests the gate and the multicoloured tiles that adorn the rooftops - definitely worth a look.

 

 

 

 



On the way back to station we sat in a public garden for a while to make the most of our time in Toledo and to try some of Annie's marzipan (I've decided I don't like marzipan...far too sweet and squishy).

It looks like spring really is on its way!

 

 

Even the station at Toledo is pretty; a mix of Christian and Moorish styles with gorgeous stained glass and carved wooden panels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unlike a lot of other things in Spain the AVE train gets going on the dot so don't be late back for your return journey or you'll be left behind. As Toledo is so small it can get choked with tour groups and families but Annie and I went on one of the first warm weekends in March and, although almost nobody on the train was Spanish, we didn't find the other tourists a problem.

 

There are plenty of other sights we didn't get round to seeing in our lazy day but that's the beauty of Toledo; you can choose to visit it all in a whistlestop tour or just pick and choose your favourites making time for a long lunch and a sunbathing sesh (am going to have to stock up on suncream soon).

 

Annie and I both had a lovely time and it makes a great change to get away from the huge city to somewhere altogether more relaxed. If you're going to be in Madrid for a while I highly recommend hopping on the train and spending a day exploring Toledo!

 

 

Trains leave from Atocha Railway Station and a return ticket costs around 20 euros. Buses can also be taken from Madrid with a journey time of around 1 hr 30mins and cost around 10 euros.

 

La Estación de Atocha

I hadn't even realised that getting the train to Toledo would mean passing through La Estación de Atocha. I've lived in, or close to, the area of Madrid called Atocha for almost all of my time here and I still hadn't visited this famous landmark. On Saturday morning though, while Annie and I bought our train tickets, I got to have a good look around. The first thing you notice is the fact that there's a tropical garden in the centre!

 

 

Apparently this contains around 500 species of plant...and animal. The terrapin pool is everyone's favourite spot with adults and kids alike lining the barriers to peer down at the piles of sleeping turtles.

 

 

Built in 1851, the station is the biggest, most famous and most important in Madrid. It's here that you can catch any of the high speed AVE trains heading to cities like Barcelona and Sevilla. All the Cercanías lines in the city converge here and Metro line 1 takes passengers from Atocha to the city centre in a matter of minutes.

It really is quite an impressive building and makes a lovely start to any trip to Madrid.

La Estación de Atocha can be found towards the south of the city at:

Pza. Emperador Carlos V, Vestíbulo del Ave, Arganzuela

28012 Madrid

 

P.S: For any fellow David Attenborough fans I give you...terrapin courtship rituals! :)

 

 

 

 

The male "strokes" the female's face by flickering his claws along her cheeks...passionate stuff :P

Teatro Kapital - The Most Famous Club in Madrid

Kapital is a giant on the Madrid party scene; 7 floors of music, dancing and drinking that make up the most famous club in the city. It's something that any visitor to Madrid must see at least once and as it was Annabel's 21st birthday we decided there would never be a better time!

After an hour or so at Annabel's flat in Opañel we headed to La Lupe, a smaller club full of Erasmus students, to get our free tickets to Kapital (free entry was brilliant as normally it can cost up to 17 euros to get in).

The club itself is pretty understated on the outside - I actually went to a flat viewing in the same building last month and missed it completely!

We arrived at about 1am which in England would be considered quite late to be arriving anywhere but in Spain was incredibly early. The main dance floor was deserted except for a single dude holding his beer aloft and dancing like a mad man.

Heading up to the top of the club we decided to work our way down through the floors. The 7th floor is the smoking floor with a kind of strange caribbean design scheme and lots of little round tables which we took advantage of later in the night when a rest and some air were desperately needed! As it was so early we were still in search of some actual people to dance with which we eventually found on the Latino and Pop floors. These, together with the ground floor, were definitely the most popular among the punters on that particular Thursday night. We spent a few minutes on the other floors which include cocktail bars and karaoke corners but always found our way back to the main dance arenas.

I was a little disappointed with the Latino floor that seemed to just play rap and reggaeton with no salsa to be heard. The music on the ground floor wasn't really to my taste either but the sheer spectacle made up for it. I have never been in a club so big with so many people; the lasers were spinning, confetti showers fell from the ceiling and spouts of dry ice would whoosh into the crowd. There were also a couple of gyrating girls on podiums behind the DJ but they seemed pretty obsolete with nobody paying them much attention.

We eventually left at about 5am getting taxis home from the rank outside. I'm definitely glad I've experienced Kapital once in my life and I had a brilliant time dancing madly all night, but with a 17 euro entry fee and around 12 euros a drink I'm not sure I'll be rushing back.

Teatro Kapital can be found at Calle de Atocha, 125. Atocha is the closest metro.