"Dos meses en Madrid 2002" Madrid by Christina1881

Madrid Travel Guide: 5,306 reviews and 10,727 photos

2002: FIRST TIME IN MADRID

I had the pleasure of living almost two months with a Spanish family in the north of Madrid last year, where I was showed part of the Spanish lifestyle from them, but from where I also got to see the fantastic capital of Spain and a lot of the things that this city has to offer!

It was my first time in Spain ever - and I was (from my first second there) taken by the Spanish lifestyle...

I had been planing to go for months - had been looking forward to it for so long - and then I remember when I was finally in the airport of Madrid that I realized that everyone spoke in Spanish... Of course they spoke in Spanish you might think - so do I know - but that day - that second it was like a bolt from the blue - out of nowhere the thought just came to me "they all speak Spanish"!

Now - everytime I go to Spain - when I have just landed and Im waiting for my luggage I think of my first time arriving in Spain - and everytime I stand still for a couple of seconds - just to check if they still speak Spanish

Did you know? about Madrid

- That Madrid wasn't made capital of Spain untill 1606, when King Felipe III (who was born in Madrid) made the city capital of the country.

- 1606 was also a year where "Don Quijote" - by Miguel Cervantes - had become a very wellknown book. The book had been published the year before in the street of Atocha.

- Madrid covers an area of 531km2 and have more than 4 million inhabitants.

- Madrid is 646 meters above sea level.

- Plaza Mayor was built by Felipe III in 1619. It was used to bullfighting and other celebrations.

- Between Madrid and Malaga (on Costa del Sol) there is 511km

- Between Madrid and Santander (on the north coast) there is 393km

- That makes Spain about 904km long

- From Pontevedra (on the northwest coast) to Barcelona (northeast coast) there is about 1129km

- The shortes way from Copenhagen (Denmark) to Madrid (Spain) is 2392km (and from Copenhagen to Granada (Andalucia) it is 2807km - which is good to know since my boyfriend is there and I'm here... ;-))

- On Puerta del Sols southern side you kan see a small plaquie marking "Km 0", from where distances along the country's highways are measured.

- The Palacio de Cristal, in Parque del Buen Retiro, was built in 1887 as a winter garden for exotic flowers.

You can find out more about Madrid cheking out the links below:

www.munimadrid.es

www.aboutmadrid.com

www.softguides.com

Last visit to Madrid: Jul 2006
Intro Updated Aug 3, 2006
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Reviews (9)

Valle de los Caidos Things to Do (4)

This huge monument was built under the dictator Franco, it is a cathedral in Escorial, close to the famouse castle. The... more travel advice

El Palacio Real Things to Do (4)

The royal palace is an absolutely MUST see in Madrid. You are able to get inside and see some of the rooms there as well... more travel advice

El Parque del Buen Retiro Things to Do (4)

A beautiful - and HUGE - park to spend a sunny afternoon. Sunday mornings in el Parque del Buen Retiro is fantastic...... more travel advice

Plaza Mayor Things to Do (4)

Plaza Mayor is a beauty from the 17nd Century - nicely restaured and originally the bullfighting arena and as the center... more travel advice

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Travelling within Madrid
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Written Jul 10, 2003

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Comments (5)

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Jerelis Nov 10, 2009 at 2:19 AM

Nice page about a place I still want to vistit. Thanx for sharing!
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spgood301 Aug 12, 2006 at 7:37 PM

Hi Christina, Madrid is such a wonderful city. Hope I get the chance to go back one day. Thanks for bringing me back for a few minutes :-)
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rexvaughan Aug 18, 2004 at 8:08 AM

I loved Madrid too and your page is nice. Hope you have a great birthday, Christina and many happy travels ahead.
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lomi Jul 22, 2003 at 8:54 AM

On the metro a bunch of teenagers got on behind us.As the doors closed the kids got off! with my husband's wallet - passport, credit cards, licence, the lot. We went to the police so that we could get to our destination without any documents.
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Beach_dog Jul 6, 2003 at 10:00 AM

Nice Madrid tips Christina, I hope to see more of your Spanish pages soon :0)