gomez-rosado.com/madrid/city
Living in a capital is all about choice
... Take your pick among hundreds of offerings
Madrid is truly the city that never sleeps.. How could do it so? With so many things to do and places to see is comprehensible that Madrileños make use of the day way past midnight. Soon you will be feeling the same energetic gusto for life. During the morning going to beautiful El Retiro park to see the performers and the families have fun on boats in the lake, in the afternoon pausing at one of hundred restaurants with the offering of 50 different cuisines of Spanish regions (Madrid is know for accepting and welcoming them all). In the afternoon, after a wine or coffee with friends, a stroll towards the many world class art museums (El Prado, Reina Sofía, Thyssen-Bornemisza, etc). When the sun is long gone (on summer that will not happen until past 10 o'clock) you can enjoy the frenetic nocturnal pace of Puerta del Sol, Plaza de Santa Ana, Preciados street, La Gran Vía avenue. Enjoy a few drinks in Huertas street, maybe have dinner at the quaint small bistros around La Latina neighborhood. And depending on how much energy you have got on you (and if you have to work the next day or not) receive the morning light while dancing or having a good time with friends around tapas in on of the many clubs and bars of el barrio Centro.
... And after all of this long day, you have only covered a fraction of Madrid's offerings.
A city with lots of history behind it
Back in the 10th century, the Moors already though this city was a good place to live. Although it was inhabited by local Iberians since prehistoric times, and later by Romans... The arabs got to name it as Mayrit (their swords were sharper). The christian later on agreed to that appreciation of the city, so they took it from them the next century... And in fact, they thought it was so cool, they turned in to capital of the nation in 1561 by king Phillip II (Son of Madrid's most beloved king, Carlos V).
The French tried to borrow the city for a while, but in 1808 a popular revolution ignited in this city and spread over the entire country. We now celebrate that as the day of Independence.
The courage of the city was again put to the test during the Spanish Civil War when it became one the first cities to be attacked by fascist forces in 1936, but held on for years under siege and was one of the very last to fall in 1939. Since democracy finally arrived in 1976, the city has been in constant progress, becoming one of the most celebrated cultural capitals in Europe.
A place in the world
It is easy to find Madrid, as all roads in Spain lead to it. Literally. The spoke-and-wheels communications approach to this metropolis has turned it into the most diverse, populated, and dynamic city in the nation. You can find out more on the following links:
Festive manners in a festive weather
Madrid has a festive feeling all-year round, due no doubt to its diverse weather: Either you are celebrating the healing autumn or you are welcoming the uplifting springtime (Summer and Winter are indeed heartily felt). A bit of rain in Winter (with hardly one day with light snow) leaves a rather dry weather the rest of the year. Diversified clothing is advised, but please, have in store plenty of short-sleeved shirts... You may use more than one a day during the hot season.
Current weather information and forecast on the right (click for fully detailed info):