What about Easter?

We assume that most of you are traveling through Europe over the Easter Break, but for those of you staying in Madrid or at least in Spain, we would like to share some ideas. I'm afraid they have nothing to do with the Easter Bunny... Although you will see chocolate eggs in Spain too!

Here you can find information about typical foods in Easter (included the chocolate eggs and their history) and here about the origin of the "Semana Santa" tradition and the processions. Also, in the second entry, you will find an explanation about the clothes of the traditional hooded people and a video with some shocking images: No, they don't belong to the Ku Kux Klan, of course :-) 

But again, what to do if you stay?

One thing you can do is go to small places near Madrid, where Holy Week is very important: Alcalá de Henares, El Escorial, Chinchón, Morata de Tajuña, Torrejón de Ardoz, Parla... some of them are beautiful locations with important monuments to visit, others are not very interesting in those terms, but they have in common that they are very close to Madrid and that their Holy Week festivities have been officially declared of tourist interest. On this page you can find a description, photos, schedules, etc. It is in Spanish, but I can sure you can manage with Google Translate 😉

Of course, if you want to explore Spain, Sevilla and Málaga (Andalucía as a whole), Cuenca, Zamora, Valladolid... These are some of the best settings where you can enjoy the Holy Week processions.

And if you want to stay in Madrid, remember here processions are not so obvious at all. You have to look for them to find them, while in other places the festive and religious atmosphere permeates every street and every moment of the day. The most famous one can be in "Cristo de Medinaceli", on Holly Friday. 

Apart from the processions, if you stay in Madrid you can try some of the typical sweets, like the ones we suggested before, for example, our famous "Torrijas".

And here you can find some suggestions to do in Madrid, such as visiting new museums or revisiting your favorite places. 

Have a perfect break!!!!

And the winners are...

It is an honor for AU Madrid to announce the winners of the Photo Contest Spring 2024. There was a tie, but the jury agreed without a doubt that their works were their favorites:

Anabella Torres and Olivia Jensen, with photos number 1 and 20 respectively (scroll through the padlet to see all the pics.). Congratulations to you both! And enjoy your prize!

Ireland Week in Madrid!

 From March 11th to 17th, the capital is blooming with activities on the occasion of Saint Patrick's Day!!!! Some interesting events took place yesterday, what can we do from today?

A group of musicians and dancers from the University College Dublin Dance Society will perform at the Ópera (Tuesday), Callao (Wednesday and Thursday), and Gran Vía (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) stations.

Gastronomy will also be present during Ireland Week to pay tribute to the wide variety of fresh products produced on the Emerald Isle. There will be a free tasting of Irish products at the Peace Market (C/Ayala 28. Metro Serrano and Velázquez, line 4) on March 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Wednesday the 23th from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Irish literature will have its special day on Thursday at the Desperate Literature bookstore (Calle Campomanes, 13. Metro Ópera, lines 2, 5, and Ramal), where the Irish author Shane Tivenan will read for the audience, who will also be entertained by the Irish music group Triantan.

At the Monumental Theater (c/ Atocha, 65. Metro Antón Martín. Line 1) you can enjoy the 'Saint Patrick's Day', a show that fuses the energy of Irish folk-rock with dance and the sound of the bagpipes. Among the participants, you will find members of the RTVE choir and orchestra, the Luna Celta Dance school, and the musical group The Green Tones.

On Saturday, March 16, Irish culture will come to Las Rozas and a picnic will be held at the Electrocor Football Club (here) accompanied by Irish music. Public will be able to enjoy Gaelic sports with the Madrid Harps GAA Sports Club.

In adition, on Saturday the traditional St. Patrick's parade will take place and there will also be the opportunity to continue enjoying Celtic rhythms in the Fitz Club room (Calle Princesa 1. Metro Plaza de España, lines 3 and 10) at 7 p.m. with a concert by Bras Rodrigo.

          

On Sunday at the Galileo Galilei (Calle Galileo 100, Metro Canal and Islas Filipinas, lines 2 and 7)  with a performance by the Irish Treble dance group. 

A summary of all this information in English here and more details (but in Spanish) here.

Language Exchange Activities to Improve your Spanish and Make Friends

 

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! The Midterm exams are finally over for everybody! Let's go on!

Would you like to improve your Spanish? It  is time for you to take action. All day speaking English with your classmates is not going to help you. Convince them to accompany you on a "Language Exchange." In Spain they have been very common for a while. Decades ago it was done spontaneously in the Irish bars of Madrid, where people left their notes asking for a language exchange on the notice boards. Over time it evolved and now they are more organized. Debates, karaoke, casual conversations in front of a coffee, hiking... And there is no money involved!

On the official Madrid Tourism website you can find some events, although there are many more in internet. Take some action! 

https://www.esmadrid.com/en/language-exchange-venues