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White anchovies in vinegar, pescaíto frito (fried fish), gazpacho, porra antequerana (a thick gazpacho-type soup with hardboiled eggs and cured ham), ajoblanco (a cold almond-and-garlic soup), stuffed aubergines… You can try all these and many other specialities, thanks to the great culinary affinity between the Region of Madrid and Andalusia.
“Tapa hopping” is truly an art. It takes place year-round and all over Spain, but for some reason, it has become an institution in central Spain, in the capital and in every city in the region.
As good food is not limited to any specific region, here are some establishments whose raison d’être is to promote an awareness and enjoyment of this typical style of cuisine, whose origins lie in Andalusia.
wine
Making history
Hundreds of varieties of tapas are available to those who are eager to try these exquisite delicacies, washed down by the outstanding wines of southern Spain, although those of Madrid stand up favourably to sherry from Jerez, manzanilla sherry from Sanlúcar, sweet Malaga wine and fino sherry from Cordoba. (Read on …)

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The most populous city in the Henares corridor was already known as the Madrid Region’s capital of classical theatre, and also hosts one of the region’s most popular cinema festivals.
In the field of entertainment, the world of dance had been somewhat neglected, but this lack will now be addressed with the launch of prograMADanza’07.
The days chosen for the presentation of over twelve works by companies from the region are 20-23 September. It would not be amiss to point out that the Ministry for Culture and Tourism of the Madrid Region boasts an outstanding range of local companies, such as Antonio Márquez, Ibérica de Danza, Larrumbe Danza, María Pagés and Nuevo Ballet Español.
PrograMADanza’07 is intended as a platform to publicise and promote the Madrid Region’s current choreographic capabilities in small and medium format. The aim of this initiative is to serve as a point of encounter between Spanish and international festival directors, programmers and specialised cultural organisations and this region’s current choreographic production.
Two traditional settings will accommodate these stagings and get them off on the right foot. These are the Corral de Comedias courtyard theatre and the Salón Cervantes Theatre, which will once again open their doors to dance, as they will certainly do for at least a few days every two years in playing host to this biennial event presenting the choreography of Madrid.
The Madrid Region thus joins such countries as the Netherlands, Great Britain, France and Germany in opening up new avenues to promote, showcase and publicise the country’s choreographic production.
There are currently eleven performing arts platforms in Spain, and dance represents only a small part of them. There is only one that is similar to prograMADanza’07, in Catalonia, although the latter’s scope is national.
Useful information
Source: Turismomadrid.com

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There is a now a wide range of tourist resources available, particularly for people aged between 18 and 30 who are lucky enough to live in this region.
Madrid, of course, is the sum of us all, and that includes young people, who have one of the best information portals at Inforjoven.
The following information will be of interest not only to the young but also to those who are getting on but are still young enough in spirit to tour the region by bike, take part in multi-adventure activities and hike along the historic cattle trails. Nobody will be left out.
In touch with nature
It would be true to say that there are times when it is a relief to get away from the big city with all its urban stresses and crowds.
A good option might be to explore one of the thirty or so natural spaces where young people can let off steam by taking part in outdoor activities, although there are other activities available to do which do not require any particular levels of fitness: hiking.
Spending the day in La Pedriza, in the area around the Regional Park of the Upper Manzanares River Basin, walking through the Campiña or Piedemonte areas, exploring the trails in the south of the Vega del Tajo river valley are only three of the many natural options available to the younger residents of Madrid.
skiingAnd although by this time of the year we have already seen the last of the snow, it is never too late to remind everyone that this region is a great place for skiing and snow-boarding in the winter ski resorts of Navacerrada and Valdesquí. So, get your ski gear ready for the next season. (Read on …)

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These can be found in small venues where a love of the art is giving rise to lively, new theatre concepts.
They are backed-up by a faithful public following that allows them to present plays with very few public subsidies. Many of the halls not only act as a theatre, but also have their own company.
From time to time, the media go wild about great plays like Café (Coffee) and Odio a Hamlet (I hate Hamlet). These are produced by people working hard on the fringe of the grand commercial shows and plays subsidised with public money.
Café is the latest hit from the Cuarto Pared company, which is one of the best-known alternative venues. Odio a Hamlet has a seal of approval from Guindalera Theatre, an intimate stage where the audience and actors meet face to face.
‘Los días felices’ (Happy days) by El Canto de la Cabra company
Working in a network or going it alone
Some halls are part of the Alternative Theatre Network. Most of the others work independently. The web page for the alternative theatre halls describes them as areas of exhibition, creation, production and meeting point for thoughtful, aesthetic plays, and work organised round a respect for creative freedom.
They are artistic centres that support creativity, and not solely for financial gain, as they are the driving force behind theatrical movements and research in Spain. The association contains pioneers in the art of stage-settings, such as El Canto de la Cabra, in the Chueca district, a place that is transformed to an open-air theatre around an olive tree in summer. (Read on …)

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We can discover the amazing adventure of Dracool the Wizard, as he tries desperately to undo a wicked spell. Also on the programme are hand-puppet shows and a chance to sing our hearts out. And these are only three of the options available…
En tu fiesta me colé (I gate-crashed your party)
The grown-ups never stop dancing throughout the three hours of Hoy no me puedo levantar, the musical with the songs that made history by the group Mecano; so younger audiences are also entitled to do the same with the children’s version.
This production takes place in the Movistar Theatre, the same venue as the first ambitious project designed by Nacho Cano, although this time with two weekly performances on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Now closed for the holidays, the theatre will open once again in the last week of August, although you’d better hurry, as tickets for Spain’s most successful rock musical are going fast. Which all goes to show that there is no age limit for musicals.
Having a terrifyingly good time
Boo! Did that make you jump? Maybe just a bit, but after all you, our younger visitors, are far too used to visual stimulation thanks to those countless hours in front of the television.
The trick is to find just the right mixture of terror and fantasy, the point where you can imagine other worlds, the lives of those characters that frighten us – and why not? But not too much, of course. The people at Yllana have got it just right in their new show for children, where they promise to make our hair stand on end.
Their third production for family audiences, after Splash and Olimplaff, Boo! is another example of the philosophy of humour without words that this company has been championing for over 15 years, in one of their regular haunts at the capital’s Alfil Theatre.
in the open air
And in the open air…
There is something for everyone, but it is the younger members of the family who will have the most fun. You only have to take a walk around the Retiro Park and look out for the legendary Puppet Theatre, then join in this great festival, held every year without interruption for the last 14 years.
The Titirilandia Puppet Festival showcases, in 85 performances which run from 2 September, the work of Spanish puppet companies and others from Italy, France and the other side of the Atlantic. This macro-encounter will close, until next year’s event, on Sunday 2 September, with a Charity Puppet Marathon, running from 12-10 pm.
Near this “green lung” of Madrid is the La Casa Encendida, and that is where the programme of Un verano de cuento (A storybook summer) is held, which will close on 28 August. This is just one more place where the curtain rises specially for the younger members of the household.
Source: Turismomadrid.com

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