ABOUT MADRID

Madrid, the highest capital in Europe at 649 metres, known in Arabic as "Magerit" (meaning source of water) is a relatively new capital, chosen by Philip II (husband of Bloody Queen Mary) in 1561. Even then, and until the 18th century, it remained small, filthy and backwardly mediaeval. It was Charles III who instigated a clean-up campaign and completed a number of sumptuous buildings such as the Royal Palace.

The Convention hotels are all within a stone's throw of the Plaza España area, which is a good place to start off your sightseeing. In the centre of the square there's a monument to Cervantes with the figures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza on their respective mounts. Just down the road from the Plaza is the Temple of Debod, an authentic Egyptian temple given to Spain in 1970 as a thank you for its assistance during the Aswan Dam Project.

From there, it's a short stroll to the elegant Plaza de Oriente, flanked on either side by the Royal Palace and the Royal Opera House. The present king and queen do not live in the Royal Palace and it is open for visitors when not being used for state occasions. Next door to the palace is the modern Almudena Cathedral where Felipe, Prince of Asturias and heir to the throne, got married in May 2004.

Continue on to the Segovia viaduct which was known as "Suicide Bridge" (there are now perspex barriers both sides to prevent this type of action). Turning left into the calle Mayor just before the viaduct you will see the house from which a bomb was thrown at the King's grandparents on their wedding day in May 1906, then on to the Plaza Mayor, Madrid's arcaded main square. There's a helpful Tourist Office at nº 3. From there up to the Puerta del Sol, considered to be the centre of Spain and Madrid's equivalent of London's Trafalgar Square. You can see the memorials to the victims of the 19th century Madrileño uprising against the French occupation and the far more recent "thank you" memorial to all the city's inhabitants who helped during the atrocious train bombing of March 11th 2004.

For art fans, Madrid is a paradise, with a walking "triangle" of three very famous and different galleries - the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofia Arts Centre and the Thyssen-Bornemisa Collection.

And if you are in that area, why not stop by at Atocha Station for a coffee or a beer? The station was originally constructed by British Victorian Architects. With the introduction of the high-speed AVE train in the nineties, the station was remodelled: the original structure where the steam trains used to pull into Madrid is now a botanical garden full of tropical flora and fauna.

Speaking of refreshments, for those who have not had the "tapa experience", it is an ideal way to sample different types of Spanish food which is chosen and shared between the numbers involved. Vegetarians, please don't worry. Although Spain has a reputation of being a meat-eating country, there are a number of tasty vegetarian options, so you won't feel out of it. The "tapa experience" is also a very good informal way for people to get to know each other and chat between themselves.

The word "tapa" means "cover" and there are many stories on how this word came into the culinary language the most common being that because Spain is such an extremely dry country a piece of bread or food was used to cover the wine/beer glass to stop the dust settling on the liquid. Another popular story comes from the Middle Ages when Royalty used messengers to ride throughout the country and, on changing horses at various posts, the wine offered on an empty stomach tended to make them a little tipsy. The small piece of food helped soak up the alcohol.

Madrid also boasts some beautiful parks, including the Parque del Oeste, near Moncloa, the Retiro, which is behind the Prado, and the adjoining Botanical Gardens.

ONE WORD OF WARNING! - Like every large city, Madrid has it share of pickpockets /muggers and even the hardened residents are not immune to this. For English speaking people there is a 24 hour helpline in English - 902 102 112. Okay you may not get your belongings back, but instead of queuing for hours at a police station, you can make your report by phone, are given a reference number and then you have 48 hours to pick up the report from a local police station.

For more information: Listings: El Guía de Ocio, published on Fridays InMadrid - a free monthly publication which you will find in tourist offices and some bars and cafés. And on the Internet, try:

www.munimadrid.es

www.esmadrid.com

www.madrid.world-guides.com

Convention coordinator: Hilary Plass email: madrid06@tesol-spain.org