Spanish Course in Madrid .
Madrid – City of tapas!
Are you still wondering, where you should take your Spanish course? Here is one possibility: Madrid. Madrid is the geographical, political and cultural centre of Spain. With its 3,3 million inhabitants (without suburbs), it is the third biggest city of the European Union. Spanish course in Madrid is the best idea in your life
At the same time it is the highest capital of the Euopean Union, being located at 667m above sea level. And the most important thing: Some people say, you can find the country´s best tapas in Madrid! 🙂
History
In the 9th century, the moors constructed a castle right at the location where the Palacio Real is situated today. The first residential buidlings have been built 300 years later.
In 1083, the city became Castilian.
In 1561, Philipp II. transferred the Royal Court from Valladolid to Madrid, so that Madrid gained more and more importance and became the factual capital.
In 1714, the Bourbons came into power. It was a glourious time for Spain, the city of Madrid got modernised and many new buidlings were constructed.
From 1808 till 1813, Madrid was occupied by the French. Napoleon´s brother Joseph became king.
From the beginning of the 19th century till the beginning of the 20th century, the Spanish country was the location of many different civil wars, military coups and changing forms of government. The climax was the Spanish Civil War from 1936 till 1939, in which Madrid stayed republic until the final end. Big parts of the city got destroyed by German and Italian air raids. The Nationalists around General Francisco Franco won and characterised from then on till 1975 – the year of Franco´s death – the image of the city. After Franco´s death, Juan Carlos I. became king and initiated the “Transición” – the peaceful change from a conservative dictatorship to a democratic republic.
District
Madrid is divided into 20 districts: Centro, Arganzuela, Retiro, Salamanca, Chamartín, Tetuán, Chamberí, Fuencarral-El Pardo, Moncloa-Aravaca, Latina, Carabanchel, Usera, Puente de Vallecas, Moratalaz, Ciudad Lineal, Hortaleza, Villaverde, Villa de Vallecas, Vicálvaro, Sam Blas and Barajas.
Means of transport
In Madrid you will easily get from one place to the other. It is the center of the Spanish traffic system. You find a vast net of busses, metro- and subway-lines. (By the way: Madrid provides one of the biggest underground systems worldwide) .
For the exact prices and schedules, visit: www.metromadrid.es
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If you want to visit other Spanish cities, there are great train connections.
The biggest train stations are Atocha and Chamartín.
Of course there is airports as well.
Aeropuerto Madrid-Barajas (MAD).
www.aena-aeropuertos.es
Climate
Because of its high position (667m above sea level) Madrid enjoys a continental climate. That means that the summers are dry and hot and the winters are cold. Much colder than the winters at the Mediterranean Sea.The coldest month is January with an average temperature of about 6,1 °C and the warmest month is July with an average temperature of about 24,2 °C.
Must-Dos
Plaza Real: The Plaza is located right in the city center. It was built in the 15th century as a market place. Nowadays it houses lots of restaurants and cafés and is one of the busiest in town. Especially in the summer, it is the location of many concerts.
Plaza de la Puerta del Sol: It is the center of Madrid and of the whole of Spain, as this is the place with the kilómetro Cero: The point from where the six radial mainstreets of the country start. It is a meeting point for the youth and a place with a lot of nightlife.
El Parque del Buen Retiro: Beautiful park in the center of Madrid, where you can take a sunbath, relax or do a boat trip on the cute little lake!
Palacio Real of Madrid: Oficial residence of the Spanish Royal family.
Museo del Prado: One of the most famous museums of painted arts in the whole world, which houses works of many Spanish as well as other European artists.
In addition to the things that you can do and see within the city, Madrid has another big advantage:, It has an unbeatable location in Spain. Sitting almost at the country´s center, nothing is far away! That means that from here you can make excursions to the best places in the country. Everything is in close reach!
And don´t forget: You should never leave Madrid or any other Spanish city without having done a tapas tour or without having visited a flamenco show!
Conclusion
For those who want to experience the Spanish lifestyle, Madrid is the ideal place to do a spanish course in Madrid. You can also take part of a spanish course in Malaga. Here you find history, culture, haute cuisine. Furthermore, it is the best starting point for excursions to other Spanish cities. So in short words: the only thing missing in Madrid could be THE TIME to explore and see everything!
