Madrid is a great location to spend New Year’s Eve. Different events take place all around the city at streets, restaurants, bars and clubs. Booking an apartment with Rent4days is a great way of beginning your holidays at the Spanish capital.
Madrid New Year’s party is one of the more important events of the year. At Puerta Del Sol, the clock installed in the roof of the offices of the City Hall, mark the end of the old and the beginning of the New Year. It is broadcast across the country and whiles each of the twelve chime rings out, a whole grape should be eaten before the next chime peals.
This tradition is followed at every home in Spain. In Madrid people get togheter at Puerta del Sol, Puerta de Alcala, Cibeles, Plaza Colon, in restaurants and bar. Grapes can be purchased at supermarkets, but be careful because the prices can increase! However, if you’re planning to celebrate New Year’s Eve at a restaurant or bar, they will provide you with free grapes.
During the next days you can visit some of the traditional places of the Spanish capital, like the magnificent Gran Vía, Plaza España and the splendid Palacio Real with its Sabatini’s Gardens.
You can also visit the Golden Triangle Art Museum, which includes The Prado Museum, The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofia Museum, along the Prado Boulevard.
A holiday break at Madrid is an excellent way to finish 2010. In our apartments you can feel at home. So don’t forget to check out our great and comfortable apartments at www.rent4days.com and book them online.
R-quitecture Week In Madrid
Between 2 and 10 October Madrid hosts a new edition of this great event that seeks to highlight the city and its buildings from another perspective.
One of the most unique proposals of this new edition of the Architecture Week will be, to be able to know the study of Norman Foster, one of the great architects of the time in Madrid author of one of the four towers of the Castellana. And there, at number 13, where his team and himself are working on their projects. There will also be panel open for discussions, educational workshops and exhibitions, as it organizes itself at its headquarters COAM (Piedmont, 23) Estudio Lamela on 8 October to 12 November.
for more information: http://www.esmadrid.com/semanaarquitectura/index.html
Lisbon voted as the best destination of 2010!
Want to visit the best destination of 2010 and discover by yourself why Lisbon has been claimed to be the best destination of 2010? Then click on the next link, book an apartment with Rent4Days, and find it out: http://www.rent4days.com/lisbon-apartments/!Lisbon has been classified as “Best Destination 2010 – European Consumers Choice” by the European Consumers Choice, an independent association headquartered in Brussels, and based on the voting results from a list of ten cities proposed by the European Consumers Choice, an independent association headquartered in Brussels.
The criteria considered for this vote – which took place from December 2009 to January 2010 and included, for the first time, cities – took into account Lisbon’s quality of life and infrastructures, as well as its cultural and tourism offerings. For the European Consumers Choice (www.europeanconsumerschoice.org), the vote reflects “a city that was able to preserve all of its soul and offer a point of entry for Tourism without forgetting its social and cultural riches”.
Barcelona – What’s happening in April in the city?
9 – 18 April 2010: Mecal – Barcelona International Short Film Festival
At Barcelona’s international short film festival (Mecal), film enthusiasts can catch the best movie bites from around 3000 entries. As well as the competitive strand, there are also themed short film cycles. Screenings take place at venues across the city.
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15 – 25 April 2010: Open Sabadell Atlántico
RCT Barcelona’s clay courts host the Open Sabadell Atlántico, a top-ranking ATP World Tour 500 event, previously known as the Open Seat Godo. Many top names on the men’s circuit compete for the total purse of €1,995,000.
In 2009 Spanish hero Rafael Nadal emerged as tournament champion for the fifth consecutive year.
The final list of players is disclosed at the end of February, after the entry deadline. Tickets are usually available from the beginning of March.
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15 – 25 April 2010: John Baldessari: Pure Beauty
Pure Beauty at Barcelona’s Museum of Contemporary Art brings together over 130 works by conceptual artist John Baldessari. The exhibition shows how Baldessari’s art has evolved, from the early paintings that survived his Cremation Project to photography, text and video.
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30 April - 9 May 2010: Asian Film Festival
Barcelona’s Contemporary Cultural Centre, the CCCB, presents its annual Asian Film Festival (BAFF). The best contemporary films, selected from hundreds of entries, are screened at venues across the city.
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Madrid – What’s happening in February in the city?
4 - 6 February 2010: Madrid International Fashion Week
Twice a year, the IFEMA centre hosts Madrid’s International Fashion Week (SIMM), the most important female fashion exhibition in the country for professionals. Models take to the catwalk, showcasing collections by up-and-coming and some more well-known designers.
The Madrid International Fashion Week represents all areas of the industry, from vanguard designers and party clothes to city and rural wear, everyday wear, sportswear, underwear, fashion for large women and teen fashion.
The quality and the competitive price of Spanish goods are widely recognised on the international market, and this is reflected in the increasing numbers of foreign exhibitors at Madrid International Fashion Week.
- Where: Parque Ferial Juan Carlos 1 (IFEMA)
- When: all day
- Cost: €30
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9 – 14 February 2010: Hurta Cordel: International Festival of Improvisation
Every year, experimental music takes centre stage at Madrid’s La Casa Encendida during Hurta Cordel, the International Festival of Improvisation. Contemporary musicians from across the world take part in the spontaneous evening performances, which sometimes include video and dance.
- Where: La Casa Encendida
- When: Daily 10am-9.45pm (closed public holidays)
- Cost: concerts 3€
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12 – 17 February 2010: Madrid Carnival
After fancy-dress competitions and parties across the capital, Madrid’s Carnival celebrations culminate on Ash Wednesday with the Entierro de La Sardina, translated as the Burial of the Sardine. This tongue-in-cheek ritual, led by costumed locals, marks the start of Lent.
The Burial of the Sardine is a Spanish tradition that ridicules the ecclesiastical tradition of burying the fat to mark the beginning of Lenten fasting. Over the years, pig fat has become a sardine.
Madrid relies on its very own cockneys, or caztizos, to jazz up the occasion with a healthy dose of the burlesque. About 60 members of the Burial of the Sardine Brotherhood, clad head-to-toe in their funeral finery lead a procession from San Antonio de Florida’s Fuente de Parajitos, preceded by a feast of soon-to-be-forbidden pleasures.
- Where: all Madrid
- When: all day
- Cost: free
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16 – 20 February 2010: Caja Madrid Flamenco Festival
Madrid’s most important flamenco festival brings together some of the best singers, dancers and musicians on the national scene. The performances take place at La Casa Encendida and the Teatro Canal de la Comunidad de Madrid.
- Where: La Casa Encendida
- When: Evenings
- Cost: La Casa Encendida (patio performances) €3 / Teatro Canal €9-€33
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17 – 21 February 2010: Madrid International Contemporary Art Fair
Anyone who is anyone in the art world attends the colossal Madrid International Contemporary Art Fair, or ARCO, at the Parque Ferial Juan Carlos 1 (IFEMA). The show features modern and contemporary art from all around the globe.
Galleries and solo artists from all over the world take part in the Madrid International Contemporary Art Fair. Together, they highlight the latest emerging trends in contemporary art, ranging from painting, sculpture, installation and photography to video, graphics and new media.
The guest country for the Madrid International Contemporary Art Fair 2009 is India. Various galleries and artists take part in exhibitions and discussions designed to explore India’s current art scene.
- Where: Parque Ferial Juan Carlos 1 (IFEMA)
- When: Various – please contact venue for details
- Cost: €32-€66; concessions €21-€50
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