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16-17 may 2002
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Last update: 13 May 2002
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16-17 may 2002
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Last update: 13 May 2002
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| CIEMAT Address |
| Madrid and surroundings |
| The Residence |
| Transportation |
| Group Picture |
| Agenda |
| List of participants |
| Other Informations |
Madrid is a big city with a lot of things to see, but to restrict to the minimum :
That includes the "Puerta del Sol", "Plaza Mayor", the Royal Palace, the "Madrid de los Austrias" View 1 and View 2 or the Almudena Cathedral. For sightseeing , it is relatively short. In 2-3 hours by foot, with some stops to have beer or wine and the popular "tapas" you can have a good idea of the old Madrid.
The modern Madrid is ,to my taste, not very interesting, except for shopping.
Of course, a sightseeing in a turist bus going around the city can be done. I must get some information about times and duration,that I have not in this moment.
"Museo del Prado" (http://museoprado.mcu.es)
Address: Paseo del Prado, s/n
Underground station Banco de Espana, Bus nb 27, 51
Tel. 341.91.330.29.00
Monday : Closed
Tuesday - Saturday : 09.00-19.00
Sunday and festivities : 09.00-14.00
An important part of the paintings of Goya (namely, the two "Majas"
(naked and dressed)
will not be at Prado at the time of the meeting. They are being shown
in an exhibition in USA under the name "Goya y la mujer"
(Goya and the womanhood) till June. (Pity... !!) Painting collections at the museum
Entrance and orientations
Map of the ground floor of the museum
Map of the first floor of the museum
Map of the second floor of the museum
Map of the basement floor of the museum
Artistic relations between Spain and Great Britain (1604-1655). Ends the 2nd June
"Museo Nacional de Arte Reina Sofia" (http://museoreinasofia.mcu.es)
Address: Santa Isabel, 52
Underground station Atocha, Bus nb 27
Tel. 341.91.467.50.62
341.91.467.51.61
Tuesday : Closed
Monday - Saturday : 10.00-21.00
Sunday 10.00-14.30
"Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza" (http://www.museothyssen.org)
Address: Paseo del Prado, 8
Underground station : "Banco de Espana", Bus nb 27,51
Tel. 341.91.369.01.51
Monday : Closed
Tuesday - Sunday : 10.00-19.00
You can see some pictures clicking here (Caravaggio), here (Ghirlandaio) or here (Foschi)
Royal Palace
Undergroud station : "Opera"
(Closed the 15th May)
Tel. 91.454.88.00
Monday - Saturday : 9.00 - 18.00
Sunday : 9.00 - 15.00
For the people interested on the italian painter Luca Giordano, (1634-1705) there is an interesting exhibition of his paintings during his spanish period in the Royal Palace till 2/June, with the same times indicated above.
A quick guided visit to any of the three museums is possible in ~ 2-3 hours each. Of course, if you are amateur of the paintings and you are short of time, I should advice to go to the 2.c because there is a sample of the best of the european and american paintings and the visit can be done with magnetic tape and auriculars guidance for a reasonable price. This is not possible in Prado, where the guided visit is expensive. Of course, you can just visit without guide using the catalogs in english (or in chinese) that you get at the entrance. I gave some exemplar to Pierre and other members of the collaboration in my last visit to CERN, and will bring them in my next one, the 22/April.
The only problem with the museums is to synchronize with the days and times of opening with the free time.
One of the two major parks of Madrid, with french inspiration, and a walk around the "Paseo de Recoletos" that is a very lively boulevard full of open air cafes. Click here to see a image of the park and here to see a image of the "Puerta de Alcala".
The ring (plaza de toros) of "Las Ventas" is the only place to celebrate the bullfights in Madrid. Disregarding the opinions for or against this "National Feast" as it is called among the amateurs, the ambience around the "plaza" before a bullfight ("corrida") is quite amazing. The ring itself is impressive.
As usual, this is the easiest part. There are very wide opening times in Madrid. At this time of the year, the shops open from ~10.00 to 13.30 and 16.30-20.00 or 20.30 and the big magazines from 10.00- 21.00 or 21.30
- Visit of half a day :
Every day. Departure at 8.45 or 15.00. Price : 39
- Visit of full day :
Every day. Departure at 9.45. Price 68
Address : Calle Serrano, 117 (Open all the day) or
Calle Pinar, 21-23 (This access is closed for cars evenings and holidays)
28006 Madrid
Reception : Open any time
Telephone (information): (34) 91 563 64 11
FAX (information): (34) 91 564 38 90
e-mail : macarena@residencia.csic.es
( ~87 CHF) for single room per day,
93 Euros for double room per day.
~4.20 per breakfast (buffet)
~10.80 per sigle meal.
Introduction to the residence
Public transport in Madrid Underground, bus, taxis
The most practical way of transport in Madrid is the Underground ("Metro")
The buses are quite efficient but ,as in other places of the world, they
require a good knowledge of the city.
The transport titles are various, but for our purposes I recommend the
10 travel ticket at the price
of 5 that can be bought in the
underground stations, in most of the journals sellers and in the bus
stations. (Manual or automatic, according to the place)
Of course, single travel tickets can be bought, but they are more
expensive (0.95).
The ticket is anonimous and unique for underground and bus, and it is fed in reading dispositives that mark it after each reading in a way that the owner can count the used trips. The printing is different for underground an bus.
The underground is easy to use, the name of the station being clearly visible in every stop.
Every marked trip (in the underground) is valid for as many changes between lines as the user wishes as far as you will not go through an exit, that is clearly marked with one exit device, and of course you can reverse the travel sense, without exiting, when the stop was skipped by distraction or error.
As it happens with the automatisms, they can fail. In the underground, if the ticket is damaged (or the reader tolerance is low, that is the most usual case of trouble) there will be a red light showing in the counter and the wheel of admittance will stay blocked. The normal case is that the repetition of the process in other reader (there are several in a row) will be succesful. If not, that means that either the ticket is exhausted or the reading band faulty. The procedure is to go to the ticket delivery stand and show the faulty ticket to the ticket man that will usually replace the ticket by other.
If this happens in the bus, the thing is not that transparent. The bus is accessed by the forward door, where the reading device is installed, near of the bus driver. If the reading is succesful, there is a single "bip", but if the reading is faulty there is double "bip" You can try again and if the problem stays, the driver will arrange someway the problem. In the bus you can as well pay the trip with money but it is more expensive and you may be required to pay precisely the amount if the driver is short of change. Otherwise, every time you access to or alight from a bus the trip is ended and the next time you must pay again. That means that it is in practise much more expensive than the underground.
The taxis in Madrid have a red band in the sides and on top of the front window a green light. When alighted, that means that they are free to hire and you hail them with a clear sign of the hand or a clamourous "Taxi!!!" or both.
They have as well a white pannel on the right side of the front window with either of the writings: LIBRE (free) or OCUPADO (hired)
Sometimes there is some incoherence between the light and the panel indications or just the guy will not stop. This is due sometimes to the fact that the taxi is a taxiphone and was hired by radio or just that the driver is ending his journey and he will only pick you if it is convenient to him.
You must pay attention not to hire a car if it is not clearly a taxi !!
This applies specially to the airport. Some guys driving limousines or other private service cars will claim that they are taxi cabs and if you refuse they will claim that in any case the price will be similar to the taxis. This is always a lie and you can be charged with astronomical prices if you hire those guys.
You can be overcharged as well by a taxi, mainly if he decides to take you for an unadvertised trip by the city, but you are more protected specially because you can require a fare ticket where the starting and end point of the course must be indicated. My impresion is that they are in general quite honest, but I am from Madrid...
The taxi fares:
Type 1 : Working days 6h-22h
Type 2 : Official holidays (the 15th May, the Sunday 19th for example)
and working days 22h-6h
.
Tipping is always well accepted, but not compulsory.
One should be enough as tipping
from the airport.
From the airport (Barajas) to the Residence
You can come by taxi, underground or bus. Any option is clearly marked
by symbols in the airport.
Taxi
The fare from the airport to the residence could be around
20, but
it depends on the trafic and the type of fare (1 or 2).
Underground
The underground will take you:
(line 8) from "Barajas" to "Mar de Cristal"
(line 4) from "Mar de Cristal" to "Avenida de America"
(line 6) from "Avenida de America" to "Republica Argentina"
Bus from Barajas to the underground station "Plaza de Colon"
The normal metro-bus ticket is not valid for this bus. The fare is
2.40.
From "Plaza de Colon" you pick the underground
(line 9) "Colon" to "Av. America"
(line 6) "Av. America" to "Republica Argentina"
I do not recommend this option. It is longer and more expensive.
From the railway station of Chamartin to the Residence
The underground will take you:
(line 10) from "Chamartin" to "Gregorio Marañon"
(line 7) from "Gregorio Marañon" to "Avenida de America"
(line 6) from "Avenida de America" to "Republica Argentina"
At Ciudad Universitaria you can either :
Pick a bus (82) that will take you to the
gates of the CIEMAT
Or walk (15-20 min. walk ) along the "Avenida Complutense"
See in the drawing the location of CIEMAT
At the gate of CIEMAT the security people will have a list with your names
and will deliver a tag with your name. I will be either there to receive you
or I will come at 8.00 to the Residence the first day to come together.
I will let you know with time.
Money exchange
Banks in the city are usually closed the afternoon and during this week
they will close the 15th ,that is holiday and will be open
from 8.30 to 12.00 or 13.00 because the festivities of "San Isidro"
but you can change money in the airport or in the bank agency of CIEMAT
(from 9.00 - 12.00)
There is in CIEMAT a travel agency as well, open at the same hours.
Underground and Madrid Plans
underground information 1
underground information 2 (english version, overlapping the Madrid map).
underground information 3
underground information 4
Map of Madrid 1 (center)
Map of Madrid 2 (center)
Picture (jpg format)
Welcome (ps file) Talk by P. Ladrón de Guevara
- AVE Madrid-Sevilla:
Timetables
Services and Special Features by Class
Prices
Other Information
- Some Pictures of Sevilla
Plaza de España I
Plaza de España II
River Gualdaquivir, Torre del Oro and Giralda
Giralda
Map of Quarter of Triana
Responsible: Pedro Ladrón de Guevara