Puente Top 10 - Things to Do
By Maja Gojkovic and Will Cade
Thanks to the traditional Spanish practice of the puente (any day separating a holiday from the weekend becomes part of the party) we are all going to have a good 4 days on our hands this weekend. But what are we going to do with this cultural gem? Whether you started celebrating a week early and just need to rest, or you’ve been so bogged down with uni or work that you just need to let off some steam, Madrid has exactly what you’re looking for. Here’s a list of suggestions from Will Cade and Maja Gojkovic, the European Vibe’s ad hominem experts on the student lifestyle and fun and affordable leisure in Madrid.
Maja’s Favorite’s:
1. Picnic in Retiro
With weather predicted to be nice this puente, why not take a picnic down to Retiro. You have 350 acres of beautiful greenery to choose from, containing formal gardens, many fountains and statues, and a large lake. The park is filled with street musicians, jugglers, clowns, gypsy fortune-tellers, and sidewalk painters.
2. Bar crawl of Malasaña
If you’re stuck for where to go this puente and fancy a change from your regular clubbing hotspots, why not try some trendy bars in the heart of Malasaña. There are hundreds of bars to choose from, all with their own funky style and choice of music.
3. Day trip to Toledo
If you have been in Madrid for a while and have not managed to venture out of the city yet, why not take a day trip to Toledo. The city is only an hour train journey from Madrid, and its mixture of Christian, Jewish and Moorish cultures makes it a city well worth seeing.
4. Dramatised tour of Madrid
If history is not one of your favourite things to learn about, how about learning about what happened during the Dos de mayo by watching the theatrical performances with a walk around tour throughout the city of Madrid.
5. Go to a basketball game (Madrid final four)
If your into sports and like basketball, you can watch the highlight from this months sporting calendar the Madrid Final Four which features the best teams from the competition.
Will’s Favorite’s:
6. For you starving artist types, El Museo de Prado is free this Friday, May 2nd, but bear in mind that Spaniards come out in hoardes when freebies are invovled.
7. El Polideportivo Municipal de La Latina has an indoor pool with an outdoor sun deck, so for about 4€, those fair-skinned anglo saxons amongst us can get some cheap sun before the summer hits full-on.
8. If you mainly brought winter clothes for your Erasmus program, El Rastro, one of the biggest flea markets in Europe, will have most everything under the sun this Sunday, from about 8 to 3. But keep a close watch on your belongings: there are almost as many pick-pockets as there are nicknacks.
9. To get your nights started, 6 Goya 6 will host free, nightly street performances May 1st and 2nd, which will interpret the artist’s life and influence through dance, theater, and music.
10. Just grab an ice-cream, any type will do, and walk around in the sun with some friends. Sometime’s it’s the simple things in Madrid that are the best.