Chueca

Chueca, named after 19th century spanish composer, Frederico Chueca, is a neighbourhood  is well known for its trendy and lively  nature. The area, north of the city centre is dotted with fashion boutiques,  restaurants and cafe bars and is home to the fashionable young people of the city. It is also known for being Madrid’s gay district and  every year the area hosts the annual Pride Festival.

Plaza de Chueca is the place to start when looking for a cafe or bar. This is also the ideal place to begin as the Chueca  Metro is in the center of the plaza itself. When in Chueca you should visit the famous Mercado San Anton as it has the freshest fruit and vegetables and supplies a wide range of meats, fish and other foods. It can be pricey at times but when the food is that good, you can make exceptions. The Mercado San Anton has an alternative system where you can purchase, for example fish and have it brought to the rooftop terrace
restaurant La Cocina de San Anton, where it is then cooked and served for you to enjoy.

Food shopping is great in this area, but the clothes shopping is even better. You can browse the many quirky boutiques such as Vallmai, on Calle Fernando VI, for one of a kind fashion that you cannot get on the high street. Chueca has great food, shopping and bars on offer and is definitely worth a trip when in Madrid.

Top spots
1. Mercado San Anton
2. La Cocina de San Anton
3. Plaza de Chueca

 

Team Curso/CTR Madrid

 

Neighbourhood

Like any major city, Madrid has a range of diverse neighbourhoods with their own character and attractions. The main central neighbourhoods include the alternative Chueca and Malasaña, the sedate Salamanca, and the lively Lavapies and La Latina areas. Also, it consists of the serene Las Austrias, the classical Las Letras and of course the vibrant centre of Gran Vía and Sol. When walking around Madrid you will discover how different the neighbourhoods are. Salamanca, for instance, is considered the more affluent and peaceful area of the city, known as the designer district, where all the top fashion houses are located, it has long been the home to the wealthiest madrileños. Similarly, Las Austrais is considered the “royal” area due to the Palacio Real and the many plazas and churches, including the Plaza Mayor and Iglesia de San Andrés, in this old part of the city.

Close to Las Austrais is the animated areas of Lavapies and La Latina. Once considered the barrios bajas (low districts), these areas are full of character and are known to be up and coming areas for trade and investment. Likewise, Chueca and Malasaña north of the centre, off Gran Vía, have the reputation as alternative and modern areas. Chueca was originally home to blacksmiths and industry workers until the late 20th century. In the 21st century, it has transformed into Madrid´s stylish gay community. Malasaña has visual references to the resistance against the French in 1808, predominantly the Plaza de Dos Mayo, but it is also known to be a trendy neighbourhood with a vibrant nightlife.

For the more traditional part of Madrid Las Letras is the place to be. Famous for being the home to some of Madrid´s most famous writers such as Lope de Vega, Las Letras is full of history and charm. These districts give Madrid the reputation as a diverse and cosmopolitan city.

Team Curso/CTR Spain

The Bear and the Strawberry Tree

Whether you have already discovered it around the city, or whether this guide is the first you see of it, you may be wondering what on earth is the meaning of the bear and tree. Do madrileño bears have a preference for pick-your-own? Are they substitutes for humans when orchard-employees are scarce? Or are they simply very healthy?

Unfortunately, we must disappoint you, as of course none of these theories are true. What is true, though, is that there is good reason for the bear-and-tree image to pop up everywhere: it is the heraldic emblem of Madrid. Let us take you through a short but sweet history lesson to explain.

Nobody is exactly sure of the origin of the emblem, but it is thought that the bear first appeared in the Middle Ages. This was on a banner carried by the madrileños during the Battle of Navas de Tolosa, 1212, against the Moorish invaders. One explanation for the bear on the emblem is that these animals were plentiful in the area and were thus deemed a fitting representation for Madrid. What not many may know is that there was a debate as to whether the bear was a he or a she, ‘el oso’ or ‘la osa’. Nowadays, the bear is known as a female, predominantly because the stars surrounding it on Madrid’s coat of arms represent the feminine constellation, Ursa Minor (Smaller Bear). And it satisfies any ardent feminists.

As to the origin of the tree (Arbutus unedo in Latin), the story is as follows: a dispute arose between the town of Madrid and the Church concerning the ownership of the surrounding land. In the end, in 1222, the Church took the pastureland and the town gained the forests. Madrid changed its emblem (possibly to represent these forests), adding a tree to the bear, although whether it was supposed to be the Strawberry Tree (or Madroño), we will never know.

If you haven’t yet stumbled across La Osa y el Madroño, it will appear either in the form of a 20-tonne statue on the north side of the Puerta del Sol; or on buildings, public transport, on drain covers, or in the many souvenir shops Madrid has to offer (to name a few places). To finish, there is quite an interesting theory as to why the bear, standing on its hind legs, is so keen on reaching the tree’s fruit. You might very well hear this tale from one of the locals or an unofficial tour guide roaming the streets. The story is simply that, as the fruit of the Strawberry Tree can be used to produce liqueur, the bear is nothing less than an alcoholic in adoration of the brandy-fruit! Smiling to yourself? Well, we’ll leave it to you whether you believe it or not…
La Osa y el Madroño

Team Curso/CTR Madrid

Praktikum Reisejournalismus Barcelona

Die katalanische Hauptstadt Barcelona gehört zu den schönsten Städten Europas. Direkt am Mittelmeer gelegen bietet sie ein großartiges kulturelles Angebot, architektonische Meisterwerke und ein angenehmes Klima.

Barcelona ist eine Stadt in der Schwebe zwischen Tradition und Moderne. Kleine, verwinkelte Gassen und beeindruckende Boulevards, elegante Gebäude in historischen Vierteln. Die schönen Strände der Stadt sind nur 15 Minuten vom Stadtzentrum entfernt.

Im Zentrum kann man entspannt den Abend ausklingen lassen, am besten mit leckeren Tapas. Die Nacht wird in Barcelona oft zum Tag gemacht. Mehr als 500 Kneipen, Bars, Jazz- und Flamenco-Bühnen, Diskos und Musikbars laden zum Besuch ein.

Barcelona, auch „Rose des Feuers“ genannt ist seit jeher Anziehungspunkt für Freidenker. Antoni Gaudí, Pablo Picasso und Miró lebten ihre Kunst und Architektur in Barcelona aus. Die Zeugnisse ihres Schaffens finden sich im Stadtbild und den Museen der Stadt.

Dank seines mediterranen Klimas sind die Temperaturen in Barcelona zu jeder Jahreszeit angenehm. Neben Spanisch wird in Barcelona auch Katalán gesprochen, ein typisch spanisches Phänomen, welches in den culture lessons des Praktikumsprogramms Reisejournalismus in Barcelona besonders thematisiert wird.

Tolle Nachricht also für junge Leute mit reisejournalistischem Interesse und für Fans der katalanischen Hauptstadt Barcelona: das Projekt Reisejournalismus in Barcelona findet auch Juli/August 2013 in der spanischen Metropole statt.

Das Projekt ist für Studenten und junge Berufstätige mit starkem reise-journalistischem Interesse gedacht und gibt diesen die Möglichkeit, während eines drei- bis vierwöchigen Aufenthalts in Barcelona ein professionelles Reisemagazin zu produzieren. Ihnen zur Seite stehen erfahrene Journalisten, Layouter und Koordinatoren aus Barcelona, die ihnen die notwendigen Grundlagen in Workshops vermitteln.

Die Praktikanten in Barcelona recherchieren, führen Interviews, machen Fotos, arbeiten am Design und Layout, schreiben Artikel, besuchen projektrelevante Einrichtungen und nehmen an projektbezogenen Exkursionen teil. Sie werden von lokalen Journalisten, Layoutern und Projektmanagern aus Barcelona inhaltlich betreut.

Mit Zeugnis und unter Anleitung professionell veröffentlichter Arbeit lässt sich dann die weitere Karriere in den kreativen Industrien planen.

Wir freuen uns auf Curso Reisejournalismus in Barcelona 2013. Weitere Informationen zu unseren Praktikumsprogrammen in Barcelona, Madrid, Edinburgh, Berlin und Lyon finden Sie auf unserer Webseite curso24.de.
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Top Tips Madrid

As Madrid is a city which attracts thousands of tourists throughout the whole year, a few useful
tips will be really helpful - especially for those who are visiting the Spanish capital for the first
time. There are hundreds of things to say about the Spanish culture which can be found in Madrid. However, the following are the most essential tips and distinctive features of Spanish people that might catch your attention. These are often very different from the habits of tourists, and therefore they will be useful to know in advance.

Whilst many cultures queue and wait to be acknowledged, forming a proper queue is quite
unusual in Spain. In fact, Spanish people tend to mass together and therefore jump the
queue. This happens in shops, bars, bus and train stops, and all public buildings where a lot
of people tend to gather together with no particular order, and those who are in more of a
hurry or simply louder get served first. Unlike people belonging to many other cultures who
will stand in a queue, quietly and patiently, in Spain they will strike up a conversation.
Therefore tourists, and in particular those who are more used to forming an orderly queue,
should learn how to play the game and win during their stay in Madrid!

The importance of direct contact is another peculiarity of the Spanish culture, where social
interaction is fundamental. This includes the local habit of introducing yourself and saying
goodbye by kissing on the cheek and very often touching whilst talking as a sign of
approval and establishing friendly contact (i.e. touching you on the shoulder). The atmosphere when you go shopping is of a continuous social network, where people have time for each other and speed does not really matter. So even if Madrid is an extended capital city, here you do not get the impression that people are stressed or in a hurry. Here you can always find some very traditional corner where the common and widely-known Spanish spirit of being friendly and laid back is preserved. As in many other tourist cities, pickpockets are always waiting in ambush. This happens especially in the most crowded and tourist areas of the city such as squares and main streets, as well as on public transport and shopping areas.

Asking Spanish people for directions may be tricky and confusing for tourists, as Spanish people seem to have a different and particular conception of distance! It is very likely that
when you ask local people for directions, you will be told “Est. justo al lado” (“It is just round
the corner”), and after a while you may realise the place is actually far away! Or it could be the
other way round: you might be told a place is too far to walk, when the place was quite close
and definitely walkable!

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CTR Curso eG Travel Writing Team Madrid 2012

Curso eG Unterkunft Madrid

Willkommen in Madrid! Projekt Apartments im Sommer 2012 im schönen Stadtteil La Latina!

Redaktion Curso eG

mehr zu La Latina und Reisejournalismus und Spanisch in Madrid