A

A is for Aeropuerto de Barajas

If you are flying into Madrid Barajas and are then planning to take the “metro” or tube, these tips might come in handy.

You can listen to them on this audioboo about travelling into Barajas, or you can read more below.

Barajas has four terminals. To make things a bit more complicated, terminal 4 is divided into two: 4 and 4S, where “S” stands for “satellite”. The walk from the airplane to the exit if you land into terminal 4 is a little bit long. First, follow the Baggage and Exit signs. You will go up an escalator. Then you’ll pass passport control, after which you will need to take a small train to the main terminal 4 building. It will take you around 20 minutes, if not more, from the airplane to the terminal 4 exit.

The good news is that the exit is really close to the Metro entrance.

If you are travelling into terminal 1, exiting Arrivals is much easier, although sometimes it can also involve a ten minute walk. The walk from the exit to the Metro takes a long ten minutes. If you are arriving into terminal 2, you’ll have a much easier time. It’s only five minutes away. (I’ve never used terminal 3, so I can’t really help you there!)

Once at the Metro entrance, you can buy your ticket from a machine or a person. A single ticket, un billete sencillo, into town will cost you €4.50. A normal single ticket costs only €1.50 but there is a supplement of €3 when you travel to and from the airport.

If you are going to travel a bit by tube, I suggest that you buy a Metrobus, which has ten trips by either bus or tube and costs €12.50. The advantage of this over a short stay pass is that you can share the trips between more than one person, so it’s perfect if you know you are not going to be using public transport much. You can also use it for your return journey to the airport, although you will have to pay the extra €3.

Well, that’s it, I hope this was useful. Do let me know in the comments box if it was or if you have any more questions!

¡Buen viaje!

NOTE: Straight after posting I got this very useful comment from Relative Imperfection. As comments are not visible on the posts page, here it is:

Pilar, there is also the Cercanías option. and it’s cheaper than the Metro, it all depends on where you have to go.
it leaves every 30 min. ( xx:28 & xx:58)
Línea C1: Príncipe Pío – Atocha- Recoletos -Aeropuerto T4

Príncipe Pío, Pirámides, Delicias, Méndez Álvaro, Atocha, Recoletos, Nuevos Ministerios, Chamartín, Fuente de la Mora y Aeropuerto T4.

the Metro Sencillo’s price depends on how many stations you have to go through (this is new).

A is for Agustina de Aragón

To begin with: a little bit of history.

 

Remember Napoleon? He decided to take over Europe. It would have been foolish to neglect his neighbours, the Spanish.

La guerra de la independencia (the War of Independence or Peninsular War) began in 1808, lasted six years and brought plenty of death and devastation to Spain, as well as a period of famine in 1812. There was one good thing that came out of this war, and this was the series of sketches and drawings that Goya named Los desastres de la guerra. Through them he showed the horrors of war as well as a few acts of valour and hope, such as the one shown here, featuring Agustina de Aragon.

 

¡Qué valor!
Agustina de Aragón by Francisco de Goya.
Francisco de Goya [Public domain], undefined

 

 

Agustina de Aragón was the wife of Joan Roca i Vilaseca, a corporal serving in the artillery during the war of independence.  On June 15 1808, having come to bring food to the troops in Zaragoza, Agustina found herself in the middle of the battlefield, watching all the Spanish soldiers go down. Realising that they were about to lose to the French troops, she loaded a canon, lit the fuse and dispersed the French men.

 

Agustina was soon named sublieutenant and fought to defend her country alongside the Spanish men. Her brave actions and encouraging cries during battle turned her into a legend. Having survived prison and many a battle, she died at the age of 71. Not bad.

 

 

A is for Agosto

Ode to August

Agosto – the wonderful summer of August.

The beaches are completely packed. Not one visible grain of sand.

Agosto – the wonderful summer of August.

Strutting around during the day in your best top, enjoying the over 35 degrees heat, you almost catch a cold when you go into the cinema, shivering under the air-con.

Agosto – the wonderful summer of August.

In the urban neighborhoods, you enjoy the summer sounds – of people chatting, of crockery clinking against the plate, of tv’s blasting… At 12am as you try to go to sleep, as you need to go to work the next day.

Agosto – if you play it right, you can enjoy the silence of the city.