Vocabulary

 

insider	narrow	metropolis
main	square (3)	drive/drove/driven (2)
vibe	definitely	give/gave/given (2)
plaza	located	drive down
filled	suburb	public relations
spare	represent	spare time
tip (3)	suggest	impression
bit	major (2)	bite/bit/bitten
brand	structure	know/knew/known
venue	ordinary	dates back to
rather	grocery	present (2)
array	delicacy	see/saw/seen
sprawl	thing (2)	gastronomy
ham	boutique	put/put/put
gather	tree-lined	exclusive (2)
choice	renovate	in search of
offer	leather	find/found/found
unique	district (2)	go/went/gone
outline	authentic	neighborhood
take in	private (2)	fashionable
enjoy	icon (2)	take/took/taken
depict	head (3)	sell/sold/sold
fan (2)	issue (3)	apart from
trophy	include	win/won/won
tour	deal (2)	over the years
team	collection	good/better/best
snack	head back	sightseeing
origin	cover	feel/felt/felt (3)
pace	leisurely	round off (2)

 
 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

Madrid; a sprawling metropolis with architecture representing several centuries. A drive down the main Gran Via Boulevard gives visitors an impression of the energetic vibe of the Spanish capital.

Located directly in the centre of town, the Plaza Mayor is Madrid’s main square. It’s a popular gathering place filled with cafés.

Public relations manager Marcela de la Pena was born and raised here. In her spare time, she writes a blog giving tourists insider tips.

Marcela de la Pena, Blogger and Public Relations Manager: “If I only had a day, I would definitely suggest a bit of culture: one, a visit to one of the three major museums we have in Madrid, like the Prado, the Reina Sofia or the Titian.

I would also suggest shopping, because apart from the big and well-known Spanish brands that everybody knows, we also have in the Salamanca District really nice shops for Spanish brands.

And the third thing I would suggest is the Mercado San Miguel.”

The Mercado de San Miguel is located just a few meters away from the Plaza Mayor. The structure dates back to 1916. Unlike other Spanish markets, this is not a place to do ordinary grocery shopping, but rather a venue to enjoy an array of Spanish delicacies.

Marcela de la Pena, Blogger and Public Relations Manager: “The marketplace is very touristic. As you can see, there are a lot of people at every hour of the day. It was an old market that they have renovated.

And the good thing is that you have like all the good choices of Spanish gastronomy, especially the Iberico ham.”

Following Marcela’s second tip, we head to the shopping district of Salamanca. This is Madrid’s most exclusive suburb with narrow tree-lined streets and small boutiques which offer unique items that are hard to find anywhere else.

Marcela’s blog also outlines where tourists can go if they are in search of authentic Spanish design.

Marcela de la Pena, Blogger and Public Relations Manager: “Madrid is very good for shopping. A must is the Salamanca neighborhood. There you will find very exclusive boutiques, like this one where they sell very fashionable leather bags, with Spanish leather of course.”

For tourists interested in taking in some culture, the Prado Museum or the Tissen-Bornemisza private collection, or the Reina Sofia must be put on the list of places to go.

The Reina Sofia museum opened in 1992 and houses contemporary art, including an icon of the 20th century — Pablo Picasso’s Guernica depicting the 1937 bombing of the town in the Basque Country.

Manuel Borja-Villel, Director, Reina Sofia Museum: “We have a great collection of certain Spanish artists, like Rami, like Miro, like Juan Gris, Maria Blanchar. And of course Picasso. A collection that deals with artistic issues, but also deals with political with social issues; a collection that is historical: our immediate past, but it also has to do with the present.”

For sports fans, a tour of the Bernabeu Stadium is also a must. This is home to the champion soccer team Real Madrid. The Stevia Museum houses all of the team’s trophies, including the twelve (12) European Cups won over the years.

The best way to round off a day of sightseeing in Madrid is by heading back to the city centre to the well-known street of Cava Baja. This is where numerous tapas bars are located. The Spanish typically eat tapas is a snack between meals and they are always served with a drink.

Marcela de la Pena, Blogger and Public Relations Manager: “The word tapas nowadays is very common. But not many people know that the origin of the word is because in the old times when you use order a drink, they would serve it with a cover like this, which would be a bit of cheese or ham.

Nowadays when you ask for tapas, they can serve you something like this: we have a little bit of cheese, we have chorito and we have breadsticks.”

Madrid might have a big city feel to it but life here moves at a slow, leisurely pace. That is also what tourists can enjoy when visiting this city.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

 

Questions

Plaza. The population of Madrid is about eighty-six thousand (86,000). True or false?

Square. Is Madrid a new or ancient city?

Fountain. Madrid’s main plaza or square is filled with skyscrapers and office buildings. Is this right or wrong?

Museum. Does Marcela, the blogger, recommend that tourists visit Madrid’s shopping malls, discos, movie theaters and McDonald’s?

Cathedral. Do only old people go to Madrid’s central mercado (marketplace) in search of bargains?

Municipal Building. Are the merchandise on offer in the Salamanca shopping district mostly made in Bangladesh and Vietnam?

Legislative Building. All the artwork in Madrid’s museums are from the Renaissance and deal with scenes from the Bible. Is this correct or incorrect?

Court House. Do locals love to eat hamburgers, hotdogs and pizzas?
 
 
 
Marketplace, Market. I am from Madrid. I live in Madrid. I have visited Madrid or other parts of Spain. Yes or no?

Pedestrian Mall. Is your city similar to that of Madrid?

City Center. What are the main attractions of your city or town?

Park. Do many visitors come to your city and country? Where do they go to?

Statue. Would people in your city and country like more tourists to come, less tourists or the same number?

Art Gallery. What might happen in the future?