travel@list.co.uk
The Rastro is a Sunday ritual
The List decided to take a leaf out of the Spaniards' book and enjoy Sundays to the full. Words: Donna Conwell
DRINK
El Candela C/del Olmo, corner of C/Olivar. Cornerstone of Madrid's Flamenco scene. Can often spot some of the famous flamenco artists. Antonio Canales, a well known flamenco dancer, is often there.
Cafe 8 Libertad C/de la Libertad 8. Live music, theatre, poetry, dISCUSSlon groups as well as great coffee.
Cafe Central Plaza del Angel 10. Live jazz, but a bit expensive.
DANCE
Ombu La Calle de Moratin, La Zona de Huertas. The place to go for great salsa dancmg.
Stella C/Arlaban. Varied selection of up—to-date house music.
Katmandu Malasana. Acid Jazz and other sounds outwith the mainstream.
SHOP
Crisol C/Juan Bravo. Big selection of books and records.
Zara and Mango C/Princesa. Both worth Investigating on the fashion front.
El Arco de los Cuchilleros Plaza Mayor 9 and Ceramica El Alfar C/Claudo Coello 112. Good places for gift shopping.
While this mammoth session of eating and drinking could and invariably does go on all day. Sunday is also a customary day to visit the Prado. Madrid‘s most celebrated museum. It houses most of Spanish Royal collection including the paintings of the famous court painters Diego de Velazquez and Francisco de Goya.
No longer regarded as a folkloric cliche’ of Spanish identity. flamenco is now a favoured Sunday night ritual. If you want to avoid the tourist parodies of this wonderful art form. a good idea is to visit the improvised sessions at La Solea that has a house guitarist willing to accompany anyone wishing to try their luck. In the past such big names as Paco de la Lucia have turned up here. but you are much more likely to witness the plaintive wails and stifled sobs of a tipsy old man singing about how he lost his dog. Artists are now fusing this traditional music with contemporary sounds of rock. jazz and even reggae. and it is sometimes possible to witness heated discussions between the purists and the advocates of what is called nuevo flamenco.
Spending Sunday in Madrid is to become complicit in the complete denial of Monday morning. but it is also the ideal opportunity to explore Madrid’s past as well as partake of a fun loving and increasingly cosmopolitan present.
Excess baggage Festivals, flights and fabulous fares
LAST ISSUE WE flew to Amsterdam thanks to the nice people at Easyjet. What we should have told you is that these are direct flights from Edinburgh and prices start at £27.50 single - the earlier you book, the cheaper it is. More details on www.easyjet.com
THERE’S STILL TIME to catch the tail end of STA Travel's Student Travel Week. Running until Saturday 17 February, the event features talks, prizes (including £1000 to spend at STA) and special fares. The flights must be booked by 24 February, and include New York for £175, Copenhagen for £85 and MerOurne for £459. Details on wwwstatravelcouk or call into your local branch: 184 Byres Road, Glasgow and 27 Forrest Road, Edinburgh.
THE FINAL FRONTIER could be within reach as a holiday destination sooner than we think. The Rochester Institute of Technology is
TRAVEL FICTION
Graham Coster
Corsairville (Penguin £6.99) * st *
Subtitling his book ‘the lost domain of the flying boat', Coster explores the history of these fascinating aircraft based on the almost mythical Corsairville, an African town that sprang to life
TRAVEL
introducing classes in ’Space Tourism Development' in anticipation of intergalactic opportunities. It might not be as far-fetched as you think - the Russian Space Agency has sold a trip to the Spacestation Mir to a millionaire Californian. His ticket cost $20 million, so it may be a while before budget deals are available at your local travel agent.
IF WINTER SPORTS are your thing then stait savmg now for the annual World Ski and Snowboarding Championships in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada from 13—22 ApriIDetails from the Vanc0uver & British Columbia Tourist Office, +1 604 660 2861 Or check Out the festival website on
wwwwssf com
TIME OUT GUIDES has several new titles out this year, written by resident journalists. New guides on the shelves cover Copenhagen,Havana and Istanbul, while Buenos Aires will be out in June. Available in all good bookshops or visit www.timeout.com for details.
GRAHAM COSTER
THE LOST DOMAIN OF THE FLYING BOAT
around a crashed flying boat. He is exhaustive in his search, starting in the UK moving through America and onto Africa. And he needs to be. These majestic machines have hardly flown since their heyday in the 305 and 405. They belong to a bygone era of aviation and the book takes us on a journey back in time as well as spanning the continents, piecing together passengers’ fond recollections of their trips on the majestic machines. It was an experience few forgot. Perhaps his search is too extensive taking too long to get to the meat of the story; we don't even arrive in Africa until halfway through the book. However his enthusiasm is contagious. This is far more engaging than a book on flying boats has any right to be. (Henry Northmore)
15 Feb—1 Mai 2001 THE l|3T121