Apartments in Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, Rome, and Marbella

Spanish unions have called for a general strike on 29 March to protest against changes to labour laws, after failing to reach a compromise with the government on a labor reform which makes it cheaper to sack workers and more difficult to raise wages in line with inflation.

The reform is part of the centre-right government's measures to breathe life back into an economy that is probably already in recession and to encourage hiring in a country with an unemployment rate of 23 percent, the highest in the EU.

A general strike can deeply affect citizens' habits and travellers times and the possibility of displacement

Recomandations for travellers:

Airport and Flights

It is not possible to know how the strike on March 29 will affect transportation. If you are flying on Thursday 29, take care to check your flight on Ryanair / Vueling (etc) website. You can also call our office to know about the situation of Prat airport.

Public Transportation

Transportation is not guaranted is Barcelona or Madrid, so take in count you could have problems or delay in moving. For late check in Habitat Apartments will not charges any extra fee.

Habitat Apartments offers you

50% discount: if you are leaving on March 29th, why don't you stay one more night in our apartments paying half of the price you payed during your stay? It's a lovely idea for extending your holiday and avoid all the strike' problems.

When bread is not only to accompany, but becomes the protagonist: [H]arina Bakery in Madrid        

James Joyce told "mistakes were the portals of discovery".

The oldest and most original form of leavened bread was probably discovered by a big mistake.

Do you know what sourdough is? Basically, you have to mix wheat flour with water and let it sit in the open air at room temperature.  Then wild yeasts in the air will settle in the mix, eat the natural sugars and convert them into lactic (and other) acids which give it a sour flavor. The process needs to be treated for several days, but it is still the simplest and most natural way to get yeast you can employ for bread.

First time I tried this kind of bread, I definitely realize the enormous difference, and the high quality it has. It’s so tasting, easy to digest, different: such an amazing discovering!

This is why I am always looking for bakeries that use this type of procedure for their products. It's totally natural, lighter, more tasting and healthy. And the bread, while not having any kind of preservative, it retains much without getting old.

In Madrid, my favorite one is [H]arina. In this lovely place, with a magnificent views to Puerta de Alcalá, you can sit in or just buy and take away. And you will definitely find an amazing handmade bread using sourdough seven days a week.

Bread lovers will choice between: large loaf, baguette, rural bread, bread with five seeds, nuts and raisins bread, olive bread, bread made of dried tomato, onion bread, garlic bread…

And if it seems not enough, at Harina they prepare salads, sandwiches and tasting cakes. Everything strictly homemade!
Enjoy it.

Harina Website

Plaza de la Independencia, 10 – Madrid

Apartments in Madrid

What to do with children in Madrid

A bar in La Latina where there is usually a good atmosphere and good beers

The Corolla is a tavern in Madrid where we can take some excellent wines and exquisite tapas, while listening to good music and see one of his regular exhibitions.

This bar is specializes in delicious ‘tostas’ (small pieces of toast with different toppings) and avocado (aguacate), along with cañas (small beers). It is especially busy on Sunday afternoons.

The Corolla isn't a cheap bar, but is worth for its great atmosphere and good drinks

Open evenings and all day on the weekends:

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 20.30 to 1.00 hours
Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 20.30 to 2.00 hours
Monday: Closed

Address
C/Almendro 10
Area Madrid

Phone
91 364 52 32     

Metro: La Latina (Green Line, L5) Plus 7 minutes walk

Madrid Useful Information:
Madrid Apartments

Eating with Javier Bardem´s Family

The Bardemcilla is a spanish tapas restaurant run for the cinematic Bardem family (Oscar winner Javier, sister Monica, brother Carlos, and mother Pilar). It is located in Chueca, a very lively neighborhood with many street cafes and boutique shops.

The restaurants caught the attention for its colorful walls dedeck with a lot of family photos and scenes from movies. The tables are adorned with individual mats created by the Bardem´s family. The atmosphere is very friendly and for shure you are going to have a good time.

The Bardemcilla is famous because the Tapas named after Bardem´s films, especially  Javiers´s ones (ham croquettes "Jamón, Jamón" and fried eggs "huevos de oro") and for the homemade dinners prepared by Javier´s Bardem mother: Pilar Bardem, another great Spanish actress.

Solomillo a la luna  (steak) and chuletas de cordero (lamb chops) are recommended main dishes on menu, and there's an interestingly varied wine list.

If you're close to Plaza de Santa Ana, take time out to visit The Bardemcilla, a mid priced tasty, nice wines and good service. Also for a great accomodation take a look of the apartments of Habitat Apartments near the area.

Address: Augusto Figueroa, 47
CO : 28004
City : Madrid – España
Opening hours : 12am to 5pm and  8pm to 2am – closing on sunday
Prices: Menu 10€  and cart 20€
Tel : +34 915 214 256
Metro/Bus : Chueca

Usual information during you trip in Madrid:

What to do in Madrid
Important Madrid Information

Reopening of the Prado Museum's Central Gallery

The Prado Museum is one of the most famous and impressive in the world. Please do not hesitate to go when visiting Madrid with Habitat Apartments.

On July 18, 2011, the Prado Museum reopened its central gallery, the most symbolic and the most representative part of the gallery in Madrid. There was a rearrangement of the works of this main gallery.

The gallery offers the visitor the option of doing a tour of European art through 59 works by artists such such as Tiziano, Rubens, Velazquez and El Greco. This space is home to some Italian and Flemish masters: Tiziano, Tintoretto and Veronés, who influenced Spanish painters in their works (Velázquez, Rubens and Van Dyck).

The renovation began in 2009 and has led to the recovery of 25 new rooms for exhibition use, leaving eleven more to renovate on the second floor. With the addition of these rooms, to date, the Museum's permanent collection has increased by more than 300 works.

The works found now in the Prado owe their origin to the hobby art collectors during the ruling dynasties over the centuries. The art reflects the personal tastes of the Spanish kings, their network of alliances and their enmities policies. Most works are from the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Carlos III was the man who ordered the building to be erected. He favored the architect Juan de Villanueva and in 1786 a building that was intended to be devoted to science was begun. However, later, Charles III's grandson, Ferdinand VII, was inspired by his wife Isabel to transform the project into a museum of art. The inauguration of this fantastic musem was in 1819. At its inception, it housed the royal art collection pieces. Gradually though, it expanded to other collections as well.

The most important part of this museum is the Spanish painting section that consists of 4900 works of the great masters: Velázquez (Las Meninas), Goya (Tres de Mayo), Zurbarán, Murillo and Eduardo Rosales. The Prado houses the best collections of their works that exist worldwide. In addition to Spanish paintings, we must also recognize the contribution to the museum of paintings from other countries in Europe including Italy (Tiziano), Belgium (van Dyck), Holand (Rembrandt), France (Poussin), etc.

The Prado Museum is located in the Paseo del Prado in Madrid.

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday: 9am-8pm

Price: 8€. Reduced Rate: 4€