Madrid, Spain

[sergioib]

I really hope Madrid will get the Olympic Games in 2016, it is, in my opinion and in the OIC opinion, the best applicant city, getting the best position at 9 of the 13 aspects required for the organisation of the games!

[Besos]

nice

[Besos]

Originally Posted by sergioib

I really hope Madrid will get the Olympic Games in 2016, it is, in my opinion and in the OIC opinion, the best applicant city, getting the best position at 9 of the 13 aspects required for the organisation of the games!

I hope so too, i was quite depressed about the 2012 bid
hope this time Madrid will be the lucky one

[Peshu]

Madrid deserves an olympic games . It's just that with London staging the 2012 games i see it very difficult for Madrid to get the 2016 games especially with Tokyo in the race . I hope i'm wrong but i dont think so . Best of luck Madrid .

[serfin]

it will be dificult, because in 2012 the Olympics Games will be celebrated in London and i can't imagine that in 2016 europe celebrates again the Olympics Games.

[thomyorke26]

Madrid is Beautiful

excelent thread.

[Peshu]

Another main reason why i don't think Madrid will get the 2016 games is because it was staged in Barcelona in 1992 .

If it hadn't then i'm sure Madrid representing Spain would have been given the nod by the olympic comittee .

Madrid is unique . It's hard to understand why they gave Barcelona the nod to represent Spains bid in 92 and not themselves ?

Do you think Paris or New York or Tokyo or London would have done the same . Yet the Catalanes are always complaining that Madrid is always sucking their blood

[zazo]

So LONDON2012???? 3 times in the city...... Tokyo 2 times and Chicago....Los Angeles and Altanta1996....I don't know what to think...
and sucking their blood, may be in 1992, but now is Madrid the sucked city, it gives more money than all Catalunya together

[sergioib]

That's true, it's not fair at all, London will already had the Olympic Games THREE TIMES, Tokyo has already had them... Then I don't think Rio is ready to have such an event and Chicago didn't score as much as Madrid in the IOC report... Fingers crossed!

[gincan]

Originally Posted by Peshu

Another main reason why i don't think Madrid will get the 2016 games is because it was staged in Barcelona in 1992 .

If it hadn't then i'm sure Madrid representing Spain would have been given the nod by the olympic comittee .

Madrid is unique . It's hard to understand why they gave Barcelona the nod to represent Spains bid in 92 and not themselves ?

Do you think Paris or New York or Tokyo or London would have done the same . Yet the Catalanes are always complaining that Madrid is always sucking their blood

?
As far as I know it was Samaranch that pushed for Barcelona, Madrid wasn't even interested in hosting back then. The olympics was considered an economic burden, only after the 92 Olympics smashing sucess did the games become attractive to host.

[Federicoft]

Originally Posted by Peshu

Do you think Paris or New York or Tokyo or London would have done the same . Yet the Catalanes are always complaining that Madrid is always sucking their blood

Los Angeles hosted the Olympics twice while NYC never.
As regards Lyon or Manchester, their role in France and UK compared to the national capital is nowhere near as the one of Barcelona in Spain.

Stunning pics BTW.

[Xemita]

Great pics, sergio. I'm looking forward to visit Madrid quietly as soon as possible. I'm always too busy when I go there.

[JAVICUENCA]

Shots by Torresmadrid:








Very good photographer

[Jünyus Brütüs]

What a fantastic tour Ive had in this thread. Simply stunning... and Madrid deserves olympics even more than ex-host cities!

[gincan]

Originally Posted by JAVICUENCA

It´s not a nice thing to compare, but things are changing very quickly in Madrid in these years.

The things published about Madrid are positive in general. For example, there is this article in the Timesonline published on May 10th:


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle3904728.ece



May 10, 2008

Madrid eclipses Barcelona in city rivalry

Here they say the following thing:

"What a decade ago seemed an old-fashioned city of bureaucrats is today one of Spain's fastest-growing regions, a bustling and self-confident place with an increasingly large influence. In a recent debate in the newspaper El Público on the rivalry, Mario Gavilla, an expert on urban development, said that Madrid had overtaken Barcelona in virtually every field. Madrid is the more dynamic industrially, academically and scientifically, he said, adding triumphantly: “Madrid is or will be the third city in Europe.”

The article is quite right in the following thing: Madrid has been sleeping during the 90´s. There were wonderful things as the museums, but still many things were to be done. Barcelona, since the Olimpic Games in 92, had wakened.

Now Madrid is very strong in infraestructures, architecture, economy, art, leisure, night life, etc. It´s true that it´s one of the most dynamic cities of Europe.

The next challenges of Madrid are: making a park of 6 kms along river Manzanares, where there used to be a highway. Changing Paseo del Prado according to Siza project. Extending the tube net.

The good thing is that Madrid has become a lot better, but it´s becoming a lot more better in the next years.

Of course it´s important to promote all these things. But I think that the new promotions of the council are quite good: Tourism is incresing 10% in Madrid each year. That is an excellent rate taking into account that tourists here don´t come to the beach, like in the majority of Spain.

Madrid´s region received 9.300.000 tourists last year 2007. I think that Catalonia received around 15.000.000 and Andalucia and Canarias also more than Madrid´s region (all of them with wonderful beaches, the main attraction of Spain). But the council of Madrid is the one that received more tourists in the whole Spain, including Barcelona. American tourists increised 22% and Japanese tourists 45%. Madrid is the place of Spain where tourists spend more, 156 euros/day, while the media in Spain is 94 euros/day.

As a conclusion I would day that the last 4-5 years in Madrid things have improved a lot and that now we´re starting to receive the harvest. Maybe some media don´t know it yet, but they´ll know sooner of later. Of course more promotion is good and needed, as always. As a whole tourists here are quite wealthy, but that I think that with the low cost companies that is changing dramatically and anyone with 300 euros can come here to spend a wonderful weekend perfectly.

As to Madrid-Barcelona rivalry I thing that both cities are in a strong position now. Times is not the Bible, or any other publication either. The Times article is only an opinion.

What a bunch of bullshit, I've lived in both cities and I can tell you neither is the greatest city in Spain (not even on my top 5). And the rivalry is typical media crap, on the contrary there is a lot of trade and collaboration between the two cities. And with the new rail link that will only increase.

About tourism you can't even compare the two cities, they cater for totaly different attraction. Both are cosmopolitan and have a huge number of attractions both within and around them. But Madrid is a capital and thus compete with London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Veinna etc. Whereas Barcelona rather compete with cities like Nice, Florence, Casablanca, etc.

One other main difference is the fact that Barcelona is surrounded by holliday resorts and thus receive an enormous amount of overday vistors during the summer months bosting its inflated reputation as a lively city when in reality it's a rather dull city by spanish standards.

This bullshit crap media measuring of dick articles about Madrid vs Barcelona show up every other year and they are nothing more that an extension of the Football rivalry "My dad is stronger that your" crap you can read every other day in either of the cities sports papers.

[Peshu]

Originally Posted by gincan

?
As far as I know it was Samaranch that pushed for Barcelona, Madrid wasn't even interested in hosting back then. The olympics was considered an economic burden, only after the 92 Olympics smashing sucess did the games become attractive to host.

Still . Madrid should have backed Valencia instead Just for the sake of an arguement .

[Peshu]

Originally Posted by gincan

What a bunch of bullshit, I've lived in both cities and I can tell you neither is the greatest city in Spain (not even on my top 5). And the rivalry is typical media crap, on the contrary there is a lot of trade and collaboration between the two cities. And with the new rail link that will only increase.

About tourism you can't even compare the two cities, they cater for totaly different attraction. Both are cosmopolitan and have a huge number of attractions both within and around them. But Madrid is a capital and thus compete with London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Veinna etc. Whereas Barcelona rather compete with cities like Nice, Florence, Casablanca, etc.

One other main difference is the fact that Barcelona is surrounded by holliday resorts and thus receive an enormous amount of overday vistors during the summer months bosting its inflated reputation as a lively city when in reality it's a rather dull city by spanish standards.

This bullshit crap media measuring of dick articles about Madrid vs Barcelona show up every other year and they are nothing more that an extension of the Football rivalry "My dad is stronger that your" crap you can read every other day in either of the cities sports papers.

Some interesting points you make . But the fact of the matter is that it is not the same to compare Madrid and Barcelona with say Paris and Lyon . Unlike most of those capitals you mentioned Spains second city ( Barcelona ) has until recently been Spains most important city in just about anything you'd wish to mention

And in an architectural sense again up until recently there were not many worthy projects in Madrid . It is only now that some of Madrids fantastic projects are appearing all over the world .

I do agree that Barcelona is no where near the hedonistic place many foreigners erroniously make it out to be . I've been to many smaller Spanish cities that are alot more lively at night time .

And concerning the rivalry i must say that every time i go to Barcelona one of their newspapers is always making a comparison with Madrid in one way or another . I don't see much likewise in Madrid . But that could also be because Barcelona might feel hard done by the capital . If things were the other way around they could be the reverse . It's quite complex .

Just out of curiosity why do you not believe that either Madrid or Barcelona are in the top five ? Sometimes i myself prefer smaller cities . Salamanca for example is probably my fav city in the whole of Europe alongside Valencia . But at the end of the day neither of those two cities come any where near close in importance .

[Khanabadosh]

Originally Posted by Peshu

Still . Madrid should have backed Valencia instead Just for the sake of an arguement .

Stop crying over split milk. Get on with life. You have got some personal grudge against Barcelona

[christos-greece]

Originally Posted by JAVICUENCA

Shots by Torresmadrid:








Very good photographer

Nice towers especially that (last pic)

[gincan]

Originally Posted by Peshu

Some interesting points you make . But the fact of the matter is that it is not the same to compare Madrid and Barcelona with say Paris and Lyon . Unlike most of those capitals you mentioned Spains second city ( Barcelona ) has until recently been Spains most important city in just about anything you'd wish to mention.

I don't understand what you're talking about? There is nothing to compare, I think you have been influenced a bit to much by the media. You see in Spain the media is very regional centric, this is true for anywhere in Spain and so you have probably read to much and know to little.
There is nothing to compare and never have there been.

Originally Posted by Peshu

And in an architectural sense again up until recently there were not many worthy projects in Madrid . It is only now that some of Madrids fantastic projects are appearing all over the world.

Again, not true, on the contrary there have been many internationally acknowledged projects in Madrid the last decades.

Originally Posted by Peshu

And concerning the rivalry i must say that every time i go to Barcelona one of their newspapers is always making a comparison with Madrid in one way or another . I don't see much likewise in Madrid . But that could also be because Barcelona might feel hard done by the capital . If things were the other way around they could be the reverse . It's quite complex.

Again, this is media bullshit and regional politics that have nothing to do with reality, you can read this typ of crap anywhere in Spain, be it Catalonia, Galicia, Andalucia or the Canaries. Both cities rely heavily on each other, I have no exact trade figures but the number of employees (in either of the cities metropolitan area) that rely directly on the other city numbers in the 100.000 s. Both cities develope in symbiosis, neither of them would be anywhere close to where they are today without the other.