GIAQUINTA+Carla


 * GIAQUINTA Carla ||

**Madrid, Spain **
Here are some pictures of Madrid

  

  **No city on earth is more alive than Madrid, a beguiling place whose sheer energy carries a simple message: this is one city which really knows how to live.** **Madrid is a city that becomes truly great once you get to know its unique barrios. There you’ll discover that Madrid is an idea, a diverse city whose contradictory impulses are legion. Spain’s capital is a wonderful city year-round, but you’ll especially appreciate being here when the weather’s warm and the kaleidoscopic variety of life Madrid-style courses through the streets or takes up residence in the city’s plazas.** **Madrid’s calling cards are many: astonishing art galleries, relentless nightlife, its transformation into Spain’s premier style city, an exceptional live music scene, a feast of fine restaurants and tapas bars, and a population that’s mastered the art of living the good life. It’s not that other cities don’t have some of these things. It’s just that Madrid has all of them in bucketloads.** = =  Madrid  is the capital and largest city of Spain. It is the [|third-most populous municipality] in the [|European Union] after [|Greater London] and [|Berlin], and its [|metropolitan area] is the [|third-most populous city by urban area] in the European Union after [|Paris] and [|London]. The city is located on the river [|Manzanares] in the centre of both the [|country] and the [|Community of Madrid], this community is bordered by the [|autonomous communities] of [|Castile and León] and [|Castile-La Mancha]. As the capital city of Spain, [|seat of government], and [|residence] of [|the Spanish monarch] , Madrid is also the political centre of Spain. The current [|mayor] is [|Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón] from the [|People's Party]. He has been in office since 2003, when he left the [|Presidency of the Autonomous Community of Madrid] and stood as the candidate to replace outgoing mayor [|José María Álvarez del Manzano], also from the PP. In the last local elections of 2007, Ruiz-Gallardón increased the PP majority in the City Council to 34 seats out of 57, taking 55.5% of the popular vote and winning in all but two districts. Due to its [|economic output], [|standard of living] , and [|market] size, Madrid is considered the major [|financial] centre of the [|Iberian Peninsula] ; it hosts the head offices of the vast majority of the major Spanish companies, as well as the headquarters of three of the world's 100 largest companies ( [|Telefónica] , [|Repsol-YPF] , [|Banco Santander] ). While Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets. Its landmarks include the huge [|Royal Palace of Madrid] ; the [|Teatro Real] (Royal theatre) with its restored 1850 Opera House; the [|Buen Retiro park], founded in 1631; the imposing 19th-century [|National Library] building (founded in 1712) containing some of Spain's historical archives; an [|archaeological museum] ; and three superb art museums: [|Prado Museum] , which hosts one of the finest art collections in the world, the [|Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía] , a museum of modern art, and the [|Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum] , housed in the renovated Villahermosa Palace. The population of the city is roughly 3.2 million (as of December 2005), while the estimated urban area population is 5.1 million. The entire population of the Madrid [|metropolitan area] (urban area and suburbs) is calculated to be 5.84 million. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">**Fountain of Apollo or of the Four Seasons, at the Paseo del Prado** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">**There are several theories regarding the origin of the name "Madrid". According to legend Madrid was founded by Ocno Bianor (son of King Tyrrhenius of Tuscany and Mantua) and was named "Metragirta" or "Mantua Carpetana". Others contend that the original name of the city was "Ursaria" ("land of bears" in Latin), due to the high number of these animals that were found in the adjacent forests, which, together with the strawberry tree ("madroño" in Spanish), have been the emblem of the city from the Middle Ages.** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">**Nevertheless, it is now commonly believed that the origin of the current name of the city comes from the 2nd century B.C. The Roman Empire established a settlement on the banks of the Manzanares river. The name of this first village was "Matrice" (a reference to the river that crossed the settlement). Following the invasions of the Germanic Sueves, Vandals and Alans during the fifth century A.D., the Roman Empire could not defend its territories on the Iberian Peninsula, and were therefore overrun by the Visigoths. The barbarian tribes subsequently took control of "Matrice". In the 7th century the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula saw the name changed to "Mayrit", from the Arabic term "Mayra" (referencing water as a "trees" or "giver of life") and the Ibero-Roman suffix "it" that means "place". The modern "Madrid" evolved from the Mozarabic "Matrit", which is still in the Madrilenian gentilic.**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">**Here is the average climate and rainfall in Madrid-Spain**
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">24-hr Average Temperature in Madrid-Spain __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Jan ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Feb ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Mar ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Apr ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">May ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Jun ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Jul ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Aug ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Sep ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Oct ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Nov ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Dec ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Year ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">°C || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">4.9 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">6.6 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">9.4 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">12.3 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">16.0 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">20.7 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">24.7 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">24.3 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">19.8 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">13.9 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">8.7 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">5.4 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">13.9 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">°F || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">40.8 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">43.9 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">48.9 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">54.1 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">60.8 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">69.3 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">76.5 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">75.7 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">67.6 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">57.0 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">47.7 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">41.7 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">57.0 ||

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';">__Average Rainfall in Madrid-Spain__
 * || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">Jan || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">Feb || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">Mar || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">Apr || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">May || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">Jun || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">Jul || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">Aug || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">Sep || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">Oct || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">Nov || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">Dec || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center;">Year ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">mm || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">35.5 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">36.3 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">39.4 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">44.7 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">42.9 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">31.0 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">10.4 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">10.9 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">33.7 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">48.0 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">52.9 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">43.9 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">429.8 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">inches || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">1.4 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">1.4 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">1.6 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">1.8 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">1.7 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">1.2 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">0.4 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">0.4 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">1.3 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">1.9 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">2.1 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">1.7 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: right;">16.9 ||