Well, hello there! I’m so happy it’s a new week, and I’m even happier that you all are back to read another blog of mine! As you may have noticed, the last few blogs have been centered on games we offer here. While those were exciting and informative, I’m going to switch it back to our Whirl Win World Tour. The first stop on the tour was London, and now we are moving way down south to Madrid!
I don’t know too much about Madrid, but when I think of Spain, Flamenco dancing, bulls and elaborate outfits with bright colors pop into my mind. These correlate with Spain for a good reason, but there is so much more to their country and their culture than just those few items. I did some digging and found intriguing (and somewhat funny) facts about Madrid that I would like to share with you below:
• Getting around Madrid by taxi is an interesting experience. Downtown Madrid has plenty of them as long as the sun is shining. If you are trying to get a taxi while it is raining, you probably won’t have any luck. Madrid’s taxicab drivers apparently have no great faith in their vehicles’ ability to protect from the rain and therefore will promptly vanish from the streets!
• Madrid’s official symbol is a bear on its hind legs. The bear is eating berries from the madroño tree, which is a metaphor for Madrid’s growth and represents possession and ownership of wood. These are all necessary for constructing buildings.
• The name Madrid comes from the Arabic “magerit” which means “place of many streams.”
• Emergency numbers are all toll-free. General emergency services 112. Ambulance 061. Fire service 080. National police 091 (this number is used when there is serious trouble). Municipal police 092. Civil guard 062. Talk about confusing!
• Spanish people aren’t used to big tips, – you can just leave a few coins and they are already more than happy with you.
Writing about these cities not only makes me want to visit the real city itself, but it makes me appreciate the WinStar city immensely. The hard work and great attention to detail it took for the architectures to recreate these cities is not easy to do, and yet, they pull it off perfectly. Here are a few facts about WinStar’s Madrid:
• There are over 700 electronic games located in this area.
• It took a combined total of 15 artisans and 2400 hours to carve the statues in Madrid and Paris.
• It took 20 additional artists and another 420 hours to polish those very statutes.
• It is home to our luxurious 500-seat Gran Via Buffet. This name was decided on because in Madrid, the name, Gran Via, refers to a very luxurious street where shopping centers and theaters are located. The architecture is grand, early 20th-century design and outshines the rest of the buildings in this city.
• Matador’s Pizzeria is the only restaurant to be found here and it is certain to please your taste buds.
In the spirit of the city, gracias por leer mi blog (thank you for reading my blog)! Stay tuned for next week’s blog – it will be wild! Well, not too wild, but I will be covering spring break! Adios!
