Hello, I'm interested in planning my first trip to Madrid; first time to Spain or anywhere in Europe for that matter. I do have some Spanish ancestry so I thought Madrid might be a good place to visit. Do you have any advice about Madrid for a first-time visitor to Europe? I've already done some reading, in a guidebook as well as online. It seemed at first that Madrid was another big city that would be easy to get lost in and not be able to figure out how to get around. But after doing some reading, it seems like the city is fairly easy to navigate.

I'm not fluent in Spanish, but I lived with a Spanish-speaking family for about a year and have had some classes, so I know a little bit.

Some specific questions: Is the Puerta del sol a good area to base myself in, for accommodations? Are there bull-fights in or around Madrid? And do they kill the bulls, after the fight is over? In which parts of Spain, are the wine-producing areas? Are there any that could be visited from Madrid, as a day-trip? More questions to come later. Thanks, Greg

any where downtown would be fine as everything is within walking distance. Day trips just a do a search for sight seeing tours and you'll get all the spots worth visiting. In general any tour you can take can be done on your own by bus or by train but it's helpful if you can speak a bit of Spanish as the level of English is shocking low here (compared to other large touristy cities) On the other hand if you head to the south (costa del sol) than you won't need any Spanish as the Brits and Germans have over run Spain.

yes they have bull fights and the bulls do die, but it can be argued its better to die a "glorious" death than spend a few short years in a factory farm before heading off to the slaughter house. But that gets into Politics and Madrid Man doesn't like that too much

thank you. how do i find the Spanish wineries? are there any which are close enough to visit from Madrid?

Also, I originally thought about visiting Valencia or Alicante for 2-3 days, then return to Madrid. Do you think it's good idea for a first-time Europe visitor? Is there such a place in Spain where they have the lemon, olive trees, etc.? I imagine that would be the coastal areas? I know Valencia is famous for the oranges.

http://www.apoloybaco.com/Bodegas.htm

the best one for all of Spain is in spanish
just tap the barrel for Madrid

Somewhere MadridMan has a blog about his trip to the coast, should answer a lot of your questions Rob.

Tim Hortons Man, I think you're referring to http://www.ValenciaMan.com .

ok, i get the part about the wineries. I checked the link. But I would still appreciate a direct answer regarding the lemons and olives. I know that Spain produces olive oil, so are there are olive and lemon trees along the coast, in the countryside or where specifically?

MadridMan your blog is interesting and the photos are nice.

Gregv - if you drive throu Jaen, or really anywhere in Andalucia but escpecially I remember tons in Jaen, you can see hours and hours worth of olive trees ... there are citrus trees everywhere down south ... It is pretty cliche but yes there are many many spots like those typical images of olive groves and citrus trees ... I just looked it up online and it appears that 70% of Spains olive plantations are in Jaen ... here is an interesting link

http://www.iberianature.com/material/olives.html

If you want to see incredibly large olive plantations go to Jaen.

If you want to see miles and miles of oranges trees then go to Valencia or Castellón provinces (not to Alicante). Nowadays there are also very large plantations in Murcia and Andalucía but traditionaly Valencia has been the biggest orange producer in Spain, with a very large experience in that bussiness.
At the end of the XIX century Valencian orange exports to Europe made of Valencia one of the most richest regions in Spain at that time.
There exist also a stock market for oranges in Valencia city called Sociedad rectora del mercado de futuros y opciones sobre cítricos How it works
At this moment there is big crisis due to the competition of other nations with much lower producing costs.

Old orange adverts (click on the names at the left side for more pictures)
The Museum of the Orange in Burriana

My grandfather was a farmer in the town of Silla. My parents inherited from him a small plantation of oranges near the Albufera lake. I remember the delicious smell of the orange blossom in April and how pleasant for me it was helping my father to water the trees in summer or picking the mature fruits in winter.
Oh! Talking about watering the trees. The Water Wisdom or Water Court has been meeting every thursday since the year 960 at the Valencian Cathedral to resolve the farmer's diputes about irrigation. It is considered one of the oldest law institutions in Europe.
Tribunal de las Aguas