does my bum look big in this?

Ah! I can sense the excitement already. Brunette is leaving for Madrid end of this week. I'm sure she'll have a great weekend with the girls there. 3 Brunettes & 1 Blonde = Lots of shopping, cocktails & dancing. The Brunette will have my 'cocktail bible' during the trip. Inside, she'll find places for the metropolitan's hedonistic lifestyle. So, please take care of it! Anyway, I thought it would be appropriate to review the city again, through the women's eyes rather than rant about Architecture again. And what better to discuss than shopping!

Personally, there are 5 places to shop in Madrid: Chueca, Salamanca, Puerta del Sol, Cuatro Caminos and Princesa. Ok, let's start with Chueca. It's a trendy and bohemian area, where you’ll find real originals and designer goods but the prices are a bit high and the best street to head for is Calle Hortaleza. Next is Salamanca, a glamorous place to do shopping, also nicknamed ‘the golden mile’. Here you'll find Goya, Lagasca, Velázquez, Jorge Juan, Serrano and Castelló. The only thing is, like Bond St, the prices are to match the style.

Similar to all cities in Europe, you'll find many familiar shops in the centre of Madrid, like Grand Via, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and similar streets nearby. Names like Mango, Zara, Camper, El Corte Ingles, Pimkie and Bershka are abundant. If you're on a budget and think that life's too short to spend it all on shopping, head towards the area of Argüelles, on the streets of Alberto Aguilera and Princesa. Another bargain hunter's fav is Cuatro Caminos, north of Madrid. In case you get lost, it's in between the streets of Bravo Murillo and Orense. If markets are what you're after, head down toward Rastro (see previous Madrid posting).

So there we have it, shopping guide a la Alcoholic Architect. By the way, Alcoholic Architect accepts no responsibility for lost of funds due to excessive shopping, drinking, clubbing and also if the shops mentioned above are not to your individual taste. Please remember we are only men after all, what do we know. Happy shopping!!