Useful Info
Location
The conference will take place at Impact Hub Barceló in the city of Madrid, Spain.
Madrid has one airport, Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, which has good connections to Madrid city centre. The conference venue is approximately 15km from the airport, a 35-minute journey via public transport. This airport transfer planner will help you to find the best route from the airport to your chosen accommodation.
See the above map for all key locations.
Meals
Friday 22 February (Day 1) & Saturday 23 February (Day 2): On Friday and Saturday you will be served lunch and dinner, and there will also be snacks and beverages provided during coffee breaks throughout the day. These costs are covered. Dinner on Friday and Saturday will be at Terra Nostra and La Huerta del Duque respectively (see the above map for the locations).
Sunday 24 (Day 3): On Sunday, lunch and coffee break snacks will be provided.
All dietary restrictions that you indicated on your registration forms have been taken into consideration when planning the meals. However, if there are any other requirements or allergies which you have not previously disclosed, please let us know.
What to Bring/Prepare
Short course showcase - this is an opportunity for current UWC short courses present to showcase their course in whatever style they want. It could be a slide or an object. You have 4 mins! Show us something or one thing you are proud of or that encapsulates your course!
Active wear - there will be opportunities to join some classes/activities on Saturday and Sunday morning before the conference starts such as a running group. Also, the session on outdoor learning may involve working outside for a while.
World snacks - a common UWC tradition at meetings like this is a world snack table. We ask participants to bring snacks local (interpret as you like) to where they're from which is then shared with all participants!
Dress Code
Please dress however you will feel comfortable.
There will be free time after the last session each day, before dinner, of a minimum of 1 hour to go back to your accommodation to change if need be. There is no need to change for dinner as it will be casual.
Weather
It's forecasted to be between 13o C and 15o C during the day, over the course of the weekend. However, temperatures will drop to as low as 2o C overnight.
Please follow this link for the most recent weather predictions for the weekend.
Emergency Numbers
Police - 092
Medical Emergency/accident services - 112
Culture and Sights
If you're planning to stay in Madrid before or after the conference, you may want to check out the cultural offerings and 'things to do' in Madrid, here.
Currency
The Spanish currency is the Euro (€) which has a current exchange rate of 1 EUR : 1.14 USD . All transactions will be carried out in Euro. Money can easily be exchanged in banks and there are ATMs all over the city.
Madrid is far from being Spain's most expensive city but it is still one of the wealthiest European capitals. You shouldn't require a taxi as the metro and bus system is well connected.
Estimated costs in Madrid (as of January 2019)
Water bottle (1.5 litre bottle) - €0.60* (of course it is always better to bring a reusable bottle to fill)
Cappuccino (regular) - €1.70* (of course a reusable cup to use for your coffee on the go is better)
Domestic beer bottle (0.5 litre) at restaurant - €3.00*
One-way ticket (metro) - €1.50*
3 day tourist card** for zone A (metro) - €18.40
*visit here for the source
**please follow the link for details on how to get a tourist card at the airport or elsewhere
Plug Type
There are two plug types associated with Spain: types C and F. Type C has two round pins, and F has two round puns with two earth clips on the side. The standard voltage is 230 V.
Language
Spanish is the country's only official language. It's spoken as a first or second language by 99% of the Spanish population. Most residents of Madrid speak some level of English, so you should be able to get around without speaking Spanish, although it's a great bonus if you do!
Some useful Spanish phrases:
Basic
Hello - Hola! (OH-la)
Thank you - Gracías (gra-SEE-ahs)
Please - Por favor (pohr fah-VOR)
Excuse me - Con permiso OR Perdóname (kohn pehr-MEE-soh OR pehr-DOH-nah-meh)
Do you speak English? - habla usted Inglés
I can't speak Spanish - No puedo hablar español
Direction
How can I go to...? - como puedo ir a
Airport - aeropuerto
City centre - centro de la ciudad
Purchases
How much does it cost? - ¿Cuánto cuesta? kooAN-to KWEHS-ta
Do you accept credit cards? - ¿aceptas tarjetas de crédito?
Can I have a receipt, please? - Puedo tener un recibo por favor
Food
Can I look at the menu, please? - ¿Puedo mirar el menú por favor?
I am allergic to... - Soy alérgico a
(For vegetarian) Does this dish have meat in it? - ¿Contiene carne?
Bill please - Me puede dar la cuenta por favor
Local Customs/ Law
Tipping customs
Restaurants - Tipping is entirely optional and not very common. You may see it from locals on occasion, but most of the time you won't see anyone other than tourists leaving a tip. Spanish restaurant workers are given living wages and health benefits, so tips aren't as necessary as in other countries.
Cafes - Again, this is rare but you may see people leaving small change as a tip, especially tourists.
Taxi drivers - On occasions when you are exceptionally happy with the service, you can leave an extra Euro as a tip.
Meal time customs
Spanish meal times are late and long in comparison to other cultures, typically enjoying lunch from 14:00-15:30 and dinner from 20:30-22:30. We've tried to be considerate with this when building the daily schedule, giving you the opportunity to enjoy this custom at dinner times rather than lunches.
Going for Tapas is a Spanish tradition whereby small portions of food are served in a number of different bars, and one bar-hops, eating different tapas in each bar (usually between lunch and dinner).