THE PIC NIC EXPERIENCE BY ABC SERRANO

The ABC Serrano shopping center opens the first urban picnic experience in Madrid.

The best place to watch the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship

The Picnic Experience by ABC Serrano is an anti-crisis venue for professionals who live and work in the area and require an open space in which to enjoy the outdoors and exclusivity in the privileged location, of the financial, commercial and residential (around Calle Serrano and Paseo de la Castellana) district of Madrid.

The Pic Nic Experience is open from May 30 to July 1, Monday through Thursday, from 13:30 to 21:00 Friday from 13:00 to 16:30, with special hours on match days Euro (you can watch the games that are played on Friday and Saturday).

Located in one of the most emblematic buildings of Madrid, the ABC Serrano shopping center –once the buiding that housed the Abc daily newspaper- offers unbeatable views of the Castellana.

The prestigious chef, Pedro Larumbe, offers a picnic menu that is healthy and light with a choice of gazpacho or crudités, salad or two sandwiches (one vegetarian), with either fruit or ice cream for dessert.

Excellent price of 7€ for a single basket and 12€ for two!

Located at Serrano 61 at the very top, MUF reccomends a a delicious cold Freixenet cava to accompany your picnic.

CAVA organizes a day trip to the Cava vineyards

Every year, from the beginning of October, for about 10 days, the producers of Cava- Spanish sparkling wine or champagne- celebrates their harvest with a series of activities. This year they organized a day trip between Madrid and Barcelona. MUF went along and we thought it was a great idea. We left at 8 a.m from Atocha in Madrid and arrived at Sants station in Barcelona from where we bussed to visit the famous caves. Our group visited the traditional Gramona cavas, enjoyed a didactic trip to both their new caves and their original ones. We were offered a delicious pink cava and bussed to the Sol i Vi restaurant in the countryside. We came home from the train station at Tarragona. This trip is interesting because it is shorter than the Barcelona trip by twenty minutes and one avoids the traffic in the center of Barcelona. We noticed there were several rent a car companies at the Tarragona station. This is such a great day trip...but, you will have to buy at the bodegas and drink when you aren't driving!! You can spend the night at the Sol i Vi, which is very basic but the food is excellent!

During the Semana del Cava, it is worth a visit to San Sadurní d'Anoia and enjoy the Cava Tast, which lasts for three days, usually the second weekend of October. You can try all the different Cavas- meet their owners- and enjoy the different tapas they offer with their wines. Best to stay in a hotel in the centre of the town!

Here is a video of our visit. The footage is courtesy of the Cofraría del Cava.