Monday, September 4th - Friday, September 8th 2006
El Escorial (Madrid, Spain)
The workshop will take place in El Escorial, a little village located in the North-west part of the province of Madrid, at a distance of about 50 km from the capital.
Below you can find information about the following topics
If you need more information about the workshop,
The Residencia San José is located in the town of El Escorial, in the intersection of Avda. Reyes Católicos and Avda. Felipe II (see Map), and is accessible by train, bus and car.
Casa De Ejercicio San José
Avda. Reyes Católicos, 12
TEL: +34 918900200
Option 1 (Recommended). Take a cab from the airport to Chamartin train station in the North part of Madrid (this should cost about 16-18€ with the luggage and airport supplement included, if the traffic is not too heavy). From here follow the instructions on getting to El Escorial by train.
Option 2. Take a shuttle bus from the airport to the Intercambiador de Avenida de América, then take the subway, line 6 - CIRCULAR up to Moncloa, (see Map. Download the printable version here). The Moncloa subway station is located within the Intercambiador de Moncloa, where you can take a bus to El Escorial.
Taking the subway (Metro) from the airpot is not recommended, since there are some constructions in the Metro network during the summer and some lines are closed.
The local trains (colored in white and red,
marked by 
the symbols of "cercanias") are modern, comfortable, and run on time. The
entrance into each station is also marked by a pole which carries the same
symbol. You may safely take such a train at any of the following stations:
Atocha, Recoletos, Nuevos Ministerios, or Chamartín, only make sure your train
is running towards El Escorial (see plans of each line at any station). You
may switch trains at any one of them should you need to. It will take you
about 55 minutes to get to El Escorial from Chamartin, about 65 from Recoletos,
and about 68 from Atocha).
Take the train (Cercanias, C8) from any of these train stations: Atocha, Recoletos, Nuevos Ministerios or Chamartin (see Map. Download the printable version here) to El Escorial. The trip takes approximately 1 hour.
To get a timetable:
From the train station at El Escorial there is a 500-meter walk uphill to the Residencia San Jose (see Map).
Buses leave Moncloa Bus Station in Madrid and arrive at the bus stop close to Monasterio de El Escorial. From here, take the Avda. Reyes Católicos (downhill) for 500 meters. The Residencia is on a sharp bend at the intersection of Avda. Reyes Católicos and Avda. Felipe II (see Map). The bus also stops, if requested, at any ot the two bus stops marked in the map. You can find the bus schedule from Madrid to El Escorial here. The buses that run on Sundays are marked as DIARIO or DOMINGOS Y FESTIVOS.
Take highway A6 (Madrid - A Coruña). Take exit number 18 (El Escorial) and follow this road for approximately 30 km. At the entrance of the town follow directions to San Lorenzo de El Escorial. After passing under a bridge, an then a round-about, the Residencia San José will be 500 meters ahead on your left.
A taxi from Barajas Airport may cost you roughly between 60 and 80 €, depending on the time of the day. The ride should last about 50-70 minutes, depending on the traffic and the driver. (There are special supplements for Sundays and holidays, for the night and early morning rides, for the luggage, and for leaving from the airports or train stations.) The exact amounts of fares per kilometer and all supplements - both in Spanish and in English - should be posted on a label located in the back windows; the cab should also have a mandatory meter close to the dashboard and to the right of the driver; this meter should be turned on as soon as you have entered the vehicle and given your instructions to the driver. We recommend that you avoid taking cabs that do not have stickers posted in the back windows and meters in the front (such cabs can typically only be encountered at late night hours and may suppose a higher price).
Participants are supposed to be accomodated in El Escorial.
We have reserved rooms there for participants in the Conference at the following rate, including meals
Since this is a special price, only a few number of rooms are available. If you are interested in booking a room, please fill in your arriving and departure date in the Registration Form.
The hallways of "Casa E. San José" are decorated by paintings and several typical objects that might well find their place in a museum of ethnic traditions. There is a very spacious and pleasant patio yard with a nice view of the surrounding mountains (Monte Abantos and others belonging to the Guadarrama central mountain range). There is also plenty of free space for car parking. A famous El Escorial park "La casita del Principe" is essentially next door and all important places in town are within walking distance. The surrounding area is residential and quiet. "Casa E. San José" itself is primarily being used for scientific conventions or meditations by various religious groups: christians, buddhists, and others, so in general it should provide a very quiet environment and therefore we hope you will have a pleasant stay.
Our meeting site and residence hall, Casa de ejercicios San José, provides sufficiently large lecture rooms, as well as room and full board for all those participants who may wish to stay there (including an accompanying person), along with some basic services.
The building has been remodeled recently. All rooms are double and have a private bathroom and shower. Besides the restaurant where all meals will be served, there is a small cafeteria and vending machines for soft drinks or beer. Although some of the services available are modest or limited, we (the organizers) found the place comfortable and pleasant.
However, the participants are reminded that "San José" is neither a research institute nor a hotel and therefore does not offer some of the typical services one may expect. For example, there is no library and the possibilities for computer connections may be limited. There will be no TV or phones in the rooms and no wake-up calls either.
There is a swimmingpool that will be open until the temperature drops down (mid-september)
For the local participants who will be commuting (or for those who will be staying at El Escorial but elsewhere), meals will be available at "Casa E. San José"; the price of a lunch is 12€ (If this applies to you, please let us know each morning, before 11:00, if you are you planning to have lunch there.)
It should be pointed out that banks in Spain usually open from around 8:30 AM till 1:30 or 2 PM, and only Monday through Friday. There exist two usual types of banks: one is a standard bank and another is a typical credit union. You can be attended at either one of them. For a currency exchange, you need to present your passport. Practically all bank and credit union offices have automated teller machines (cash dispensers) that work 24 hrs a day, and you can use both your credit cards and your debit cards there.
Most stores (with the exception of some smaller shops), supermarkets, restaurants, bars, and other businesses in Spain accept credit cards, though it is not so common that people pay very small amounts (e.g., 5-6 Euro) using a credit card. Some taxi cabs may accept debit cards.
ICM Satellite Conference
