GIVI Magazine - November de 2010 - EN

31 From Madrid to heaven The popular saying “from Madrid to heaven” was probably coined in the XVII century and has since been used on various occasions to promote the Spanish city. Just as in 1992, when Madrid was chosen as “the European Capital of Culture”. Just imagine that in 2009, Madrid warmly welcomed a to- tal of 7.19 million tourists, making it the most visited city in Spain. This capital is less monumental than some of its European cousins, but it is brimming with enchanted spots for those curious enough to venture beyond the beaten track. Its old commercial streets, the squares, the numerous taverns, the museums, the multicultural melting pot, the cheerful party atmosphere… these are all aspects that contribute to its appeal. Madrid has always been open to tourism and there is no ideal season for visiting. In fact, the city proudly boasts its all year round liveliness. In other words, there’s always something important to see. Concentrating on motorcyclists however, the best periods are the spring and early summer, when the temperature is perfect for riding all day, to then enjoy the long evenings absorbing its culture, beneath the starry vault of heaven. Madrid on “two wheels” The capital has an extensive public transport network comprising the underground and buses which cover the entire metropolitan area, serving the whole community. In this article however, we propose a visit on a motorcycle or maxiscooter. As in all main European cities, Madrid is also home to hundreds of thousands of motorcycles which tra- vel its roads all year round. Although the rush hour traffic is rather congested, during the rest of the day circulation is not chaotic. Travelling is easy if you keep a small map handy and me- morize the main roads, for example the PASEO DE LA CA- STELLANA, which crosses the city from north to south, in- tersecting hundreds of other minor streets which run from east to west. In greater detail, we propose a weekend in Madrid, on bo- ard a scooter, as we believe this vehicle is comfortable and can accommodate bags and crash helmets under the seat. For this occasion we have equipped a Suzuki Burg- man 200 with a good sized E370 top case and a D268 ST windshield, both manufactured by GIVI Let’s get rolling A weekend is enough to do the main sightseeing. If you add a couple of days, some more “ingredients” can be mixed in and perhaps a couple of quick day trips. Departure is from the main artery; Paseo de la Castellana which we mentioned earlier, using this as the base camp to create the itinerary which interests you the most. This area of the city is the convergence point of the main arteries; Acalà, Gran Via, and the Paseo de Espana; dominated by 3 4 1) Palacio de Oriente (also known as the Royal Palace) in Plaza de Armas (photo by Alreza) 2) Gran Via, one of the main shopping arteries of Madrid (photo by Oscar Megia) 3) The monumental Palacio de Comunicaciones in plaza de Cibeles (photo by M.Peinado) 4) A view of the Buen Retiro Park (photo by Ferdis).