Gran Via to Sol

¡Hola! ¿Qué Tal? Tonight’s excursion is for a wander around Gran Via. This area is the ‘West-End’ of Madrid, with theatres, neon lights, tourists, big shops and dodgy street people. Some fairly impressive Grandes Edificios line the avenue with well maintained and lavishly decorated facades. Walking up the avenue from the Gran Via metro you come to the Plaza del Callao which has some very big cinemas showing the very latest films. The street eventually ends at Plaza de España, a largish open space with a couple of major roads converging and some impressive skyscrapers.

If, on the other hand, you head from the Gran Via metro station downhill towards Sol you have to run the gauntlet of a posse of street prozzies (putas) who click their tongues to grab your attention and shout out to you telling you how good their arse is for anal sex. Whoa!!!! Thanks ladies, I’m sure your arses are wonderful but I’ll have to pass on that. It’s difficult to hurry past as well because the middle of the street is being dug up for repairs and the crowds are hoarded down either side by metal gates. Make sure you keep a tight hold on your valuables and try not to make eye contact. Down at Sol, which is also being dug-up so much of the area is boarded off, you can relax a little although it’s crowded as well but mostly with out-of-towners or party goers.