On the move: Madrid and its sierras

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On the move: Madrid and its sierras
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On the move: Madrid and its sierras

MOTORCYCLE On the go
Madrid and its sierras

They are not exactly around the corner, but are worth the longest journey: the winding and lonely mountain ranges, the Sierras, near Madrid. The ideal contrast to this is the capital itself, the pulsating heart of Spain.

Klaus H. Daams

09/10/2009

Right into the heart, across all mountains

Have you ever heard: Sierra de Guadarrama, Sierra de Gredos? No? But Carlos Sainz will definitely tell you something, two-time rally world champion and retired from the 2009 Dakar while in the lead. What does this have to do with each other? Well, the sierras northwest of Madrid are the playground where Sainz, who was born in Spain’s capital in 1962, should have learned to accelerate courageously and where we, Daniel and I, are now on our way to a gas (t) game far away from the Alps are now a bit too crowded during the season. Somewhere in the orbit of the Madrid motorway ring near the sign? Carlos Sainz go-kart track” the fleeting thought? It doesn’t always have to be Schumi”, then, as the last special stage of a long day, the search for the Hotel Botánico. We didn’t need to rush: the restaurant is not open until, but from 9 p.m. That starts well, the Spanish life.

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St. Lorenzo may forgive, but after a restful night in the dresser, the desire for an in-depth tour of El Escorial, a colossal monastery complex from the 16th century, 1860 rooms, 16 kilometers of corridors tends towards zero. Especially since the sun is beating in the bright blue sky. If that’s not a hint from the top. We want to go there now. 1200, 1300, … 1800 meters. So comfortably warm it is Buell Ulysses gets around his violently beating heart on the sweeping approach to the Puerto Navacerrada pass, that’s how fast Daniel zips the wind stopper back into his jacket in a parking lot with a view of snowboard and ski rental. Half an hour earlier, on the other hand, we happily avoided the chill and left the Valle de los Caidos on the left. In the? Valley of the Fallen” dictator Franco had forced laborers erect a bombastic memorial for the dead of the civil war (1936 to ’39, more than half a million victims), which became a pilgrimage site of the Spanish right after the death of the fascist leader who was also buried here.

More motorcycle-friendly hotels at www.motorradonline.de


On the move: Madrid and its sierras


Klaus H. Daams

Serenity: Chatting in a tapas bar in Arenas San Pedro.

Like a little capote, that red scarf with which the torero tries to irritate the bull, the Buell waves her lamp mask through the arena, sorry, Sierra de Guadarrama, and tries again and again to get the still long fearful nipples into the grippy asphalt prick. As mute spectators on the slopes an army of pines and pine trees as well as rustling yellow gorse. Now and then a brave Pedalero, stamina for the next bike race; or a black cow crossing the street, which only from a distance resembles an erupted fighting bull.

Stopover in Rascafria, a village of 1,892 souls, on whose territory the Peñalara also lies, at 2,430 meters the highest mountain in the Sierra. Raise your cups. We burst right into the warm-up phase for the village festival. The bar Casa Briscas is strategically located, practically the eye of the hurricane, where you can strengthen yourself: a spoonful of porridge for Paolo, a sip of beer for dad. Before we go who knows where, we pay and move on. The reward for doing without: The curve carousel to Miraflores, which gets the pumps going better than a triple espresso; You love to switch down twice and let the 1200 twin bark. Archaic men’s games. The next one in Manzanares, where below the castle (sorry, dear Lorenzo …) built in a Romanesque-Mudejar-Gothic-Isabel-Linese style mix, a few kids try to hammer the round leather against a container used as a gate.

Purple thistles sway gently in the wind on Via Pecuaria, a gravel road south of the Santillana reservoir used as a cattle path. Until powerfully dusting travel enduros make the brightly colored heads nod a little harder for a moment. In the bustling provincial capital Segovia then a full roar of civilization, old and young: here a unique Roman aqueduct from the time of Emperor Trajan, a good 700 meters long and almost 30 meters high; including lolitas and aprilias, lollipop and mini skirts.


On the move: Madrid and its sierras


Klaus H. Daams

Two-wheel culture: sporty heroes recharge their batteries at the Cruz Verde club.

The next day, leather dominates at the Cruz Verde motorcycle meeting point, a pass seven kilometers west of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Lots of ninjas and blades, hardly an alpine king. Angel Nieto’s grandsons and the Dani Pedrosas of tomorrow will have the enviable agony of choice on their training tracks, the Nordschleife and the Isle of Man Mountain Course practically right in front of the garage. We decide on the AV 502 to El Hoyo de Pinares and Cebreros, from there on the AV 503 towards San Bartolome and La Canada. Direct hit! But please don’t expect a detailed road book now, as is well known, trying is better than studying. So here are just a few words about the extremely decorative trappings: “broccoli”-Trees and imaginative rocks, pools resembling gigantic tears of joy, deserted people, meadows full of wild flowers, sufficient for lush bouquets to all the Dulcineas in the world.

Avila, a beauty made of and on granite at an altitude of 1,128 meters is not Don Quixote’s fictional lover, but an attractive reality. Two rounds of exploration through the winding old town, enclosed by a huge wall like a chastity belt, and then the choice falls on Casa Felipe in the Plaza del Mercado Chico. Again an ideally located street cafe. A chic wedding party at the photo shoot, probably hoping that the young happiness may be as stable as the backdrop behind it. A stork sails over the city wall. Nothing like afterwards, before no more herbs can be used to counteract sweet idleness.


On the move: Madrid and its sierras


Klaus H. Daams

The bull is omnipresent – we meet him in the gorse carpet area near Navadijos on the roadside

Master Adebar knows exactly where to go and finds his richly laid table at the AV 900 in the direction of Navalmoral. It quaked itself out very quickly, and only the hum of the Buell fans could be heard at the next stop. But who wants to stop here, Sierra de Gredos is the name of the ingenious structure, interrupt the driving flash? No, one would like to be a rich Russian and simply buy all the splendor, dreams of carefully removing everything, shipping it and maybe rebuilding it on a lonely island near home. Small consolation: gasoline is comparatively cheap in Spain, so the money is still enough at home for a set of new footrests after the old ones have dematerialized somewhere between Navarredondilla, Burgohondo and Collado de Serranillos. Also not bad: the uniformed race management shines with its absence.

We follow the evening sun to Arenas San Pedro, swarmed by myriads of insects that flow into the helmet when the visor is open like in a trap. Thanks to the guiding help of a scooter driver, we find muchas gracias there! with the Posada Rural “El Canchal” a charming quarter full of medieval flair. The motorcycles under the window and a torrent of words from a concerned Señora excusa, nothing parked, then we go through the Calle de la Media Luna (alley of the crescent moon, what a poetic name) right into the Saturday Night Fever. We end up thirsty at the bar “La Casita del Tapeo”, whose chairs on the sidewalk are washed around by the seemingly endless stream of strollers and flirtatious people. The next day, the gray ribbon of the N 502 meanders seductively through the undulating ups and downs of the Sierra Gredos, luring like in the Odyssey, where the sirens between Scylla and Charybdis almost drowned poor Odysseus. Who wanted to resist, not to drift aimlessly? Do you now need visual signs for orientation? Here you go: Navacepeda, San Martin de la Vega del Alberche, Navadijos.

Madrid


On the move: Madrid and its sierras


Klaus H. Daams

Street scene in downtown Madrid.

The wheels spin virtuously across the streets like Brazilian kickers through an opposing defense, we head east. One last time, the sparkling asphalted total work of art of the Sierra Gredos at Burgohondo is enthusiastic. Fortunately, no buyer has yet been found and raises the question: When will Odysseus end up on the crazy journey here again? During the siesta in El Tiemblo there is a free fiesta with coffee and muffins. The happy parade of the blue and white, probably inspired by the colors of the sky when choosing a costume, can be enjoyed unfiltered from the front row of a street cafe. Also an experience: the fight for the pole position a real Sisyphean work in column jumping on a forty-kilometer, still unfinished, new line to the capital.

Madrid. Compared to the sierras, the storm after the calm. But don’t panic. Although the Spanish metropolis with 3.3 million inhabitants is the third largest capital in the EU after London and Berlin, what do such numbers mean here? Nada, nothing. As spirited as they may be, the Madrilenians are very well mannered in traffic. As a result, the central computer, protected by a glass fiber ball, has enough capacity to process everything else that is going on in parallel with stop-and-go. For us, however, not until tomorrow, mañana. Pit stop at the hotel, and then on foot to the post office in Plaza de Cibeles.

The Palacio de Comunicatión, a pompous building built in the ornate confectioner’s style, would be a highly understated, almost insulting name for the post office and telegraph office (although there are supposed to be stamps there too), is a landmark of Madrid and should not be missing on a sightseeing tour. Especially not tonight, as half the city is excited in front of the Palace of Communication because the application for the 2016 Summer Olympics is being celebrated at a rock concert. Vis-à-vis the stage is the Fuente de la Cibeles, a fountain dedicated to the fertility goddess Cybele, into which the fans who have been drunk with victory always like to jump after a success by Real. And otherwise? Lots of architectural splendor, also the people obviously beautifully built and in between a tuned Harley, appropriately loud. In addition, the feeling of being in the middle of old Europe, knowing that you are connected to Vienna, Prague and Rome, where on such a mild summer night the streets and squares are also bursting with lust for life.


On the move: Madrid and its sierras


Klaus H. Daams

The daily newspaper El País shows the stunt of star matador Jose Tomás on the cover.

The police keep an eye on what is happening, a second distinctive group of uniformed bankers are bankers in business look, with billowing skirts, spurs their scooters at the start of the traffic lights. Which brings us to the sights that can be quickly accommodated before the return trip.

The first stop is the Parque del Oeste, from whose southern tip there is a good view of the royal palace and cathedral. In addition, the park is not only suitable for smooching and jogging, but also a place steeped in history. In the middle of the green oasis lies the 2200 year old Templo de Debod, a gift from the Egyptians as thanks for Spanish help with the construction of the Aswan Dam and relocated from the Nile to the Rio Manzanares. Can shipping a piece of Sierra be utopian? May 2nd, 1808, was bloody reality when Napoleon’s troops crushed the Madrid uprising, a protest against the invasion and claim to rule of the French, on the hills of the park. And as peacefully as they push their strollers through the shady green today, the unmistakable Latin American women, they are reminiscent of the looting and murder of Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. Well, life is a struggle, whether cruel or completely normal, is often decided by the zeitgeist alone.

Our choice now falls so much respect must be for the stately Palacio Real, where there is at least enough time for a postcard to the Queen of the Heart waiting at home. Then a quick lap of honor around the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, once the green turf factory of the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano, who won the European Cup five times in a row with Real Madrid. Is anything missing? Logo, the slaughterhouse for Toro. Okay, that is definitely being whistled here as a bad foul; on the other hand, even in the motherland of the Corrida, resistance to such deadly shows is growing steadily.

Either way: The Las Ventas bullring in Plaza de Toros Monumental is the largest in Spain. By the way, yesterday, on Sunday, Jose Tomás, matador adored as the Messiah, was badly caught by the bull three times before he was able to kill the 500-kilogram colossus and immediately come under the operator’s knife in the arena itself. Photos of Tomás hurling through the air adorn the front pages of almost all newspapers at the fuel kiosk, where for us it is now: Grab the steely bull by the butted horns, drive him back over the mountains with a wistful heart.

Travel info


On the move: Madrid and its sierras


Renate Maucher

Map: Madrid and its sierras

The Sierra de Guadarrama and the Sierra de Gredos are part of the Iberian Scheide Mountains and together form an approximately 250 by 50 kilometers large, up to almost 2600 meter high mountain range northwest of Madrid. Those interested in history get their money’s worth in cities like Segovia and Ávila, motorcyclists in a network of well-paved roads, despite the proximity to the capital, often rave about deserted routes. And anyone who comes to Madrid will quickly become a night owl there.

GETTING THERE

From Frankfurt to Madrid, for example, it is around 1830 kilometers on the motorway via Saarbrucken, Paris, Bordeaux, Bayonne and Burgos. The route planner calculates 17 hours and 240 euros for petrol and toll; even if these details refer to the car, they at least provide rough guidelines. An alternative that reduces the number of kilometers on your own axis is the motorail train (www.autozug.de); it connects various German terminals with Narbonne in the south of France. From there it is eight hours or 850 kilometers (120 euros) to Madrid via Barcelona and Zaragoza; instead of driving around the Pyrenees, you can also cross them via Andorra on a winding, direct route.

TRAVEL TIME

As is often the case, spring or autumn are best for traveling to central Spain. In summer the temperatures fluctuate around the 40-degree mark, which is not pure pleasure for everyone. It is naturally cooler in the high altitudes of the Sierras, where winter sports are also practiced.

STAY

The following quarters are recommended: Hotel Botánico, Calle Timoteo Padros 16, 28200 San Loren-zo de el Escorial, Tel. 0034/918907879, Fax 0034/918908158, hotelbotanico@labuganvilla.es, www.labuganvilla.es, single room 83 euros, Double room 87 euros, Posada Rural El Canchal, Calle de la Fuente 1, 05400 Arenas de San Pedro, phone 0034/920370958 or 0034/607958255, reservas@elcanchal.com or www.elcanchal.com, double room 68 euros. Hotel Husa Paseo del Arte, Atocha 123, 28012 Madrid, phone 0034/912984800, fax 0034/912984850, paseodelarte@husa.es, www.hotelhusapaseodelarte.com, double rooms from 90 euros.


On the move: Madrid and its sierras


Klaus H. Daams

CARDS

As a road map is your first choice “Madrid and surroundings” by Michelin from the Spain series zoom 1: 170000, sheet 121, 7.50 euros; however, the western part of the Sierra de Gredos is missing here. The whole travel area can be found on “Castile Leon Madrid” by Michelin, 1: 400000, sheet 575, 7.40 euros.

LITERATURE

There is no travel guide specifically for the region presented here. Is closest to the topic “Madrid & vicinity” by Hans-Jurgen Frundt, Iwanowski’s travel book publisher, 17.95 euros. Chapters on Madrid and the Sierras can also be found in “Spain” by Thomas Schroder, Michael Muller Verlag, 24.90 euros. Fits in your jacket pocket for the carefree Madrid tour “Madrid” by Manuel García Blázquez and Maria Anna Halker, DuMont direkt, 7.95 euros.

ADDRESSES

The Spanish Tourist Office has offices in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt / Main and Munich; each is responsible for a different group of federal states. Here is an example of the address for customers from North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland: Spanish Tourist Office, Grafenberger Allee 100, 40237 Dusseldorf, Tel. 0211/6803981, Fax 0211/6803985/6, duesseldorf@tourspain.es, www.spain .info. Brochures can be ordered by phone at 06123-99134. Travel time: 4 days Distance covered: 850 kilometers

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