“The Heavies of the Gran Vía” – revolutionary or freaky? When we opened our Trixi bike rental and bike tour shop on Calle de los Jardines, just a few steps from the Gran Vía, one of the main streets of Madrid, we already started to come across the The Heavies of the Gran Vía. At first we didn’t understand much about it… Who were those two guys with long hair and the look of a heavy metal festival? Why were they always in the same place under the number 25 Gran Via? Why did people stop, chat with them and take souvenir photos… ? Little by little we started to

Snow in Madrid – Storm Filomena 2021 Although the heavy snow in Madrid and the low temperatures had been announced, Madrid and Spain in general are not prepared for such hard weather conditions. Between the 8th and 9th of January 2021 about 50cm of snow fell onto Madrid’s streets and temperatures plumed to almost 10 degrees below zero. It is said that it is the heaviest snowfall since 1971. Filomena brought great joy to many Madrileños and especially to the children who enjoyed the snowball fights and not having to go to school for another week. Ski fans who were not allowed to leave Madrid to enjoy skiing in the

Three Kings Day It is still Christmas in Madrid: Who are the 3 Wise Men ? While in most of Europe people and mainly the children are looking forward to Christmas on the 24th or 25th of December, in Spain and in Southamerica the children can’t wait to see the “Three Wise Men” / “Three Holy Kings”. Actually, in Spanish it sounds much more magic, as the “Reyes Magos” – if you translate the words one to one – mean “the Magic Kings”. Doesn’t it sound much more promising then someone being wise? Who wants wisdom when we can have magic? In Madrid, as in the whole of Spain, the

New Year’s Eve  in Spain – Why do Spaniards end the year with a bowl full of grapes in their hands? The Spanish tradition says that in order to have 12 months of good luck in the New Year you have to eat 12 grapes at exactly 12 o’clock on the night of the 31st of December; also, it is important to eat one grape at the time with the sound of each midnight bell. Therefore, it is recommendable to buy small grapes and to be careful not to choke because we have heard of some disasters…. Where does this curious tradition come from that every year plants us in

Happy Christmas in Madrid: Before the year ends we would like to share with you one of the most popular events in Spain that takes place just before Christmas: “El Gordo” (“the fat one”), the great Christmas lottery on the 22nd of December. What is so special about this lottery? It is time to celebrate, to share with friends and families, to hope and to take a rest from the hard year. For this reason people try their chance and want to participate. They either buy a full set of 10 lottery tickets for 200 € or just one for 20 €, called “a décimo”. The matter is to participate

XMas in Madrid: Immerse yourself in the magic of Madrid’s Christmas illumination! Christmas in Madrid is a real light show. Every year during this time, the city is transformed into a work of art, the streets are filled with people and the sparkle in their eyes reflects not only the lighting but also the illusion and magic of the Christmas holidays. There are 10.8 million LED lights on 210 streets in the capital – lighting jewels created by designers such as Juan Duyos, Nuria Sardá or Devota & Lomba. When activating the lights, the Mayor of Madrid said: this year 2020 the lights “are not of joy, but of hope”

Chestnuts: Looking to warm your hands in the cold Madrid winter? In Madrid we know that autumn has arrived when we see the first chestnut stalls appear. Usually they start to settle in November when it’s starting to get cold. People used to buy them to warm their hands. Today, chestnuts are a sign that Christmas is not  too far away and they give you a kind of cosy, warm feeling while strolling through the illuminated streets of Madrid. Being a “castañera” originally was a woman´s trade that started in the 19th century and was handed over from generation to generation. The ladies, who were well known in the quarter