Tag: The Heavies of the Gran Vía

"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 understand... The twins Emilio and José Alcázar (54 years old) are a legend, they are emblematic characters and a symbol of Madrid. They are very eye-catching and picturesque with their long hair, tattoos and leather jackets and they attract a lot of attention. Two equal men, dressed in Heavy Metal look (hence their name - Los Heavies de la Gran Vía / The Heavies of the Gran Vía) who are spending hours and hours on the pavement doing practically nothing. They are simply there. For 20 years now. Every day, between 19:30 and 22:00. We wonder what reasons are hidden behind this persistent presence. What are the reasons for wanting to go to this place, assigned by them, day after day, as if it were their favourite bar, despite the cold, the rain or the heat? Who are The Heavies of the Gran Vía? To understand this we take a look back in time - to the Gran Via of 20 years ago. Emilio and José started spending some time in this street in 2001 when it was still full of small shops, second-hand shops, record and vinyl shops, cinemas.There