Estadio Santiago Bernabéu The
venerated Real Madrid football club celebrated its centenary in 2002,
although this 75,000 seater stadium was not completed until 1946. It is
named after Santiago Bernabéu, the club president who brought the team
five successive European championships in the 1950s. This success has
continued – in 1998 FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, voted Real
Madrid the “best club in the history of football”. Their tally to date
includes a further 4 European cups, as well as 17 domestic cups and 28
league championships. Visitors can inspect the winning silverware by
visiting the sala de trofeos
(trophy room) at the ground. The club also has its own website and
television station, broadcasting 20 hours a day from the training
ground. The players are known locally as merengues (“meringues”) because of their all-white strip. Estadio Vicente Calderón Real
Madrid’s archrivals, Atlético de Madrid, play across the River
Manzanares in a 55,000 seater stadium, completed in 1966. For most of
its history, the club has lived in the shadow of Real Madrid, but all is
forgotten when the two clash in annual matches, billed as the “dual of
the gods”. The club’s best season was in 1996 when they brought off a
league and cup double, but four years later they suffered the
humiliation of being relegated to the second division. Atlético’s fans
are known as the colchoneros (mattress boys) after their red and white striped shirts. Palacio de los Deportes Inaugurated
in February 2005, the Palacio de los Deportes (sports palace) occupies
the site of a former sports centre that was destroyed by fire in 2001.
The new building seats 18,000 spectators and was designed to accommodate
several sports including athletics, basketball, handball, tennis and
boxing. As well as improving safety and security measures the centre’s
acoustics were improved in order to make it a suitable venue for pop and
rock concerts. Calle Jorge Juan 99 Metro Goya
Plaza de Toros Bullfighting aficionados are divided over whether it is a sport or an art form Corridas
(fights) take place in the Las Ventas stadium (capacity 25,000), which
opened in 1931 and even has its own chapel and hospital. Officially the
season runs from March to December but the real action begins in May
with the Feria de San Isidro. Calle de Alcalá 237 Metro Ventas
Plaza de Toros
Jogging Venues Pounding
the pavement isn’t an attractive proposition in Madrid because of the
heavy traffic, although an exception is Paseo Pintor Rosales with views
of the Parque del Oeste. Most madrileños head for the Retiro or Jardines Sabatini with mountain and palace views. Jogging (el footing) is especially popular in the evening when the air is cool. Outdoor Swimming Pools Madrid’s
outdoor swimming pools are open from June to mid September. There are
three pools in the Casa de Campo (children’s, intermediate and Olympic),
but they are crowded at weekends. An alternative is the Piscina Canal
Isabel II. El Hipódromo Races
are held here every Sunday from 11am onwards. Tickets can be booked in
advance by phone or in person at the race track on Saturdays from
10am–2pm. Visit the stables before the racing begins to pick the
favourite. Aquasur This
huge Water Park, about 40 km (25 miles) south of the city, opened in
1998. Apart from the exhilarating water slides, the facilities include
mini-golf and a large swimming pool. If you have a car, the park could
be combined with a visit to Aranjuez. Club de Campo Villa de Madrid Golf
is now big business in Spain, thanks to the interest generated by the
likes of champions Seve Ballesteros and José Maria Olazábal.
Surprisingly, given the generally barren terrain, there are several 18
hole courses in the Greater Madrid area. The Club de Campo was designed
by Javier Arana in 1957 and is reckoned to be one of the best in Europe. Circuito del Jaráma Fans of motorcar-racing (automovilísmo) or motorcycle racing (motociclísmo)
should head for this 100 acre track, near San Sebastián de los Reyes,
28 km (17 miles) northeast of Madrid. Race meetings are held here
throughout the summer. Circuito del Jaráma, Road A-1, 28km Bus No. 191 from Plaza Castilla
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