Review of The hedonism of Madrids gay quarter

The Madrilenos have a saying....

"The French need eight hours sleep, the Spanish only six!"

I must agree with them wholeheartedly. The cities inhabitants must have a gene procured by drinking the water which cuts down on their necessity to sleep. The best area to enjoy the nightlife of Madrid is Cheuca just north of the Gran Via. The narrow medieval streets are bursting with life at all hours of the day. People are moving between the bars, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, bordegas and dancing in the street. The place is so lively and crowded that there are traffic jams at 4.00am.

Most nights I have managed to 3.00am and it has been hard work hauling myself out of bed, refreshing myself with a morning coffee then heading off to the latest sight or museum. Because, the exuberance and energy of this part of Madrid, to me is Spain. Its the Spanish expansive character. And Cheuca with its multitude of narrow streets,hidden courtyards and lively bar was part of that experience.

Its also a gay area. They've been vital to the areas rehabilitation (in places it is decidedly skuzzy) and have brought the pink peseta in to benefit the area. Its not been wholey gentrified - there are some edgy bars and streets but on the whole its welcoming and entertaining. Madrid may soon be up there with London and Paris in the gay stakes if the increase in venues is anything to go by.

I found a little friend the first night to enjoy it with. Eric was a Dubliner over here for three weeks taking in Madrid, Seville and Lisbon. A good drinking partner we exercised a few Mahou beers and explored the circle of Cheuca streets until the early hours.

Different bars catered for different clientele 'XXX' was on Calle Pelayo and was a trendy bar with big picture windows looking out onto the street. Beers were expensive about 500 pesetas a bottle and Mahou is strong beer - two bottles can set you reeling for the night. 'Blanco y Negro'  is up Calle Barberi but caters for older clientele. I would recommend 'LL' on Calle Pelayo which was very friendly. Its frequented by many South American gays and had the most extrarodinary flamenco drag queen called Ricky. Just how Spanish/Cheuca is that?

The epicentre seems to be Plaza de Cheuca. In the early hours crowds gather and we were lucky to see a fashion show and we were lucky enough to see scantily clad hunks stride up and down. Nothing quite like enjoying yourself with a beer in your hand while fire-eaters light up the night a few yards next to you.

Madrid totally won me over..