Leeds United World's

Your Spanish correspondent is back with, hopefully, a quick look at what us intrepid Leeds fans can look forward to in the Spanish Capital, before, during, and after the game.

Now that we are both qualified for the 1/4 Finals, there is every reason to believe that there may be a great party atmosphere in Madrid. There is a sort of affinity between us with the "All White Strip", so the fans ought to be able to mix without incident. I'm really looking forward to my couple of days in the Spanish capital.

As far as the footy stadium (Santiago Bernabeu) is concerned, you will not be quite so impressed, as far as splendour is concerned, as you must have been with the Camp Nou. Nevertheless, it is an imposing place, and the atmosphere will be fantastic, if the "Madrileños" decide to turn out. Yes, they can be as fickle as their hated enemies, the Catalans. The crowd seem to be much nearer the pitch, and the stands seem to be more steeply banked, so the noise remains in the stadium. Some of the accesses are very narrow, so no getting upset if you're a bit crushed on the way to the seats allocated.

According to all my contacts in Barcelona, the vast majority of Leeds fans were impeccably behaved, if a bit "legless" and loud, for the Barcelona game. Go easy in Madrid lads, and you can have an even better time than in Barcelona. At least we'll be putting out a better team than the one that played here.

Similar advice should be heeded as for the last game.

· There are plenty of out-of-work immigrants on the streets, and "pickpocketing" and "muggings" are just as frequent in Madrid as Barcelona.

· The Madrid "hard boys" are known as the "Ultra Sur", and can be nastier than their Barcelona counterparts, so be a bit wary around the stadium. They are still "pussy cats" compared to some other fans, who will remain nameless though. Stay with the main crowds and on the major roads, where there will be a big Police presence, and you should be OK.

In the same vein as my Barcelona "Rough" guide, I will give you all my personal opinions about where the "best" areas are, and my preferences for eating and drinking. I don't know Madrid as well as Barcelona, so I'm bound to miss out on some places. For those independent Cybernaut types, here's a couple of Web Sites that you may find useful, on all that is Real Madrid, and providing maps of Madrid, and details on nightlife, pubs, bars and restaurants, etc. as well as some of the other attractions for the more culturally minded of you.

The best web-site I know, with an English version, on Madrid itself can be found by clicking here and gives info on many things about the City, including: Maps, Accommodation, Restaurants, Entertainment, Transport, Tourist Information and so on.

For the official site for Real Madrid click here. It is easier to navigate than it's Barcelona counterpart.

Places to visit

When you talk about Madrid, it's normal to talk about "zonas", or areas of the City. Madrid is bigger than Barcelona, but has a fairly good Metro system that connects all the different areas. The taxis are in fact cheaper than in Barcelona, and can get you where you want to go in quick time, narrowly avoiding a few car crashes on the way. The stadium, Santiago Bernabeu is half way up one of the major roads in Madrid, Paseo de la Castellana, and can be reached by metro, taxi, bus, or even on foot from the centre, if you like a good walk.

Out and about..

Now down to business, where in God's name can you get a decent drink, and a bite to eat? Short answer is everywhere, and the nightlife, and daylife for that matter, is better than in Barcelona. The Madrileños like to party, and cater for all tastes, so it's almost impossible to not have a great time. Much depends on your tastes so I'll divide it a bit, firstly into City area, and then into Spanish flavour, and Irish/Brit influence.... these are nearly all personal choices, other people may disagree. You'll be able to see the Areas if you connect to the first Web Site, but this may help.

The following are the Areas where you'll probably get a larger dose of bars and restaurants, together with the after-hours disco type places. As in Barcelona, if you don't want to sleep, then you don't have to.

ALONSO MARTINEZ is a very popular "Barrio", and is a short walk across the Paseo Castellana to the Stadium, so could be good for before the game. There are plenty of tapas bars, pubs and restaurants, and the nightlife is pretty "hot". The daytime, and evening drinking hours are centred around Plaza de Santa Barbara, but there are lots of other squares and streets where you can drink and eat to your hearts content.

Coming South from there you pass thru the area of CHUECA, in the last few years it's become a bit "Gay", and is very lively and colourful. Worth a stop off on the way into the heart of Madrid.

The two "Areas" that you are certain to end up in, or never get out of, and are right next to each other, are SOL and HUERTAS.

HUERTAS is where many people choose to stay, it has all ranges of Hotels, and tons of bars and restaurants. Plaza Santa Ana is very popular, a square that has a number of bars, the most popular being La Cerveceria Alemana, that serves great tapas and tons of booze. It's a very popular meeting place. In the backstreets between Huertas and Sol you can find loads of bars and restaurants, a great place to take a stroll through.

SOL is right in the heart of the city, and is where most fans will probably congregate in the days and hours leading up to the game. From the Plaza, you will find bars and restaurants whichever way you tend to walk. Right next to Plaza Mayor, bit like Plaza Reial in Barcelona but much more "Upmarket", there is a small area known as Las Cuevas, where you will find a load of bars all in the space of a couple of hundred metres. Very popular place to be and highly recommended. Gran Via runs from Plaza España, through the SOL area, up to Plaza Cibeles, where the Madrid fans celebrate their CL Cup wins, and is a host to all manner of bars, restaurants, sex shops, etc.

Oh, bugger it, we're all gonna follow the crowd, so enough of this tripe. Just to end up, here's a list of Irish Pubs that I know personally, in Madrid, for those that get nostalgic for a pint of guinness or something that looks like bitter.

Bar	Address	Area	Metro	Opening	Comments
FINN MCCOOL	c/ Hortaleza 92	Alonso Martínez	Alonso Martínez	11:00-!!!!!!!	Not too far from Stadium
FINNEGANS IRISH PUB	Pza de las Salesas 9	Alonso Martínez	Alonso Martínez	12:00-03:00	Not too far from Stadium
KITTY O'SHEAS	c/ Alcalá 57	Centro	Banco de España	12:00-02:00	Opposite Post Office. Central location.
LA FONTANA DE ORO	c/ Victoria 1	Centro	Sol	11:00-03:00	Right in the centre.Next to great Ham bar. Rey de Jamon. Historic building, really is worth a visit.
MOORE'S IRISH PUB	c/ Felipe III 4	Centro	Sol	13:00-02:00	Right next to Plaza Mayor
O'CONNORS	c/ Almagro 3	Alonso Martínez	Alonso Martínez	09:00-01:00	Not too far from Stadium
O'NEILLS	c/ Príncipe 12	Centro	Sevilla	12:00-02:00	Possibly the best for atmosphere
PADDY'S IRISH TAVERN	c/ Concha Espina 39	Castellana	Concha Espina	10:00-01:00	Not too far from Stadium
THE IRISH ROVER	Avda de Brasil 7	Castellana	Cuzco/Lima	11:00-02:00	Across and up from Bernabeu. Biggest Irish Pub in town. Serves Murphy's not Guinness.
THE QUIET MAN	c/ Valverde 44	Centro	Gran Vía	13:00-24:00	All sports channels, good pub food, close to Centre.

THE FUTURE IS WHITE !!!!!!!!!!!