Spaniards like to depict residents of Madrid – madrileños – as loud, proud ruffians with quick tempers and warm hearts. Unlike the soft-spoken Galicians, or easy-going Andalusians, madrileños are so in-your-face they make New Yorkers seem charming.
The Plaza Dos de Mayo (above) sits at the heart of that rough, tough Madrid. On summer nights, the square teems with teenagers, and occasionally, police arrive in force to disperse the Botellón (big bottle), which is how the youngsters describe their open-air, all-night drinking.
