El Oso y Madrono. 
It's where the world meets when you are in Madrid. 
It's where the adventure begins...
a vino tinto for two...
a reunion with friends at La Fontana de Oro... 
perhaps a match-up between the matador y el toro... 
Other nights it's content to take a paseo, 
arm in arm with your amor, 
enchanted with the windows and later, each others eyes 
over long sips of café asiatico.
All the while, El Oso y Madrono awaits your next adventure. 

It has been quite some time since I’ve visited that old statue. It truly is where people meet. I was always amazed at how easy it was to find friends even though we were surrounded by hundreds of others also gathering to go out for the evening. It is a magnet that brings people together and then sends them out along their way.

Of course it is! Puerta del Sol is ‘kilometro 0’. It is not only the center of the city, it is the center of the whole country! The stone on which you can stand on for photographs is not too far from the iconic statue of El Oso y Madrono, which is a bear and a strawberry tree. It represents the coat of arms of Madrid.

So many avenues to choose from, take any one and it leads to some of the most amazing restaurants, theaters, bars and plazas. Puerta del Sol — Gate of the Sun. A must visit.