The two-wheeled revolution that conquers the city
Holland has a second home in Madrid. Its cultural and recreational activities cover the whole year, but are especially concentrated in the so-called Orange Week , or what is the same, from April 21 to May 5, helping to promote two of her passions: design and life on two wheels.
The bicycle is present throughout the country, where 16 million people own approximately 14 million bicycles. For the most part, the Dutch use their bike on a daily basis, in what is already a good routine, to go to work, to run errands or just for a ride. It is their natural means of transport and, at this time, when Europe begins to improve its environmental awareness, the Dutch have much to teach us.
A clarifying sign of the quality of urban life is the extent to which a city adapts its streets to the use of bicycles. A trend that is increasing and that in Spain we are trying to pick up. Northern Europe put us on the track, and fortunately, it is now customary see through the streets of Barcelona or Madrid an incipient circulation on two wheels . The keys to becoming a good city for cycling are simple, and, without a doubt, initiatives like this one make a difference.
The orange march through Madrid in the last edition
On April 21, the Embassy of the Netherlands celebrates its national holiday, Queen's day , with a cycling through the streets of Madrid . This year the ride becomes a Bike4Life, in collaboration with the Dutch organization Dance4Life, which works with young people in the prevention of AIDS and has Positive Support as a Spanish partner.
The departure will take place at 10:00 a.m. from the mouth of the Ciudad Universitaria metro , enlivened with a dance by the teenagers from the Dance4Life program, and will end at around 11:30 a.m. in Plaza del Carmen. It will take place there until 4:00 p.m. Traditional Market queen's day , with second-hand objects where tradition dictates that children be the vendors , music, children's games, a raffle and tasting of typical Dutch products.
But there are not only bicycles. The success of the organization Dutch Design Month in 2008, marked the beginning of many other actions. The people of Madrid and other visitors to the city will be able to participate in numerous activities. On April 23, the Costume Museum will host a meeting between designers Antoine Peters Y Carlos Diez to discuss the avant-garde in the world of fashion. Likewise, sustainable architecture will mark another cycle of conferences on Tuesday 24 at the European University of Madrid, inhabitable neighborhoods or integration will focus the debate on 'Design and architecture in the regeneration of neighborhoods in the Netherlands'.
Another topic that will be addressed in Madrid during Orange Week will be that of social cohesion, which in the Netherlands has evolved positively thanks to Panna Knock-Out, a form of street football, which will be put into practice on the esplanade in front of the stadium Santiago Bernabeu . They already know. April is a good month to ride a bike, bikes are for spring, buy tulips and catch up on Dutch design.
The Dutch market in Plaza del Carmen in the last edition