Paris1972-Versailles2003

And coming back to nostalgia posts updating this one was a thrill and very happy to see it again and updated for you and me. This is one of those little places one do not think visiting but then again I was living in Madrid. Living and visiting are two different things; what you go through you do not forget and when all was fun and happy times ,souvenirs forever my Elipa! Let me tell you about my sentimental Elipa of Madrid !!! Hope you enjoy it as I

I come to my nostalgia, my souvenirs of youth in a city that will always be mine, Madrid. I have written so much on it in my blog over the years, but as always when you have so much to share ,you seen to forget the little spots that brings out the real joy in this much travelled men. Ok so I would like to share it with you, a nice piece of my life’s history. I will take you to a very off the beaten path of Madrid, La Elipa and its old but wonderful baseball field. The Parque Municipal de la Elipa; this is part of my district where I used to lived in the 70’s. It is surrounded in the north by El Carmen neighborhood , east by the cementary La Almudena  , to the south by the neighborhood of Moratalaz, and to the west the avenida de la Paz or the beltway M-30 . It is part of the neighborhood of Ventas, where the bullfight arena monumental is located,and the district is Ciudad Lineal , my residency district of old in Madrid. I always came here by bus in my times it was the P13 and with the new EMT Madrid transport of modern  Spain, the numbers were change,and now is the line 113. In 2007, (finally) ,they open a metro line 2 La Elipa , that is at the intersection of the streets avenida del Marqués de Corbera and calle Santa Felicidad.

Each time in the City needed to go by and remember how my Mom used to come to see me played always at the 
Polideportivo La Elipa, I walked over the passarelle of the beltway road M30. This road was built just as I was leaving Madrid with my dear mother, and now it’s a major road encircling Madrid on the first beltway, as by now there are several others! It took me about 20 minutes walking to reach  La Elipa, and memories began to flash back. In previous trip, did not had time to stop by.. La Elipa back in 1971 was just a playing field that the US air force base in Torrejon de Ardoz had built so the kids of the servicemen could continue playing the American game of baseball.  It was just a playing field, couple of stands and period. I played for a team that was sponsoring the baseball initiative, the  Real Madrid CF in a league of 8 teams that included the Rayo Vallecano, Atletico de Madrid, Condepols, Piratas, the school Abraham Lincoln, etc. Also, a non member team from the USAF base, Most of the equipement was provided by the US air force base at Torrejon de Ardoz (now closed see post for the town). They used to translate literally the English name and call it pelota de base or baseball !!! Until recently ! Today the Madrid baseball/softball federation is base at La Elipa with a training school and the sports field has been enlarged to offer programs in Basketball, Baseball, Football, indoor football, musculation and gym, swimming, padel, tennis, table tenis,and Volleyball. Also, a batting cage for practices batting the baseball,and nudist zone. 

As far as transports ,many taken by me since my early teens living there were initially old bus as private vans belonging to a private company that connected the Plaza de Manuel Becerra with the cemetery of the Almudena ( bus line P-10) and the neighborhood of Quintana (my old home area!) with the Vallecas (bus P-13 ,and the one I always took to reach the Elipa baseball field). These vans, which circulated in the Elipa, became the lines, of the new Madrid transport network  E.M.T. (Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes) the nos. 110-210 and 113 (running the same route as my old P13!). In  2007 was inaugurated the Metro station of the Elipa, belonging to Line 2 and located in the Avenida del Marqués de Corbera, corner with Calle Santa Felicidad.

On the border with the district of Moratalaz is the sports center of the Elipa, which despite its name does not belong to the district of Ciudad Lineal, but to Moratalaz. In this sports center, apart from swimming pools and other sports facilities, is one of the few fields of grass for baseball in Spain, where they play and train, among others, the Municipal school of baseball of Madrid. This is my old playing field visited nowdays when in the city and still looks wonderful; lots of youthful memories here, and it makes me feel young when by here! I give you now some webpages to help you understand the baseball here. First from the city of Madrid on the sports complex, and then the Spanish Baseball/Softball federation on the school of baseball of Madrid.

The baseball field of La Elipa, in the district of Moratalaz, has more years than the Vicente Calderón stadium (now gone) or the stadium of Vallecas. So much so that it is the oldest in Europe. Its concrete, sand and turf have been a living witness to the history of this sport in Spain and its struggle to grow in the Spain of football/soccer fame. Not many know it, but there was a time, between the 1960’s and 1980’s  not only Real Madrid CF (my TEAM in baseball I played as well as football/soccer and the other sports I follow such as basketball), F.C. Barcelona or Atletico Madrid had baseball sections, but was taught in schools and at least in Madrid, everyone who wanted to start a team received from Castilian Federation , the balls, bats and gloves to do it for free. Two American teams made up of military of the bases of Zaragoza and Torrejón de Ardoz (played in the Elipa field as well!! ) joined in on this league The Latin American exiles fled from the dictatorships of their countries, did joined in and help improve the level of baseball here.  Spain did ok with winning the European title of 1955, several sub-championships, and especially the Olympic Diploma of Barcelona ‘ 92.

When touring the corners of the field today, one intuits that in that form of decadent beauty hides the memory of a time past full of great moments. Its cracks rust and flaws are like the scars that tell us about the hard road that has come to get here, and at the same time, are signs of the strength it treasures; like saying, “I’m here to stay.” With a seating capacity for just over two thousand people, it will go thru one of the most important reforms in its half century of history. They have change the sand and the little natural grass that is not dry for a synthetic surface, easier and cheaper to conserve, and the changing rooms are going to be built again. A facelift for an installation that holds firm the ups and downs of this sport. That is still available, as for 55 years, of those who want to venture into the romantic struggle of minority sports, or those who want to feel the distant homeland a little closer. Indeed so much nostalgia and memories here to last me for a lifetime; Madrid will always be Madrid in heaven with a hole in the sky to look down it every day. Thanks Elipa!!!

The Madrid baseball federation is now based there, and they still play baseball there!!! Now with a huge complex of 3 municipal pools, running trails, and a full cafeteria. It was a moment to reflect on those beautiful times of youth that just won’t or do not want to let it go away. Especially, seen my Mom sitting in the stand watching me played the feeling is awesome. Madrid is like home. By the way one of the top baseball teams in Spain today is from Rivas Vaciamadrid ,even if this year they are not doing well. The official Real Federacion Española de Béisbol y Sofbol or the Royal Federation of Baseball and Softball of Spain :https://www.rfebs.es/es/disciplines/baseball

For the nostalgia, I walked once from my hotel along calle del Pez Volador and calle del Dr Esquerdo along parque de Roma, you see the Spain tower of television and radio RTVE, a sight indeed, and then crossing the passarelle bridge over the beltway 
M-30 (that was just finished when I left Madrid in 1974 ), and into the street on the other side turning left you go to a traffic circle and then see the signs for La Elipa ,follow it and you are there in 15 minutes! A memorable trip I can show my sons each time in the City or From Madrid to heavens and a hole in the sky to look down on it every day !!! Memories forever of my Madrid!!!

A bit of history I like on the area tell us that the area of La Elipa today was between 1212 and 1219 the Lujanes, a former lineage from Madrid, had a lordship in what would be known as the Elipa. It was granted by the king to Miguel Ximénex de Luján, who named it in memory of his wife, Phelipa de Vargas. At the beginning of the 19C, the Elipa belonged to the municipal district of 
Vicálvaro. Towards 1880 in Madrid, it was necessary to build a new modern cemetery of great capacity, but since there was not an appropriate land in the city, the new cemetery was made in the area of Vicálvaro, so that the large piece of land of the new  cemetery was bought to Vicálvaro and annexed to Madrid towards 1886, this is today the necropolis of the Almudena. In the year 1951 the municipal district of Vicálvaro was annexed to Madrid due to the great urban chaos that existed in the area of the current neighborhoods of the Elipa and  district of Moratalaz and because Madrid needed space to grow.  As envisaged by the Ministry of Housing, the new urban projects improved in quality, thanks to the intervention of the private initiative. For example, a neighborhood of this type was that of the Elipa. Until this time ,in the 1950’s the current  Calle San Maximiliano and Avenida de Marqués de Corbera formed a single road, which was known as the Calle de la Elipa. The construction of some blocks of flats, which had their entrance through the avenue, gave the main route of the neighborhood its current width. The Elipa is a neighborhood in Madrid located in the district of Ciudad Lineal. The Elipa is located around the Avenida del Marqués de Corbera, most if not all the buildings are from the decades of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The area’s lung is a pine forest in which a national school is located. This pinewood was quite small due to the construction of the M-30 beltway highway (finished around 1974) , although many of its inhabitants mobilized to avoid its disappearance. And now a great beltway of inner Madrid. Very near where I used to lived!

There you go folks, another reason why you undestand, Madrid is more than a visit is my city forever. And thank you for reading it. Its one of those simple spots that means so much to me and reminds of my dear late mom Gladys efforts to bring me to La Elipa. Indeed memories forever. and hoping you are a fan of baseball and stop by and see it, looks like any small US town baseball field!! Again, hope you enjoy this post on my sentimental Elipa of Madrid !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!