As you know I love the road, the car is my second home ! Road warrior all the way ! And many trips down to my dear Spain from my belle France since 1990, Well, it was time again to visit Spain and of course, the must is always Madrid, my sentimental home and just awesome to be back even if now with less as loves have fallen ; but the memories remain forever, Therefore, let me tell you about curiosities of Madrid, part XXII !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
We try to avoid all trafic always and not easy on the heavily congested north south route of Europe where you see all kinds of licence plates ! We got off at 3h that is 3am from home quickly taking the N165 expressway Nantes-Brest towards Nantes got around the beltway there to connect with the A83 direction Bordeaux, continue to connect with the A10 and continue direction Bayonne on the A63 direction San Sebastian, there link up with the AP8 direction Vitoria Gasteiz with wonderful mountain country and great rest areas ;and then direction Burgos on the A1 to Madrid ! We did stop both ways at Hernani rest stop on the AP8 wonderful place noted for next trip. Also at Landes Ouest on the A63.
We hook up with the M40 out beltway of Madrid direction Airport on exit 13, then come out on exit 51 to the N605 briefly before joining the M30 over the Puente de Segovia then Calle de Segovia to calle Mayor and finally to our destination on Plaza de Herradores near the Mercado San Miguel, This was done in 1184 km and 13 hours including two stops for food, gasoline, and our dog Rex etc. This time had good help from my oldest son sharing the driving straight. On the way back home we took the same route, This is the first time I have entered Madrid this way and it was once again easy !
A bit more on the M30 which have taken many times and was started construction in 1970 while I was still living in Madrid ! I believe it was finished in 1974, This road is 32,5 km long with an average radius of 5,7 km from the Puerta del Sol, It is heavily congestion and high traffic volume, and some says the most in Spain. It has a speed c of 90 KPH on the above sections and 70 KPH below the tunnels. The peculiarity is to be the only Spanish highway of which is own by the City/Town Hall of Madrid. Its a wonderful beltway that lets you easily come into any part of Madrid from it,
The city of Madrid who manage the M30 circulation: https://www.mc30.es/index.php/explotacion/circular-por-calle-30
While in the City of Madrid we walked a lot, this is the best and we try harder, I still could keep up with my sons lol ! Proud Dad walking the beat of my sentimental beautiful City, For rest periods we took the metro, one of the best in the world me think, and have taken some, Basically we set out from Opera on line 5 and took line 2, 9, and 1 while in Madrid, Of course, needed to stop by my sentimental line 5 Quintana where I lived with my mom Gladys (RIP), And took my must stop to see the ongoing construction of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium of my Real Madrid CF on line 10, I purchase the multi card cost of 2,50€, and recharge it for 16 trips to share with the four of us, and the card can be use for 10 years on credit left in it which of course for us was zero !!
The metro of Madrid: https://www.metromadrid.es/en
I rented an apartment in a new area too, the plaza de Herradores in the Sol neighborhood of Centro Madrid ! Easy walking to the best of Madrid ! This was the Wonder apartments on No 5, and nice good public parking 130 meters from it garage Fermar calle Meson de Paños 11, for 26,50€ per day cheap if see the pricing around Centro, For my dog Rex they charge 10 euros per day ok, Near nice places from the apart includes the Plaza Mayor next to it practically, 450 meters from Puerta del Sol and 600 meters from the Palacio Real of Madrid. Also,100 meters from Mercado San Miguel, 5 min on foot to metro Opera lines 2 5 and Radial, and 8 mins from the Jardines de Sabatini.
I like to tell you a bit of history I like on this area which of course I will condense as much as possible.
The Plaza de Herradores is in the Sol neighborhood of the Centro district of Madrid. This place is located near the Plaza Mayor, in the heart of old Madrid. It is a charming square full of history. Known in the Middle Ages as Plazuela de los Herradores It was a neighborhood of the neighborhoods of San Martín and Espejo, administered by the parish of San Ginés. The houses that we can see today would be built in its place. The Russian baths remained open almost until the end of the total demolition of what was the San Felipe Neri Market, moving its facilities to Calle de las Hileras, no 4, in mid-1867. From then on they would change their name for the San Felipe Neri Spa. The last news of this business, found in the press, dates from the year 1935. At present, and since the decade of the fifties of the last century, its space is occupied by a building for commercial use.The oldest restaurant in the world “Sobrinos de Botin” had its first location in this very square. In it was the establishment founded in 1621 as the Hostería Española, later better known as Casa Botín, At no, 9, you can find the El Museo del Pan Gallego one of the oldest bakeries in the town,, an office and artisan bread oven, whose first license is documented in 1904, and a wood-fired oven from the first half of the 20C. We purchase bread and sweets here very nice indeed!
As soon as we turn towards this square, we can see a corner with a very maritime vocation: An ark and a boat together! One has the no 3 and the other the no 5. Noah’s Ark was the name of a butcher’s shop and El Barco de la Abundancia (boat of abundance) was a grocery store, both of them together since 1870. And another anecdotal thing. The two establishments opened on the same day, and both also closed on the same day. The fact is that today both premises are occupied by a shop that is also a hundred years old, Fieltros Olleros, which was previously on Calle Mayor, and which sells felts and fabrics, flags and which in the past specialized in capes, capes made with merino sheep wool from bejar. Its origins date back to 1863, the date on which Pañerías Olleros opened its doors to the public at Calle Mayor, 31.
The Plaza del Comandante Las Morenas, which is next to this Plaza de Herradores, used to be a street market for birds and game products. In other words, it is very likely that Noah’s Ark and the Boat of Abundance collected part of the public that used to provide themselves in that street market. The Calle de San Felipe Neri is called this way because an oratory was built in honor of this Italian priest in this place and on a site that used to exist. This oratory was demolished in 1836, under the “Confiscation of Mendizábal” (split State and Church). Doctors Joaquín Delhom and Manuel Arnús Ferrer would open a Russian Baths establishment on April 19, 1858, which would later become a spa, taking advantage of the water from the underground lagoon of the Plaza Mayor. They were the first “spas in Madrid”. The last news of this business, found in the press, dates from the year 1935. At present, and since the decade of the fifties of the last century, its space is occupied by a building for commercial use.
As a curiosity, in October 1936, during the religious persecution that the country suffered during the Spanish Civil War by the Republicans, one of the bloodiest persecutions in the history of Christianity Saint Josemaría (founder of Opus) was forced to take refuge in the house of the Herrero Fontana, who lived in a mezzanine of Plaza de Herradores, no 4. The Founder also spent in this house in Herradores, due to the hazards of the war, on the night of October 6 to 7, 1936. Declaring yourself a priest at that time was equivalent to a death sentence. All the churches were closed or destroyed.
There you go folks, just enough info for the smart road warrior, and then off you go ,and enjoy it as I. My memorable road warrior driving in my Spain !!! Not to mention Madrid has become a bit more tricky with the new planet world order of having a bus lane, bike lane, and car lane all in one !! After a day in the City you can get used to them thus. Again, hope you enjoy this post on curiosities of Madrid, part XXII !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 