Autumn in Madrid
Retiro Park a blaze of seasonal glory
DOWNTIME in a big city gets no better than a couple of hours wandering the pathways around Madrid’s Parque del Retiro and discovering some of the delights of a green oasis.
Thanks to the convenience of the high-speed AVE train service, the Spanish capital is within easy grasp of the Costa Blanca and makes the perfect place for a weekend adventure.
Sunday morning arrived and there was the usual time gap between checking out of the rented apartment – central accommodation around the back of parliament but within easy walking distance of the bright lights – and heading the train station and getting whisked back to the coast.
Spent up after all the shopping and partying (one of our group was marking a birthday), there is time to kill; so why not take a detour through one of the largest parks in Madrid and take stock of the city’s lungs and breathe in some relaxing fresh air?
Retiro weighs in at about 350 acres and is an intriguing mix of the formal avenues and gardens and woodland dotted with buildings and statues. Created in the 17th Century as a haven for the Spanish Royals, it was opened to the public in the 1900s.
Many British expats living in Spain say they miss the seasons; autumn in Madrid does exist; the park was a blaze of colours as the leaves turn on the trees, even on a fairly grey October morning it was a wonderful display.
Give or take a trunk or two; there are something like 15,000 trees in the park and some fairly exotic species to boot. However, there are some familiar favourites and happy memories flood back on finding horse chestnuts and the joy of picking up shiny conkers already on the floor – do Spanish kids know what to do them...actually, do British youngsters anymore?
There’s plenty of wildlife to spot as well. Handbag dogs go walkies in high-fashion bootees, some mean looking moggies, and even some wildlife. Squirrels – obviously - pigeons, robins, sparrows, magpies (gave them a salute for luck) and spotting a larger group; why not show your age and sing the magpie song, made famous by Magpie, the onetime ITV answer to Blue Peter?
There was even a flock of parakeets grazing on a pampered lawn – these colonies were started by escaped pets but have adapted to Spanish outdoor life; I even took a photo...it looks like giant green marrowfat peas grazing on a green sea of mushy peas!
Coming up to the manmade lake in the central area there was even a giant panda. Drawing up closer it was merely a non-bamboo eating busker. Well, it was an exciting moment from afar.
The lake is dominated by the huge memorial to Alfonso XII. Erected in 1922 (after a design competition, which if forward thinking) it celebrates the restoration of the monarchy in 1874 after the end of the first republic; his mother Isabella II abdicated to allow him to take the throne. Sadly, he died aged 27 but was apparently thought by Spaniards to be a good egg.
There is the Paseo de la Argentina, also known as the Statue Walk, featuring images of long dead Spanish Royals, the art collection inside the Palacio de Cristal, a library and cafes and kiosks.
The Jardines de Cecilio Rodriguez features fountains, topiary and maze like box hedges. The area is also home to peacocks and their young; sadly, there was no male prepared to display his tail feathers.
And another formal piece of garden is the magical Rose Garden. Amongst the iron trel- lises, benches and fountains are around 4,000 roses, seemingly in all colours and hues.
There is also plenty of human activity in the Retiro. People, old and young taking the air, gaggles of tourists following a flag waving guide and headed for the national artworks in the nearby Prado (hope they have tickets, the queues were horrendous), parents pushing prams or with toddlers and young children; frisbee flingers, football kickers, joggers and cyclists.
There are tiny in-line skaters learning the ropes watched by proud parents – the designer gear including jackets, elbow and knee pads means they have paid to be proud – and a subtle distance away a school of adult skaters doing the same thing (not as proud, they possibly had to buy their own gear). There is also someone racing around trying to catch an autumn leaf falling from a tree...that’s all right too, I know them.
All in all, it was a great way to enjoy a different side to Madrid; and while the autumn colours were spectacular, the park is probably worth seeing at any time of year.