Praised assistants and world conquering haircuts.

We are making our way to the Retiro. To get there we are going to skirt a little to the east. This will mean a bit of wandering round the Manzanares, which divides the park we ended in yesterday/  Luckily a cyclist has been along the tracks we will follow, which will take us round the A-40 / M-40 junction.

We have not talked about Madrid - and we really should.  Madrid, as more than a selection of careless dropped Neolithic pottery, comes into existence in the 9th century when Cordobese emir, Muhammad I, established a military outpost  to protect the somewhat rebellious Toledo from northern attacks. By the 10th century the outpost had become a town of 2000 and in the 12th century it was described as a small city and solid fortress.  While Toledo’s fall, in 1085, Madrid’s fate is debated. Some say it suggested to be 1083.  Castillian-Leonese settlers moved in; the mosque became to a church and a town centred on livestock, leather and building cities grew.

A fire did for the place so it was rebuilt by Henry III [1379-1406], who also founded El Prado. The town continued to grow, temporarily hosted in the Royal Mint, until managed to be one of the eighteen towns that had a vote in the Cortes of Castile.  By 1561 the place had 20,000 when Phil-2, as the cool kids call him, looked at the place and thought the place capital.  [I do occasionally wonder how this will translate, especially to anyone without a knowledge of archaic English idioms.]

It is always odd how green spaces and fil-ins survive as a city spreads.  We will slip over Parque Entrevias Forestal - which has almost 2000 reviews and 4.5 stars. Google sums it up as ‘Forest of pines, cypresses & cedars, with hiking trails & a section of the Anillo Verde cycle path.’  Jhoons wrote ‘A beautiful green space in Madrid, with lots of vegetation, dirt paths, parks, etc. The problem is that many people sleep there and relieve themselves there (this should be controlled). If you know the park, you know where it is. There are some water fountains that could be cleaned. I often walk my dog ​​there; if it were better maintained, I'd go for picnics. ‘

Out of the green and into the apartments and houses of the suburbs. Bar cafeteria Charly is open 6am to midnight, 7am-3pm on Sundays.  Un fotografo aficionado swa smitten seven months ago.  ‘Excellent service. The girl who served us was very quick and friendly. Even working alone, she handled all the orders, payments, and coffees very well, and she did it all with a smile. This girl is invaluable. I think the owners should consider giving her a good salary because she's a big money-maker. ‘

Amid the modern is the Casa Peironcely, 10.  Bru949 reported ‘I finally got to visit the famous house photographed by the great reporter Robert Capa during the Spanish Civil War. It's really worth coming all the way to Entrevías to see the house with the shrapnel holes.’   

Carlos added ‘A simple tenement building became part of Spanish and world history when it was immortalized by the camera of reporter Robert Capa during the Spanish Civil War.  ‘The building's facade suffered indiscriminate strafing by German pilots supporting the Spanish Army, which had rebelled against the Second Republic. Today, the building is protected for its historical value and as a testament to that conflict.  For years, a cultural association has been advocating for the conversion of the old buildings, and especially the facade (which still bears the bullet holes), into an interpretation center, taking advantage of this legal protection.  Cappa photographed the Entrevías neighborhood several times during the war, almost as often as it was bombed. ‘

I am minded of our rural rambles where nothing was seen that had been reviewed.  We are passing shops by the score and hundreds of bars.  Cocinas Marfil is a kitchen supply shop. https://www.cocinasmarfil.com/  Emilio was impressed by that. ‘I just had my kitchen remodeled by them and everything was perfect. They created a design that perfectly suited my needs, and then the whole process was very quick. I'm very happy with the quality of the materials and the installation of the cabinets, with their attention to detail. Excellent value for money. Highly recommended.’

The Premium Barber shop offers a 4.9 star service. Jonathan was impressed. ‘When you go to a new barbershop, you don't know if they'll give you a good haircut. At this barbershop, I can say that all the staff can create a work of art for you at a great price. Other barbershops charge €30 for results and nothing more; here you pay half and leave feeling like you can conquer the world and a little crazy. If you go, I especially recommend Armando, Gabi, Darwin, or Alexander—professionals in the art of haircutting.’

I was tempted by a haircut but then noticed next door is a toy shop that specialises in Lego!   https://www.empiezadores.com/  Raluis, two weeks ago, reported ‘Small but well-established shop, reasonable prices. I bought a Funko Pop as a gift and they even wrapped it in gift paper; the shop assistant was very nice..

We cross the A-3 and end the day by the M-30 by Pub Shark. It opens from 7pm to 3am, 3.30am for Friday and Saturday and is closed on Sunday.  Four weeks ago Carmen felt ‘I celebrated my birthday a couple of months ago, and José Luis's service was excellent. I had a great time, the cocktails were amazing, the place was comfortable, and the music was great. I highly recommend it. ‘

Tomorrow, we plunge into the heart of the city.