Camino Begins : Madrid to Tres Cantos

Since our flight arrived in Madrid relatively late yesterday evening, we had a few errands to run this morning.  We got up early and headed out through the cool morning, down narrow, winding streets that were just beginning to fill with morning commuters.  We stopped at a bustling little cafe on the edge of the Puerta de Sol, the main square in the old town, for a delicious breakfast of café con leche and napolitanas.  There is no better way to begin any Camino than with a warm, strong, comforting cup of café con leche!

 

The warmth of the sun could already be felt as we made our way past the Plaza Mayor, going towards the Palacio Real de Madrid.  This impressive, three story tall white marble building sits on the edge of a huge white stone courtyard that is protected by an ornate metal fence.  The Palace is the official home of the Spanish Royal Family, and with 3,418 rooms it is the largest functioning Royal Palace in Europe, with a floor space of 1,450,000 sq ft.  Today it is only used during ceremonial functions, and is open to the public the rest of the year.  A lineup for the paid tours was already forming as we made our way across the square, stopping to admire the carved statue of the Archangel Michael at the side of the plaza that was lit by the morning sun.  

 

 

At the far end of the courtyard we were treated to a stunning view out over the forested hills and snow covered mountains that surround the city.  As we admired the layers of blue peaks disappearing into the clouds it occurred to us that in a few days we will be attempting to walk over those very same snowy peaks! 

 

 

 

Filled with a sense of purpose we made our way back through the city streets, passing the picturesque Mercado de San Miguel.  The tall iron and glass structure was originally built in 1916, and now houses over 30 vendors offering a tempting looking selection of freshly prepared tapas, cheeses, cured meats, olives, baked goods, and other delicious looking foods.  If we had more time in Madrid we would definitely spend more time exploring. 

As we looked for Calle Santiago, we got slightly turned around, taking a few minutes to wander the quiet neighborhoods off the main drag.  Colourful walls rose up on either side of us, many balconies decorated with flowers  and colourful banners for Semana Santa.  Seeing the quieter parts of towns and cities, off the main tourist and pilgrim thoroughfares is a part of the Camino that we really enjoy. 

 

We soon found the Church of Santiago, which is considered to be the main starting point of the Camino Madrid.   The medieval church of Santiago, which was built over a former Moorish mezquita (mosque) was demolished by Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother) to increase the space around the Palacio Real.  The present church of Santiago, which was built in 1811, is on the Calle de Santiago, very close to where the older church was once located.  

We arrived around 9:45 am, fifteen minutes before the church opened its doors, so we took the opportunity to stop at a tiny cafe opposite to enjoy a second café con leche.  Sitting outside in the sunshine we watched as small white vans stopped along the street and crates of fresh vegetables, wine, and other produce was delivered to the shops and bars along the treed street.  A children's bookstore opened its doors as we waited, a group of adults laughed as they learned to operate rented segweys, and a large class of high school students gathered outside the church to listen to their teacher talk about its history. 

When we entered the church of Santiago to receive the first stamp of our pilgrimage we were greeted by a very friendly lady who gladly stamped out passports and wished us well.  We were surprised to see that most of the images of Santiago in the church were of Santiago Matamoros, the Moor slayer.  Apparently many of the portrayals of Santiago along this route are of him as a Moor slayer, and not as a pilgrim, which I can only guess is a product of the history of this part of Spain. 

After visiting the church we headed back towards our hostel to pick up our backpacks.  Before finally starting down the Camino we stopped at a Vodafone store to pick up a Spanish SIM card.  While waiting for the extremely efficient and helpful lady to patiently walk us through this process in Spanish, we ran into a couple from England who recognized us as pilgrims.  It turned out they had walked the Camino Madrid, as well as the San Salvador, the Primitivo, and several other routes.  They offered us some good advice and well wishes, saying they had enjoyed the quieter routes themselves.  Apparently a few of their friends are currently attempting to walk the Camino Norte and the Camino Frances, and they are finding it too overcrowded to continue.  Along the Norte it seems that many albergues have not survived the pandemic, and there are now fewer beds than pilgrims in many towns, and prices are charged accordingly.  So far we are grateful for our choice to walk the less-travelled routes, although we are wondering if the Primitivo will also be busy. 

After sorting out the phone we at last began walking out of Madrid.  Our destination for the night was Tres Cantos, a suburb around 23 km from downtown Madrid.  To reach it, today's walk essentially had three parts.  

During the first part we walked through the old quarter of Madrid, which has been occupied since pre-historic times.  In medieval times, Madrid was a medium-sized settlement clustered around a Moorish Alcázar constructed in 854 by the Emir of Toledo as a defence against Christian attack.  In 1083 Alfonso VI of Léon captured the settlement, bringing it under Christian control at the beginning of the Reconquest, and the re-population of the town contributed to its growth as an agricultural and economic center. The first part of our walk was through the old section of this town. 

Today Madrid is a city of 3.5 million people.  The second part of our walk was through the more modern outskirts of the city.  As far as city walking goes, it was a relatively nice trek, mostly down a treed boulevard which hosted a surprising diversity of different tree species, including palm trees, holly, oaks, and blooming fruit trees.  

We began this section by walking past the impressive white marble Spanish Parliament to the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo, which is also known as the Fountain of Neptune.  Here, a large marble fountain stands in the middle of a round about, and marks the spot  where soccer fans of the Atletico de Madrid team go to celebrate their victories.  

From the fountain we followed the treed boulevard to the Plaza de Castilla, which is marked by two leaning office towers. It was a long but pleasant enough walk in the sunshine.  Shortly after this point we spotted the first yellow arrow of our pilgrimage!  This was a high point, and also a saving grace, as the arrows led us along a confusing route through slightly sketchy looking neighborhoods, past high rises, under bridges, across highways, and around a large hospital complex.  As long as we paid attention, the route was clearly marked.  The one downside was that we managed to leave town without stopping for a snack. 

 

The final stage of today's walk began as we left town.  As we crossed a busy road to pick up a gravel pathway someone from a passing car shouted a cheerful 'Buen Camino!' out their window, which really made our day.  The beginning of the wide gravel path was marked with a cairn, and from that point we followed this dirt path through fields and gorgeous rolling countryside, with beautiful views of the snow covered mountains in the background. 

As we entered the fields the sounds of the city faded and we were surrounded by birdsong. Tiny yellow, pink, and white wildflowers were scattered throughout the dry grasses, still a little brown and dry from winter.  Overhead hawks and kites soared in the clear blue sky. Flashes of white from the tails of rabbits could be seen as their owners bounded out of sight behind shrubs and bushes.  A couple on horseback rode slowly past us, and soon afterwards we passed a farm where the curious horses came to check us out.  A little farther on we passed a small farm protected by a formidable hedge of cacti. 

After crossing open fields the trail turned into more of a footpath that followed a 3 ft tall field-stone wall under a canopy of oak and pine.  The trail was sandwiched between the highway and the railroad, but it felt like we were immersed in nature.  

 

 

Out of the corners of our eyes we could see lizards scuttling along the warm stones of the wall.  As we scrambled up a small sandy slope we spotted a highly glossy snake that was over 2  ft long. We watched in fascination as it made its way up a steep earth slope and out of sight. 

 

 

We trundled happily along beneath the canopy of cork oak and pines until our trail met up with a paved bike path and we found ourselves beside the highway again.  We started to see traffic signs for Tres Cantos, but we didn't cross the highway until the third pedestrian crossing we came to.  At that point we deviated from the Camino and took the red pedestrian bridge into the modern suburb of Tres Cantos. 

 

 

We hadn't had any luck getting a response from the pilgrim albergue in Tres Cantos, which is located in the Ayuntamiento and is run by the local police.  As a result, we are staying in the Ramada, which was the least expensive option, if perhaps also the least inspiring way to begin a Camino.  However, the staff is incredibly nice, the room is very spacious, and we are only a few minutes walk from the Mercadona supermarket, where we bought salad, a baguette, and wine for dinner. 

All in all it was a very nice first day on the Camino for two couch potatoes who have spent the last four months working at computers for 12-14 hours a day and did absolutely zero training.  We are so happy to be back on the trail again!

Distance: 23 km
Accommodations: Ramada Hotel