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Urban picnics are all the rage.
They have always had their loyal audience with the arrival of good weather, but the pandemic has placed them at the forefront of
safe plans
to enjoy the outdoors.
And without having to leave Madrid capital.
These are the most successful.
El Retiro, a classic
If there is an obligatory stop on the list of traditional picnics, that is in El Retiro Park. There are many places to unfold the tablecloth among its 125 hectares and more than 15,000 trees: next to the
roundabout of the Fallen Angel,
on the esplanade of the
Estanque Grande
, next to the Casita del Pescador, on the grassy area next to the Plaza de Independence or in the surroundings of
the Crystal Palace
. On the way, you have to enter this jewel of the capital's iron architecture and enjoy the
exhibition
Meridiano de Madrid: dream and lie
, a reflection on art as a public space available until the end of August. For something El Retiro is the preferred place of 80% of
Picnic Madrid
clients
, a company dedicated to organizing this type of outdoor banquet in the city for almost five years.
"In 2020 we noticed a tremendous downturn, of course, but now we are returning to the number of customers in 2019 and that then 40% were
tourists, both national and international,
and now there are hardly any", comments Carlos Cebrián, Marketing Director of the company.
They offer
three types of menus
(romantic, classic and gourmet) designed for all types of audiences and situations: anniversary couples, celebration of
bachelor parties,
birthday friends ... to which we must add the friends who meet in the air free to minimize the risks of Covid-19.
A group of friends having lunch in El Retiro.ÁNGEL NAVARRETE
Cerro del Tío Pío, the best views
Another of the perfect places to have a picnic in Madrid is the Cerro del Tío Pío, in the Numancia neighborhood (Puente de Vallecas district), better known as the
Parque de las Siete Tetas
because of the number of hills that make it up.
The key to its success are the panoramic views of the city from any of them.
From the dome of the church of
San Francisco el Grande
to the Telefónica de la
Gran Vía building
, the famous
Pirulí
or the four towers of
Plaza de Castilla
, without forgetting the silhouette of the
Sierra de Guadarrama
looming in the distance.
It is a matter of choosing the backdrop we want to have and removing the omelette, cheese and cockles from the basket.
Not surprisingly, it is one of the
favorite
spots
for
professional and
amateur
photographers
to immortalize the city, especially at sunset, so it is better to flee this time if we want to avoid crowds.
Views of Cerro del Tío Pío DESTINATION MADRID
Temple of Debod, snack with history
Finishing the ham sandwich with a piece of art from
Ancient Egypt
brought, stone by stone, from there is priceless. We are talking about the Temple of Debod, a gift from the Government of the most populous Arab country in the world to Spain in 1968 for its help in saving the temples of
Lower Nubia
in danger of disappearing due to the construction of the Aswan dam. Fifty-five years after that, the surroundings of this monument declared a Site of Cultural Interest attached to
Paseo del Pintor Rosales
is another of the places that gathers the most followers to eat outdoors, according to the person in charge of
Picnic Madrid
.
"The setting is very special. It is usually chosen to surprise the couple, who when they arrive they already have the whole picnic set up, with a bouquet of flowers and everything," continues Cebrián.
The mixture of history and legend together with unique views of the
Casa de Campo,
the
Almudena Cathedral
or the
Royal Palace
mean that we do not have to get lost at lunch if we want to find a good place.
If we are not lucky, we can always take a walk through the Parque del Oeste where the temple is located hunting and capturing a pleasant place to have our picnic.
The Temple of Debod of the Parque del Oeste.
Casa de Campo, the greenest option
The
cable car route that leads to the Plaza de los Pasos Perdidos in Casa de Campo departs precisely
from the
Paseo del Pintor Rosales
in Parque del Oeste after almost 2.5 kilometers of travel. There, on the
Garabitas hill,
is one of the places frequented by fans of
outdoor meals with
family or friends since time immemorial. And now, with the pandemic, even more so. "I've been going to have a snack on the cable car since I was a kid with my parents more than 30 years ago because we lived nearby, in Aluche. Now I often go with my children and a couple of friends with children because they can also play ball around,
there are swings, it is usually well parked
... ", says Elisa Romero, with her mind set on the weekend to repeat the plan. The picnic options within the 1,700 hectares of Casa de Campo can continue in the surroundings of the
zoo
, the amusement park or the famous lake. Also watch out for the
kayak-polo classes
and canoeing sessions offered in this artificial pond that has its roots in the 16th century. Of course, these are the busiest areas. Who prefers to take out the tablecloth With less public around, you can opt for the Venta del Batán, the Fairgrounds or the Country Club.
The Lake of the Casa de Campo DESTINATION MADRID
Madrid Río, between bridges, gardens and a beach
One of the last places to join the open-air offer of the capital is Madrid Río, with its succession of bridges, gardens, cafes, beach bars, children's areas and fountains
on the banks of the Manzanares
. For having even a beach it has. In fact, a good place to sign up for a picnic is precisely the one that surrounds this area, at the height of the so-called
Puente Monumental de Arganzuela
(or Perrault). Near the cultural center of the Matadero you can also see the sausage, potatoes and whatever you need after visiting the exhibition on
Pippi Longstocking
organized at the Casa del Lector for the 75th anniversary of the creation of the famous redhead.
Good plan if you go (or not) with children.
The Documenta Madrid International Film Festival is also held here these days.
On the other side of the Madrid Río park, close to P
ríncipe Pío and San Antonio de la Florida,
there are other green areas to enjoy a lunch with family or friends outdoors.
Madrid Rio beach in a file photo DESTINATION MADRID
Enrique Tierno Galván Park, looking at the planetarium
The route through the
urban picnics
of the capital must include the Enrique Tierno Galván park, which can be reached by metro, getting off at the
Arganzuela-Planetario
stop
,
in the Legazpi neighborhood, right between the old Delicias train station and the M-30. Its 45 hectares among meadows full of poplars, plums, Amazonian, bamboo and cedars give to enjoy a lunch based on
tuppers
without having to run into many people. One can choose to sit on the banks of the
park's
three ponds
or in the open-air auditorium where,
before the pandemic,
concerts and festivals used to be organized.
The place that pays tribute with its name to the former mayor of the city nicknamed "the old professor" also has several bike lanes, as well as a
biosaludable circuit
with different modalities for physical exercise and another with viewpoints to discover Madrid from another point of view.
Enrique Tierno Galván Park Auditorium.
All that remains is to choose the menu for the next picnic ...
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