Mágicas Navidades Disney is the name with which the municipality of Madrid has baptized the theme park set in the stories of our childhood theme parks have become popular as part of the Christmas leisure offer These are usually located -at least in the case of the Community of Madrid- in the municipalities and towns surrounding the capital and families from all parts of the region flock to them the Magical Disney Christmas will be added in a few days In this case, the San Martín Town Hall defines it as “an amusement park for the little ones“ It will be open from December 20 to 29 and those who come by car will be able to park next to the local bullring The Magical Disney Christmas is just one of the proposals that San Martín de Valdeiglesias has programmed for this holiday season Its program consists of activities such as educational workshops a Municipal Nativity Scene (handmade by the association of Women in Equality) connects the capital with towns such as San Martín de Valdeiglesias This interurban line runs along what is known as the Road of the Marshes -the M-501- and the Community of Madrid has announced that it will reinforce the service in view of the increase in trips expected “to guarantee public transport travel for the residents of the area” On weekdays the number of trips will increase from 78 to 110 and on weekends it will be 80 instead of the current 50 the largest increase will be on Sundays and holidays: there will be 78 circulations instead of 46 This intercity bus line connects the capital with different localities San Martín de Valdeiglesias -where the San Juan reservoir is located- El Tiemblo and Cebreros -the latter two within the province of Ávila- At this article you can consult other “inland beaches” beyond the two in the San Juan reservoir (Virgen de la Nueva The region of Madrid has about 100 kilometres of disused railway tracks that have been converted into walking and cycling paths the Vía Verde project has converted abandoned infrastructures nationwide into sports and leisure facilities for hikers and cyclists highlighting their cultural and natural heritage value The Vía Verde Programme consists of 2,900 kilometres of rural trails nationwide this initiative has given new life to more than 120 disused rail tracks making them places for people to walk and cycle nature and history of the locations and towns through which it passes Several buildings have been renovated to provide services to hikers while others preserve a more rustic appearance All of them have in common the charm of the natural settings through which the heritage railway used to run The Community of Madrid is home to 94.8 km of this national network This post provides an overview of Madrid’s four greenways: Tajuña Four routes worth planning a getaway to learn about its history and environmental heritage just to mention a few educational materials produced to disseminate practical information and help the public enjoy these spaces The Guadarrama Greenway runs along the former Madrid-Almorox railway The Programme is based on a land conservation strategy that focuses on upcycling disused infrastructures to encourage knowledge of nature An initiative that offers many attractions for the visitor including practising sports on the nearly flat paths that run along the disused railway lines offering rewarding natural experiences for families The Tajuña Greenway next to the now-derelict Tajuña station The popular saying “The train to Arganda is more noise than muscle” referred to this railway that began to operate in 1901 This slow-moving passenger train ceased to run in 1953 with the advent of faster road transport The Tajuña Greenway is especially suitable for family-friendly sports activities A turnoff near Carabaña on the Tajuña Greenway leads to what is known as the 40-Day Train This railway was built at a tumultuous period in Spanish history It was used to supply Madrid with food during the Civil War It gets its name from the speed with which it was built and put into operation due to the urgency of the situation It has been argued that the engineers sought to complete the railroad in just 40 days using materials recycled from other railways The construction works progressed as quickly as its service life was short-lived The route runs through the southeast of Madrid from the floodplains of the River Tajuña to the River Tagus paved path weaves between fields and moorland Especially notable are the trenches and tunnels built to open the way for the trains Stunning vertical walls along the 40-Days Train route The ambitious project initially sought to extend the narrow-gauge railway between Villamanta (Madrid) and Almorox (Toledo) to Plasencia and Several stations and infrastructures were built to that end the line between San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Pelayos de la Presa was opened officially and solemnly in the mid-1930s The 14-kilometre Greenway starts at San Martín de Valdeiglesias and ends at the Picadas Dam the vast majority of hikers begin their trip at the recreational area near Pelayos de la Presa to avoid walking long distances on asphalt They take the dirt road that is easier to follow amidst dense pine and oak forests along the River Alberche It crosses five overpasses and a tunnel that remind the visitor of its railroad past Several bridges cross the River Alberche near the Picadas Reservoir following the route of the railroad that never came into service Photo: elblogdemifamiliayotrosanimales.com This Greenway covers the final kilometres of the railroad that used to run from the now-defunct Goya Station in Madrid The trains on the narrow gauge line from Madrid to Almorox took nearly four hours to complete the journey The railroad remained in operation until 1970 although the Navalcarnero-Almorox section was closed four years earlier Madrid’s residents also used it to travel to Alberche in summer for a swim The compacted dirt road runs through farmland and riverbanks It starts near the Móstoles-El Soto train station and runs 5.8 kilometres to Puente de Hierro historic and impressive 120-metre long bridge over the River Guadarrama built in 1890 along with the rest of the railroad The Greenway officially ends at the bridge visitors may walk several more kilometres along the railroad to Navalcarnero iron bridge over the River Guadarrama is the highlight of its namesake Greenway Australian born German Heinrich Haussler (Gerolsteiner) achieved a great victory today Heinrich Haussler (Gerolsteiner)(Image credit: Unipublic)David Latasa(Image credit: Hernan Alvarez)Lastras and Zaballa(Image credit: Unipublic)The peloton(Image credit: Unipublic)Adolfo Garcia Quesada (Comunidad Valenciana)(Image credit: Unipublic)Getcher fresh grapes here Anyone for grapes?(Image credit: AFP)Cows love the Vuelta(Image credit: AFP)Menchov Victor Cordero ('R) presenting "Stories of the Rainbow" with the book's author Juan Carlos Molero winning stage 19 of the Vuelta a España in Alcobendas beating Martin Elmiger (Phonak) and David Latasa (Comunidad Valenciana) Roberto Heras (Liberty-Würth) had a calm stage and he is just two days away from his fourth overall win in the Vuelta as no-one has won the Spanish tour four times "It was a really long day," said Haussler at the post-race press conference "Because I was trying to get away from kilometre one from the group.. I knew when I was in a group of five or six riders that I had a really good chance to win the stage and so I did." He explained this is his first win of the year We were a very combative team; we were in the majority in most of the breakaways The team Comunidad Valenciana should be very proud of the Vuelta it did." About the finale I know the finish was uphill and I tried to push it in the sprint We were coming fast; I decided to wait and I was short by just a little bit." The other 'Aussie' in the break told Cyclingnews It's clear in this Vuelta people go really so very fast Matej Jurco (Domina Vacanze) and Euskaltel's leader Aitor Gonzalez all abandoned the race yesterday meaning that there were still 129 riders left in the race at the start in San Martin de Valdeiglesias The first real attack in the race was made by Constantino Zaballa (Saunier Duval) Adolfo Garcia Quesada (Comunidad Valenciana) and Linus Gerdemann (CSC) who got a gap of 2'26 over the peloton at km 18 a big chase group formed with Roberto Laiseka (Euskaltel-Euskadi) Javier Pascual Rodriguez and David Latasa (Comunidad Valenciana) José Vicente Garcia Acosta (Illes Balears) Alberto Ongarato and Fabio Baldato (Fassa Bortolo) and Frédéric Finot (Française des Jeux) who were riding less than a minute behind the leaders The foursome increased their advantage up to 9'25 over the peloton at the second intermediate sprint of Las Navas del Marques (km 41.3) while they were caught by Roberto Laiseka (Euskaltel-Euskadi) from the chase group David Cañada (Saunier Duval) abandoned the competition due to a heart problem the five leaders were chased by Jose Elias (Relax Fuenlabrada) and Gert Steegmans (Davitamon-Lotto) at 1'55 while the rest of the big group was at 2'40 and the peloton at 12'16 who were no threat to the general classification even though there were some misunderstandings among them Steegmans and Elias were eventually joined by Elmiger Linus Gerdemann and Adolfo Garcia Quesada attacked the other two leaders and got an advantage "Fito" Garcia Quesada put in a surge that enabled him to leave Lastras and Gerdemann behind Fito was just 6 seconds ahead of his chasers: Pablo Lastras (Illes Balears) Martin Elmiger (Phonak) and Heinrich Haussler (Gerolsteiner) Constantino Zaballa (Saunier Duval) made a big effort to catch the quartet in the closing kilometres The four maintained the difference over Zaballa Fuentes attacked with just over one kilometre to go Haussler dropped to the back of the group and was able to react quickly when Latasa jumped at 200m to go before being passed by Elmiger and then Haussler up the middle for Gerolsteiner's first stage win in the Vuelta Stage 20 - September 17: Guadalajara-Alcala de Henares Tomorrow's stage is a long individual time trial between Guadalajara and Alcala de Henares The course is very flat and it has reference points: Torrejon del Rey (680 m Denis Menchov (Rabobank) would have a chance to cut the advantage Roberto Heras has over him but will take the stage seriously in order to do a decent time that enables him to raise his arms in Madrid on Sunday Madrid is a wine-growing region and its booming appellation of origin is proof of this It is now made up of 51 wineries and has four recognized subzones: Arganda It is also an opportunity to visit one of the jewels of Celtic sculpture in the peninsula which are just a few minutes away from the Zone A post shared by Bodega Real Cortijo Carlos III (@realcortijo) King Carlos III ordered the construction of the Bodega Real del Cortijo in 1782 which has been considered a Historic Artistic Monument since the 1980s and is only five kilometers from the Royal Site of Aranjuez It has been the supplier of wine and oil for five kings and a good list of illustrious and noble personalities And they claim to be the only winery owned by a Royal House in the world beyond the traditional tastings and pairings there is even a wine casino – games of chance animated by sommeliers – and the option of creating your own wine The Muñoz Martin Winery has been located in the historic center of Navalcarnero since 1930 They are led by a fifth generation of winemakers who have managed to combine innovation and tradition The tour of its 28 hectares of vineyards spread between this village and Villamanta includes a visit to its cave and wine tasting with a tapa The Luis Saavedra organic winery has belonged to the same family since the nineteenth century but it was not until the late twentieth century that the tests began to make a fully organic production It is located in the extreme south of the Community of Madrid and belongs to the subzone of San Martín de Valdeiglesias The wineries near Madrid continue to grow in popularity and diversity in terms of their wines They have also been able to adapt and recover the winemaking tradition of the region rivers and pools in Madrid to enjoy a summer dip You can visit the pools every day from 10 am to 9 pm In the surroundings it is also worthwhile to visit the Recreational Area La Isla and the Monastery of El Paular Only 50 km from the capital is the San Juan reservoir one of the four areas declared suitable for bathing by the Community of Madrid Its 14 km of “beaches” are one of the favorite destinations of the Madrileños in summer so it is necessary to get up early to find a place Its best known beach is the Virgen de la Nueva which maintains its blue flag for another year The reservoir also has a recreational area where water sportscan be practiced and is equipped with tables and a kiosk popularly known as the “road of the marshes” the other beach where bathing is allowed is El Muro The other permitted Zone in the same area does not have the recognition and fame of Virgen de la Nueva but it may be less crowded for that reason the Community of Madrid rates the water quality as excellent in its annual sampling tests This sandy area formed by the confluence of the Alberche and Perales rivers is one of those “beaches” in the closest sense of the term that Madrid allows It is reached first by taking the A-5 and then the M-507 It can also be reached by public transportation from Príncipe Pío with buses 541 The Natural Pools of Cercedilla are another of the essential stops of the summer season for the people of Madrid Although they were originally completely natural their waters are less “wild” because they are treated with chlorine picnic areas if you bring your own food or toilets It is located about 60 km from the capital and the rates are 6 € on weekdays 7 € on holidays and 4 € for children under 14 and over 65 and they are open from June 14 through the end of August from there take the road to Cercedilla and then to Las Dehesas is the beach of Estremera or Los Villares river beach Recognized as a suitable bathing area by the Community of Madrid Zone also has various services and is prepared to host various water activities And an extra point in favor of those who have four-legged friends in the family: it allows access with animals It is located in Buitrago de Lozoya and receives water from the Riosequillo reservoir The Zone is equipped with all kinds of services (beach bar making it ideal for spending the whole day without worrying about anything but enjoying the bathing and the views of the surroundings Admission costs €4 on weekdays and €5 on weekends for adults a price that is reduced to €3 and €3.50 respectively for children and seniors over 65 This pool is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m It is located in a place of abundant vegetation with pools and rocky areas The Zone has a small parking lot that costs 5€ next to the recreation area you can cross the red bridge that crosses the river and follow the signs to reach the dam of the reservoir or an impressive construction whose origin is uncertain: it is thought to be Roman or medieval take the M-604 and at kilometer 12 take the Embalse de la Pinilla turnoff La Boca del Asno is located between Madrid and Segovia it is located in the forests of Valsaín where the meadows of the Eresma River form these natural pools where bathing was traditionally allowed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO8qtin10Tc As summer sets in and the temperature rises weekends in the capital are better in the suburbs You don’t have to go far for the temperatures to drop and the water to run the marshes and rivers of Madrid are a must every summer