Presa El Gasco

Looking at vultures

 There is a strange artifact of history that is now a pleasant park and a fantastic walk. The El Gasco Dam is a failed dam constructed in the late 18th century. It was intended to be a grandiose engineering project leading to canals connecting Madrid and the Atlantic Ocean. At the time it was to be the tallest dam ever constructed but after being plagued by delays and setbacks, an early failure led to the project being abandoned. The steep walls of the dam are still visible and you can walk freely on top the very steep walls. It's a cool experience and the views over the valley are fantastic. I highly recommend visiting its Wikipedia page to learn more about its strange history.

There are a couple of trails in the area that wind through the hills or along the incomplete canal. There is a much longer loop that goes through a classic Mediterranean tree and shrub habitat. There are some beautiful views across Madrid and nice assortment of trails winding in and out of the rocks. 

We were lucky to see a group of Griffon and Black Vultures scavenging a Wild Boar carcass by the river. There were probably thirty to forty of them and we saw several go to perch in the sun across the valley while others fought it out for a piece of the boar. I was surprised at how open the area was, there were no fences or installations of any kind. The area was popular with dog walkers and I understand why with such an enjoyable walk near to several smaller suburbs. 

Views from above

Nice wooded area by the canals

Cocido

 

The ultimate winter dish, cocido is a very meat centric stew. This is a common winter dish in most parts of Spain bar the hotter south, and although the core ingredients remain the same, regional variety is exhibited especially with the meats.

The dish starts with a noodle soup in a rich stock. It can either be combined with garbanzos or have the garbanzos served separately. In this case we had them separately which I quite liked due to the even richer sauce the garbanzos were presented with. After this is a dish of meats all of which were perfectly cooked and presented. The regional touch were the "bollas", delicious little fritter like composites from the stews and stock of the different meats. 

We were lucky enough to get this cocido at a local restaurant as part of their daily menu, an extreme bargain that had the usually calm restaurant overflowing with anyone from a 15km radius. Turnover was quick and efficient as the business tried to maximize flows and make their August on cocido day. With a dessert included it was 15 Euros per person, fantastic value especially in the calorie to cost ratio!

To say cocido is a rich meal is an understatement but if you're looking for a heart meal to warm you up, this might be one of the ultimate choices.

Roasted chestnuts (Castañas asadas)

Compact booth

One of my absolute favorite winter features of Madrid are the availability of roasted chestnuts (Castañas asadas). I had not been familiar with just how delicious these roasted nuts could be admittedly being more familiar with the word from the opening lines of the Nat King Cole Christmas classic, "The Christmas Song". The presence of their temporary booths, not present in summer, are a sure sign of winter and the warm nuts offer respite from the cold. They are sold in three different sizes and the bags even come with an extra side bag for the shell of the nuts!

Shout out to the Instagram user vive_majadahonda for the short feature video!

Dual pocket bag for shells.