12 May 2020

Our little corner of Madrid is the barrio called Puerta del Ángel. It’s located in southwestern Madrid, just west of the Manzanares River and on the edge of the city’s largest public park, Casa de Campo.

We absolutely love hiking over the hills and strolling through the tall grass in the park, but there are many other aspects of this neighborhood that we adore as well.

As many are aware, Spain has some of the strictest COVID-19 lockdown measures in the world. For several weeks, we were not allowed to go outside for any reason besides essentials, like groceries.

Bringing life back to the streets

As the country begins to lighten the restrictions, we are now allowed to go for a walk once a day for one hour. Now that we are able to stroll through the streets once again, I have a new appreciation for our little neighborhood. I love wandering down our narrow streets, passing a fresh fruit market on every corner.

We are also fortunate enough to have an underground metro stop just a few blocks from our apartment, keeping us connected to the rest of this beautiful city. We are on line 6, a circular line that runs all the way around the center part of the city. This makes traveling a breeze and so easy to connect to other lines.

Our favorites of Puerta del Ángel

One the coolest and best-known parts of Puerta del Ángel is the Tirso de Molina Market. Every weekend, dozens of locals gather at the indoor market to eat and drink at the various food stands. We shop here from time to time for fresh fruit, meat, or homemade pasta. Another favorite of ours is a stand owned by a local bakery where they make fresh pizzas. So good!

Of course, we can’t talk about our favorites without mentioning Casa de Campo. This has been by far the best part of living in this area. We have taken all of our guests here to picnic, relax in the sun and enjoy the spectacular views from the top of the hills.

On one side, you can see snow capped mountains and on the other, the entire city, including the Royal Palace and Cathedral. There is even a cable car gondola that runs from the highest point in the park down into the edge of the city- another great activity to do with our guests.

Finding a place to live in Madrid was one of the most difficult parts of moving here. Between the language barrier and the competitiveness of it, there were definitely moments when I was doubting whether it would all work out. I can honestly say that we ended up in the perfect neighborhood and we couldn’t be happier.

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