Beer, Bunkers, and Bullfights

Last Friday, Shawn #2 and I hiked through the mountains from El Espinar to San Rafael. The trip was about 12 kilometers through rocky terrain. It wasn't the kind of hike I expected, because instead of trails most of the way was dirt roads. As we admired the boulders I noticed one in the distance that looked strange.

A closer looked revealed a bunker dating to the Spanish Civil War! It overlooks the town of Cercedilla in the valley below and was probably built by the Fascists as they tightened the noose around Madrid.

It was open, so of course we went inside, around a blind corner, and up some steps. . .

. . .to get a commanding field of fire over Cercedilla.

We decided not to restart hostilities and continued on our way, only to come across a road and an asador, the Spanish equivalent of a bar and grille. After a couple of drinks at the bar, and resisting the temptation to order steaks, we continued on and saw a couple more bunkers before getting to San Rafael an hour and a half before the next train back to Madrid. We quickly discovered San Rafael is a boring town so we retired to another bar and watched bullfights on TV while downing more beer. One brave matador did such a good job he was awarded the bull's ears, an honor in bullfighting.

All in all, a great hike, although with all those beers I don't think I got much of a workout.