patones
If you follow me on any social media, you've probably seen some beautiful pictures of scenery and buildings in Patones. Patones is a very small town in the Community of Madrid and is made up of two parts: Patones de Arriba and Patones Bajo. The modern part of the town is at the bottom of a mountain while the more historic area that I explored yesterday is up in the mountains. While the town is mostly abandoned in terms of inhabitants today, it is still a popular tourist stop on the weekends. During the week, however, all restaurants are closed, and really no one is in the town, which made it a great time for us to visit and take pictures! I had planned to go to Pilar's for the evening, but our plan to go to Patones was very spur-of-the-moment. This week, the weather is very cool in Madrid, so we decided to take advantage of a cooler afternoon to explore. Pilar's mom and friend came with us too!
The town is almost exclusively made of slate, so the houses and streets seem to all melt together. The houses that have been abandoned are still beautiful in a strange way, with vines and trees growing over the walls and up through parts of the streets.
Patones has historical significance, too, as do all good little Spanish towns. In the early 1800s, Napoleon from France invaded Spain, attempting to gain control of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain & Portugal). The French invasion overlaps with the Spanish Revolution, and Spain was left in economic and literal physical ruins. Patones, however, was one small city that survived the invasion. Because of its situation between two mountains, and because of its construction, Patones was hidden from French troops who were conquering the Madrid area. Even today, Patones de Arriba can't be seen from the highway that sits just a 5-minutes' drive down the hill.
On the drive back to Camarma, I enjoyed listening to Pilar's mom tell stories of her family history and Spanish/local history. We stopped in Torrelaguna, another small town, to get a snack. One of the best things about knowing Spaniards and calling them friends as opposed to living in the American bubble in Madrid (which one could easily do) is having opportunities to explore such cool places. Towns like Patones are never going to pop up on the must-see parts of Spain, but it is one of the neatest places I have seen here.
The town is almost exclusively made of slate, so the houses and streets seem to all melt together. The houses that have been abandoned are still beautiful in a strange way, with vines and trees growing over the walls and up through parts of the streets.
Patones has historical significance, too, as do all good little Spanish towns. In the early 1800s, Napoleon from France invaded Spain, attempting to gain control of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain & Portugal). The French invasion overlaps with the Spanish Revolution, and Spain was left in economic and literal physical ruins. Patones, however, was one small city that survived the invasion. Because of its situation between two mountains, and because of its construction, Patones was hidden from French troops who were conquering the Madrid area. Even today, Patones de Arriba can't be seen from the highway that sits just a 5-minutes' drive down the hill.
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| Here is the best picture I have to demonstrate how the town blends in with the surrounding scenery, tucked into the hills. |
On the drive back to Camarma, I enjoyed listening to Pilar's mom tell stories of her family history and Spanish/local history. We stopped in Torrelaguna, another small town, to get a snack. One of the best things about knowing Spaniards and calling them friends as opposed to living in the American bubble in Madrid (which one could easily do) is having opportunities to explore such cool places. Towns like Patones are never going to pop up on the must-see parts of Spain, but it is one of the neatest places I have seen here.
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