Day 183 5 hrs, 10.0 kmsDay Totals: 16 hrs, 33.9 kms
I head off at a brisk pace . Dusk is quickly approaching and I don't know what obstacles I might encounter on my hike to Madrid. Just like on the southside, it looks like the only link to the Madrid is a freeway--I really need to find another route.
At first things look good: I find a country road that goes through an orchard, parallel to the freeway... I keep going, going... crossing my fingers...
Out of luck. The country road is cut by a the railway crossing. And the only way to get any further is to climb over a high, chain link fence on the freeway! Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
After giving it some thought, when there's a little lapse in traffic I figure it's now or never and precariously climb over the fence...
Luckily the town of Torrejon starts just a few hundred meters beyond, so I don't have to walk along the freeway very far--and no, I don't get arrested!
Torrejon is another typical modern Madrid suburb... no problem. I enjoy a stroll through the streets that wind up and down the slopes in the center of town, stopping for a shwarma for supper and a fried sugar doughnut . In the spacious plaza I can finally relax a little and pull out my guitar. I'm joined by a Dominican lady, maybe in her 30s who has come here to Spain in search for a better life. It hasn't been an easy journey, she tells me. Jobs are very hard to come by...
Torrejon's claim to fame is that nearby there was an American Air Force base. I remember, back in the 90s Spainiards proudly telling me they came to protest against the presence of this base. Apparently their protests were effective. In the early 90s, when the socialists came into power the contract with the American military wasn't renewed.
Finally I continue on down the road, through a sprawling industrial area that is stil mostly huge empty lots. After many twists and turns I can finally see the lights of San Fernando and know that might mission is nearly complete. Back in 2011 I hike from Madrid to San Fernando, so my quest to connect Madrid and Alcala with a trail of footprints has been fulfilled.