If you are fanatic about hearing stories about practical location hunting you might endure my wife’s travel and research story she wrote on FB. There there are many nice photos as well. https://tinyurl.com/43h45zzj
Last week we spent in Torredolodone outside Madrid. Bosse is a spaghetti western fan and likes to look for filming locations. Around Hoyo de Manzanares where the Golden City film city was located there are many potential locations to locate. We took the express train from Malaga to Madrid on Tuesday morning. I got a little drunk with laughter when the train was covered with advertising for the UN Agenda 2030. The journey was comfortable and we enjoyed beautiful landscapes that we passed along the way. Unfortunately, a sudden electrical failure on the train caused about half an hour of delay. We had rented a car at the Madrid train station but there were problems when we went to pick it up because we only had debit cards and no credit cards. We thought this was a bit crazy because there was enough money on the cards. It was eventually resolved and it was a little more expensive but we were able to get on our way out of the city towards our destination. The Madrid traffic was a bit chaotic because there were roadworks going on and we followed the map on my mobile phone to Bosse’s annoyance.
We arrived at a trail at Hoyo Manzanares that Bosse had laid out in advance where we would combine business with pleasure and exercise while exploring the surroundings and looking for a house. I immediately noticed that the houses in the area had a characteristic design and everything from the surrounding walls and fences to the buildings themselves were made of stone only. Not surprising considering the rocky landscape around us. November in the Madrid area where we were reminded a bit of the climate in the Stockholm area but with more daylight. The temperature was between 9 and 13 degrees Celsius and it rained a bit during our stay and was humid. However, we only managed to run a few kilometers on the rocky dirt road before Bosse fell and broke one of his knees. We decided to go to the hotel and when we passed a pharmacy on the way we stopped and Bosse went in, got help and came out with some wound care products.
At the hotel in Torrelodone there was a large parking lot that was locked at night and we were directed to a room with a patio door in the direction of the pool located in a separate small house. We were not keen on swimming but a group of rugby players who were also staying at the hotel showed off their well-trained bodies where they played and splashed around in the water. I ate the sandwich I had brought while Bosse munched on a saffron bun that I had baked and brought with me to Spain. A short evening walk to the grocery store that was nearby to sample a little. After a shower and changing the bandages on the bleeding wounds, we fell asleep heavily in the comfortable beds. In the morning we discovered that Bosse’s bed was full of blood and I had to go to a shopping center to a pharmacy to buy more before new adventures. The plan for the day was ruined, however, when we discovered that the road we were going to take to the village was closed because the area was a guarded military area.
What do we do now? Bosse wondered. We made our way back to the crime scene where Bosse had injured himself the day before. We went up the mountain again but after a while noticed that the path went in the wrong direction relative to the house. I therefore left the path and saw the roof of the house we were looking for in the distance but was met by a deep ditch that was a little water-filled. Bosse met an older man on the path with a walking stick who he later described as Gandalf. He started a conversation with the man who suggested that we take the path at the foot of the mountain instead of below the house. We returned to the car and stopped at a recreation area, El Berzalejo, to train before returning to the hotel. After training and a shower, we had a hamburger at BurgerKing for dinner as Bosse was craving meat.
Thursday was the day we were to make the trip to Colmenar Viejo and climb a steep mountain. The road via Hoyo de Manzanares was winding and the landscape beautiful. We were driving so slowly that queues of angry motorists formed behind us tourists. Upon arriving at the parking lot below the mountain, Bosse realized that the path he had chosen was on private land and was fenced off. Above us, a group of large vultures were circling, checking the situation. I suddenly saw something red on the path next to me and said to Bosse that there is someone you can ask. While the conversation was going on, a runner came down the path and joined the conversation. The man in red climbed over the wall with ease, even though his right arm was only a short stump, while Bosse, happy to have met a like-minded person, continued talking to the runner. I took myself over the stone wall with a little less ease and joined in. We started walking along the stone wall uphill and discovered a hole that we made our way through, even though it might not actually have been allowed to pass through. It was obvious that cows had been there. We trudged through layers of cow dung up to the current road to get up and document the exact location of the recording location. I looked around at the beautiful surroundings while Bosse, focused on the task, quickly climbed up to begin his search for the right angles. At the top of the mountain was a house that luckily seemed closed.
After finding the right place with the right stones, we headed down the mountain again and a little rain started to drip in the air. With an overjoyed husband in the car on the way back to Torrelodone, I stopped at an old bridge (maybe Roman) and took some photos. I want hamburgers again, Bosse said, so it was another trip to Burger King in the rain.
Friday morning, Bosse wanted to spend reconnoitering and searching maps to try to find the filming location at the house. I took the opportunity to take a walk in the village of Torrelodones. The idea was that I would look for a restaurant for the evening and study the surroundings. I also had an urgent need to move. The sun peeked out and I immediately saw the tower on the hill that gave the village its name. Torrelodones is not that big, so after about an hour I was back in the hotel room again where Bosse was still doing research.
I had time to rest a bit and replenish some energy before we took on the next escapade. We were supposed to follow the wall around the property to be able to photograph the house. The road was rocky, thorny and sometimes difficult to pass. However, there were large holes in the wall where people had entered the property so we decided to take the risk when it started to rain. I have cash in case we were discovered, Bosse stated. After a while of wandering, I spotted a large deer standing completely still between the trees so I took out my camera to take a picture. Then Bosse came thundering and the deer started to run away together with two other deer that had probably lain down in the grass. We arrived at large open fields and a road that eventually led us up to the house. There were a lot of photos from different angles and a lot of spontaneous photos for me.
Back at the hotel we were soaked, dirty and cold. The hairdryer was running too hard to dry clothes and shoes. After a hot shower, the idea was that we would eat at one of the restaurants I had scouted out earlier and Bosse had approved. We got in the car and headed for the restaurant but were told that they didn’t serve food until 20:30. We were too tired and hungry to wait so we had fast food pizza at Telepizza instead. It was OK but not as cozy as we had planned.
The day of departure we started with a jog up to the location of the old western movie town Golden City. From the road we could see Madrid’s skyline on the horizon. Once up there, there was a lot of photography of cool rock formations and environments. In a narrow gorge I met a bunch of motorcyclists in a row on the way up. Back to the hotel, a shower, some food and check out at 12. On the way to the train station we passed central Madrid and got to see both the castle and the Prada museum. A beautiful city that I would love to visit again. We managed to book ourselves on an earlier train back to Malaga and once home I quickly passed out, tired from all the impressions and experiences.
