Cerro de la Magdalena

Seen from a window in my parents' house, this hill has always captivated me, marking the edge of Madrid and the beginning of the countryside. This time, after 30 years, I walked here from home, a journey of about one hour. The place, brown, dry and arid, without a single tree, a boundary between the city and what lies beyond, is likely to change soon: an urban development project is expected to transform it completely. For now, the area is defined by relative silence, only by the constant noise of nearby highways broken by some airplanes, and by wide views over both Madrid and the huge open plains of Castile.