Exploring España: La Granja de San Ildefonso

As if one awkward date in a weekend wasn't enough, I somehow found myself on a second. Oh well, at the very least I might get a few nice photos because if I'm going down, my camera's coming with me! Truth be told though, I had no idea where we were going or even if it would be photo-worthy...

My date WhatsApped me at 10:45 to say he had arrived. I asked him where he was. Outside my flat apparently. Hmmmm... better go down then. Getting into the car was awkward. Even if I could speak Spanish a little more fluently, there's not a lot I actually want to say to him. He pointed out landmarks on the drive – a restaurant, a mosque, a bridge, a tree... I smiled politely, acknowledging the comment but not feeling the need to reply. What is the reply anyway? Ooooh, nice. Very nice. Yes. F*** my life.

We took the exit for Puerto del Navacerrada, which meant an uphill drive on some extremely winding roads. Altitude markers announced 1,200m, 1,300m, 1,400m, before culminating in an impressive 1,800m. I was rather disappointed that this was not apparently our destination. I wasn't even going to get a chance to take a photo of what must have been stunning views. Instead we began our descent down the other side. Before long we had reached our intended destination – San Ildefonso.

Inspired by the Palace of Versailles, Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso is an 18th century Baroque-style palace surrounded by gardens extending over 1,500 acres. Built for King Felipe V, it would later become the summer residence of the kings of Spain.

The gardens, which were designed by the French architect René Carlier, are one of the best examples of 18th century European garden design. The gardens are adorned with statues, urns and benches, while manicured lawns are perfectly compliment by borders of flowers. La Granja is famous for its water features, of which there are 26, among them cascades, fountains and a beautiful, artificial lake that acts as a reservoir.
 

View of the palace from Fuente de la Cascada







 

 

A closer look at the palace

 

   

Tree-lined walkways

A woodland path

 

 

El Mar, the glassy, artificial lake that serves as a reservoir for the entire garden

 

Fuente de la Selva, one of the many water features

 

Having seen quite a lot of the grounds, my date suggested going back to the car where – and I can barely contain my excitement here (NOT!) – he had a homemade sandwich waiting for us. I thought we might find a nice place to sit. He, however, had other ideas. A dusty, deserted, run-down cul-de-sac.

We sat on a broken step and ate our sandwiches in silence. He stood up suddenly, then sat down again. I couldn't help but notice that he was much, much closer to me than he had been. He scooched along a little more so that our legs were practically touching. Sigh. I am so NOT down with making out in a freaking cul-de-sac! I'm not 13 for God's sake! And then I saw a rat! Truth be told, I'm not actually that bothered by rats, but it gave me the perfect excuse to jump up and squeal like the girl that I am! And refuse to sit back down. Thank you, rat! From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

My date realised that he was not even going to reach first base. Disappointed and by now, rather deflated, he suggested we go to Segovia, a nearby town on the tourist trail. I would have preferred to go back to Madrid, but what choice did I have?

I've been to Segovia once before, and I really rather liked it. But I didn't particularly enjoy it this time. I guess it's different when you're with someone you don't want to be with. Every time I stopped to take a photo, I felt his hand on my lower back. Or he'd grab my arm to steer me out of the way of a child who was nowhere near us. As if that weren't annoying enough, he was beginning to irritate me with his constant moaning about the heat. FFS! I am from the UK and it's not too bloody hot for me, so how can it be too hot for a born-and-bred Spaniard?!

We walked all over the city, from the aqueduct to the cathedral to the Alcázar and halfway back again. Had I have been on my own, I'd have stopped off in a nice café for a tea break and a spot of people-watching. He had other ideas. He took us down some steps and soon we were in a fairly empty-looking park outside the city walls. We walked and walked and walked for what seemed like a silent eternity. Then my phone vibrated.

Ordinarily I wouldn't so much as glance at my phone when I'm on a date, but today I wanted the distraction. And what a distraction it turned out to be. It was from my flatmate, or should I say my soon-to-be-ex-flatmate. Thanks to her non-payment of the rent, the landlady is kicking her out, and as she is the contract holder, I have to go too. By Sunday. Which gives me seven days to find a new place to live. Though I'm not overly worried about being able to find somewhere else to live, it did put me in a pensive mood. I am a doer so as soon as I hit an obstacle, I have to start figuring out a way around it. And since I couldn't articulate myself in Spanish, he couldn't be part of it.

We eventually found our way back to the Alcázar, where he wanted to sit down for a bit. I had no problem with that whatsoever... until he put a hand on my back and moved it down till it was practically on my arse. Hell no! That ain't happening! I jumped up and walked away as fast as I could without seeming like I was running away. I amused myself by taking endless photos of brightly-coloured flowers. When he realised that I wasn't going to come back to him, he gave up and drove us back to Madrid in silence.


A splash of colour