Madrid desde el aire: Madrid, la ciudad entre ciudades

Madrid cannot be understood without the other cities that surround it. The Arc de Triomf in Moncloa, the Temple of Debod, the España building, and the Torre de Madrid in Plaza de España are some of the landmarks flanking the entrances to the capital. Gran Vía and Alcalá form the backbone of the city center, and some of its buildings and facades leave no one indifferent, such as the Telefónica building, the Círculo de Bellas Artes, the Bank of Spain, and the Post Office, now the City Hall. To the southwest, we find recreational moments at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, the Casa de Campo and its lake, the Amusement Park, and the Zoo. We fly down Manzanares, years before the renovation of its surroundings, toward the Planetarium, and then re-enter the city via Paseo de Delicias and Atocha. Then begins the so-called "Art Triangle," with the Reina Sofía Museum, the Thyssen Museum, and the Prado. We're in the most monumental part of the capital, with the Congress of Deputies, Neptuno, and the Puerta de Alcalá, Madrid's most recognizable skyline worldwide, which also serves as the entrance to the popular Retiro Park. We head east, where Torre España stands out, the telecommunications antenna built for the 1982 World Cup, and the M30 leads us toward the Las Ventas bullring and the Almudena Cemetery, which is truly breathtaking from above. Back in the center, we find Plaza de Colón, the National Library, with its more than 3 million volumes, and we rise toward the tallest part of Madrid, dominated by the skyscrapers along the Castellana axis. Until the construction of the Cuatro Torres, Madrid's rooftops were the Torres Kio, the Windsor (before its fire), the BBVA Tower, and, above all, the Torre Picasso. Meanwhile, San Sebastián de los Reyes, the site of the most populous bull runs in the region, and Alcobendas and its Science Museum stand out as the main population centers in the northern metropolitan area. Not far away are Soto de Viñuelas, with its nearly 400-year-old castle, and the Jarama circuit.