Europe 2021: Valley of the Fallen

Europe 2021:

Valley of the Fallen

This trip had been partially designed around my father and his history, and the first stop on the nostalgia train was the Valley of the Fallen just north of Madrid. The Valley of the Fallen is a Catholic basilica and a memorial built by Dictator Francisco Franco that he claimed was a "national act of atonement" and reconciliation after the brutal Spanish Civil War. My father was trapped in Spain as a young child along with his mother for six or seven years during this war, before they escaped to the US on a boat through Cuba into the port of New York.

It's a beautiful drive from Madrid - even in a VW Caddy! We pretty much had the place to ourselves as my excessive efforts to avoid people continued to pay off on this trip. You see it from miles away as you approach from the south, and it's quite impressive.

The area is beautiful and full of hiking options. The complex is huge! I think it surprised Branelle quite a bit as she said it "felt like it was built for giants". The pictures don't do the scale of the place justice.

I rarely have an emotional response to places, but I had one here for some reason. I'm not sure what it was, probably some combination of reflection on my father's journey in life and missing him. If it were packed with people I'm sure it would not have been the case, but walking around this landmark of 20th-century Spanish architecture hearing only the wind (and Nel talking about bears) was quite special.

The interior is equally as striking as the exterior. You aren't supposed to take pictures, but I snuck a few in. Even as large as the outside is, you're still shocked when you walk through the doors at what they've built under the mountain. 

This place isn't without controversy. Franco himself was buried here upon his death in 1975, and after decades of debate his remains were removed in 2019. There are some that would prefer to see this place removed, or at least altered. I'm certainly no fan of Franco, but erasing history is an exercise for the weak and ignorant. Beneath the valley floor lie the remains of over 40,000 Spaniards, and this memorial to that tragedy, regardless of who ordered its construction, should serve to remind Spain and the world in hopes of never repeating the circumstances that lead to their end. For me, it is a reminder of what my father escaped, barely, to find a better life in America.

El Escorial

A bonus to stopping in the area is a visit to El Escorial. This is the historical residence of the King of Spain, and it's only about 15 minutes up the road from the Valley of the Fallen. It's a palace, and not a bad one, in the nice town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. We did the tour and had lunch at a restaurant recommended by a friend of mine before heading on.

A great number of the Spanish royal family is entombed here, and it's something you shouldn't miss if you're already north of Madrid.

The town itself was charming. The restaurant we had lunch in was called Charoles, and it was a Michelin rated dining option. It was a nice place in a great location, but a little fancy for my taste for a quick lunch.