I went to Río, Madrid

No babies smiling at me but earlier this year I was in Río. Not Rio de Janeiro, but Rio de Madrid. 

Parque Madrid Río is a relatively new 10-km-long, impressive urban landscape flanking the River Manzanares, about three kilometres (a brisk half hour walk) west of Museo Nacional del Prado. The Manzanares, interestingly, flows into the Jarama, then the Tagus, reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon.

In Madrid, the Manzanares has provided freshwater to the city since its inception by Moors in the nineteenth century. Then is was barely a trickle in summer, but now treated wastewater is fed back into the stream and it remains a steady flow throughout the year. It's water is now used to irrigate major parks and street planting in the city, including Parque Madrid Rio.

The first design for Rio was presented in 2005, with the project officially launched three years later and opened to the public in 2015. Way over budget I understand, which is not surprising for such an ambitious undertaking.

To create 820 hectares of parkland, a major motorway, the M30, was dropped underground to create the (then?) world's longest urban tunnel (through which I took an uber home to my hotel after the warm walk to and along part of the trail). These 820 hectares connected up to another 2000 or so hectares of park and forest, creating an 'ecological corridor'.

Within the park itself are some classical elements, such as the parterres near the early eighteenth century, baroque-style, Puente de Toledo. The trees in flower while I was visiting Madrid in May are Albizia. 

Other parts are more modern and perhaps confronting, like these planting boxes within the the river. Apart from this one, most were empty on my visit but I'd liked the sharp geometry.

Then there are many kilometres of walking (54 km) and cycling (30 km) paths, some shared, criss-crossing the river at fancy new bridges and lined by groves of often local species. Like the allemandes of the Paseo del Prado, these trees - all 33,000 of them - provide welcome shade for the many pedestrians using this route.  

On my five kilometre walk through the park, I saw a couple of playgrounds but I gather there are are seventeen in total. Each is made from 'natural' or recycled materials such as wood and hemp-rope. 

A swimming or cooling off area, the so-called Madrid Río Beach, I did not see but am sure it is very popular in the hot summer - particularly the water fountains.

Then there are cafes, performance spaces and sporting facilities. Plus plenty of interpretation of the tree plantings and every increasing biodiversity making itself at home in mix of Copacabana and Court of Carlos II.