Calle Aldea del Fresno

The name travels from La Chopera to the western mountains of Madrid, where a village overlooking the river Alberche shares it: Aldea del Fresno. The street brings it to Arganzuela, like so many others in the neighbourhood that take the names of towns in the province. The place name holds a tree. Fresno (ash) comes from the Latin fraxinus, the strong, flexible wood once used for handles and shafts, and it ties the street to the riverside country of the Alberche, the river the Arabs called al-birka, “the pool.” The story goes that the village grew from the migrating shepherds who came down from the Segovia side on their way to Extremadura and spent the night beside the water. Today the town is known for its summer river beaches, a world away from the asphalt of La Chopera.