Paseo de la Dirección

The full name was Paseo de la Dirección del Canal, and that “Canal” explains everything. The road grew alongside the conduits of the Canal de Isabel II, the works that have brought water from the Lozoya to Madrid since 1858. “Dirección” pointed to no direction of travel: it referred to the administrative office of the Canal, the body that ran its installations. Over time the name lost its second half, and today a name that spoke of offices sounds like a simple road sign. Its shape betrays its origin. The promenade winds almost four kilometres with curves that baffle first-time walkers, because it traces not a straight urban line but the winding path of the aqueducts running underground. Four of those old aqueducts bear local names: los Pinos, la Traviesa, Valdeacederas and los Barrancos. Among the few surviving brick walls, the trace of those conduits can still be made out.