They Call Me Pedro

20/09/2026

A dictator's summer house, falling apart on a mountaintop. Built in 1920 for an art collector. Left to Franco in 1940. He kept it 35 years. Empty since the 80s. Still a protected monument, still rotting.

📍Palacio del Canto del Pico, Torrelodones

20/09/2026

Yesterday I hiked up to the Palace of Canto del Pico in Torrelodones.

It sits on a granite peak at 1,011 meters, and the view from up there covers a good chunk of the region. The Count of Las Almenas built it in 1920 to house his art collection. He left it to Franco in 1940, and the dictator used it for the next 35 years. It has been sitting empty since the 1980s. Beautiful in the way only abandoned things are.

The trail up to it is covered in garbage.

Beer cans, bottles, wrappers. Not in one bad spot. The whole way.

Here is the part I can't work out. There's a trash can in front of the entrance

So someone walks uphill for the better part of an hour to sit somewhere quiet and spectacular, opens a beer, enjoys the view, and then drops the empty can at their feet.

I would like someone to explain what type of person does that, because I keep trying and I come up short.

I won't call them animals. A street dog doesn't s**t where it sleeps.

Carry it back down. It really is that simple.

19/09/2026

Can someone explain this to me? Bad manners? No imagination? Or just no instinct left? Even a stray dog knows not to foul the place where it sleeps.

15/09/2026

Being in touch with nature and staying physically active are the best ways to deal with stress and burnout, no matter what's wearing you down.

14/09/2026

While winter hasn't arrived yet, I recommend heading outside

13/09/2026

It's supposedly the most haunted place in Spain. As is always the case in situations like this, there's some story behind it - someone saw something, someone heard something.

For me, this is usually just proof of incompetence, wasted potential, and political nonsense about "it can't be done."

But maybe there's something behind it, so in a little while I'll find out for myself.

07/09/2026

What to do in Spain? Maybe rock climbing is what you're looking for?

Today I visited what is supposedly the largest climbing gym in Spain, located in Madrid.

*This content is not sponsored or paid for in any way.

04/09/2026

Abandoned Houses and a Farm in Spain

03/09/2026