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A SQUARE in a Madrid suburb has captivated writers at The Financial Times and been named one of their favourite places for enjoying the fresh air once the pandemic is under control and the public can go back to a restriction-free life.
In its article Many happy returns: The city spaces that bring joy to our correspondents and writers, the British daily ranks the Plaza de Olavide in the capital's Chamberí neighbourhood along with London's Dulwich Park and Hong Kong's Hoi Ha Wan Bay as one of the 22 top places to chill out.
Each of the FT's correspondents have chosen their go-to outdoor relaxation hotspot, and the Plaza Olavide, with its famous ornamental fountain, is described by Spain-based journalist Simon Kuper as being flanked by 'beautiful bourgeois apartments and pedestrianised side-streets'.
Kuper points out to readers that although mornings in Madrid at the time of writing – autumn – can be cold, the bright lunchtime sunshine feels closer to 20ºC.
He writes how he is 'sitting on a terrace' at one of the Plaza's pleasant but 'unremarkable' restaurants, which serves up a full lunchtime menu 'at the ridiculous price of €13' for the standard three-course menú del día with drink included, with a glass of Albariño white wine.
The 'octagonal' and 'tree-lined' Plaza has, 'like all the best Spanish plazas', a children's play-park, so parents can 'de-stress' while the kids 'go crazy'.
Kuper says it is 'moments like this' when Spain is the most liveable country in the world, and that the 'European dream' is 'right here'.
The Plaza de Olavide is set to get greener and more brightly-coloured in 2022, as the regional government of Madrid plans to invest €4 million in an ambitious makeover of the borough of Chamberí as a whole, which will include a revamp of the garden areas in the square.
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