After presiding over an awards ceremony in Soria, the King had a surprise meal at a roadside restaurant before arriving at the Zarzuela Palace, his official residence. The chosen place was Area 103, located at kilometer 103 of Highway A-2, near Almadrones, Guadalajara. As Ana Isabel Rebollo, one of the owners of this family business with more than 125 years of history, told us, Don Felipe’s appearance was totally unexpected. “They made a reservation in the morning and the manager told us that he thought it was for a politician because they had also reserved some surrounding tables for the bodyguards. I was in the cafeteria with my nephew and when we saw him arrive we said: ‘But he’s the King!’“, he detailed to us.
© Area 103Don Felipe was scheduled to travel to Soria by helicopter, but bad weather prevented this and he finally made the trip by car. Halfway there, he stopped for lunch in this well-known service area that is located 125 kilometers from Soria and 110 from Madrid.
Don Felipe took his seat and He asked the waiter about the restaurant’s famous torreznos. I had heard about them and wanted to try them. He also ordered the grilled glass peppers and one of the house specialties, the roast lamb. For dessert, fruit.
© Area 103As Ana Isabel explained to us, there were more people having lunch in the dining room and the King was very kind to all of them. In fact, at the next table there was an older lady who couldn’t believe what she was experiencing and Don Felipe behaved very affectionately with her.
The King spent two hours in the restaurant, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and before leaving he took several photos with the owners of Area 103, Ana Isabel, Antonio and Ramón Rebollo, who is also president of the restaurant. Nipac Foundatione, whose objective is to improve the lives of boys and girls with cerebral palsy throughout Spain.
Other royal visits
It is not the first time that a member of the Spanish Royal Family has stopped at this restaurant. As Ana Isabel explained to us, Infanta Cristina has also eaten there a long time ago, along with Don Juan Carlos and Doña SofÃa. “I am 54 years old and when King Juan Carlos and SofÃa came they held me in their arms“, he recalled with nostalgia and regretting not having a photo of that moment.
