Yesterday I made a trip out to Toledo. (I keep getting Boz Scaggs Lido song in my head) It is only 30 mins away by RENFE train. Buying the ticket was a bit of an ordeal, the automated machines didn’t accept my credit card and didn’t accept cash, so I had to take a number and join the flock of other people who couldn’t use the  machines, and there were quite a few.

On the train I sat behind someone that could have done with a sudafed and a bottle of charcoal tablets. Hopefully I got out of there without catching whatever it is he had.

Toledo is a very old city known for it’s co-existence of Jews, Muslims and Christians.They also have a big history of making bladed weapons. I got the hop on hop off bus but as I didn’t understand the driver my ticket  only allowed to me to hop on and hop off once. It did take me for a drive over to the other side of the river to look at the city from that perspective. There was a man up there reading a book, I can see why. It was a beautiful vista.

I went to the Ejercito museum which is a museum of army stuff. I am not into anything army but it was interesting nonetheless. The soldiers of the days gone by deserve a medal just for running around in incredibly heavy and hot ( as in warm variety of hot not the oh la la type) looking uniforms.

There was a craft market on the roof, nothing really took my fancy or would fit in my suitcase. I went for a bit of a walk and found the Museum de santa cruz, I  didn’t stay there long as there is only so many effigies of christ tacked onto a cross that I can look at. Then I thought I would go and find other museums I walked down a hill and back up that hill and up another road and down and up another and realised I had walked a loop and was back where I started. That was a little frustrating. The people of Toledo must have thighs of steel.

I found a nice little tapas place and sat and read my kindle, the man at the cafe was very nice. I haven’t found the people of Madrid to be all that friendly. Servers slap food down in front of you, people in the street are rude with no provocation . The longest conversation I have had in a week ( other than to ring my mum) is with the lovely guy that sells take away sangria.

I was tired from all the walking up and down hills so I headed for the station, even though my train wasn’t coming for an hour. The little Spanish girl serving was up there as the most multi skilled person I have ever watched. She was amazing , she totally owned the room. I drank them dry of vino blanco after one glass. She can’t be the person ordering the wine ’cause if she was there would have been a lot.

I got on the train and sat behind some very chattery Americans who were complaining about how much the people talked in the seats in front of them on the hop on hop off bus.  There was a man with them that had helped me at the Madrid railway station he winked at me in a knowing way of how ironic they were being. I momentarily wished I had latched onto them so that I could have a conversation longer than a sentence.

I was so tired from all the walking so when I got home I got a takeaway mojito or two and went and was a bit of a couch potato. Speaking of mojitos though, they do not measure spirits in Spain they just turn the bottle upside down and pour and pour and pour , you get a lot more bang for your euro if you drink spirits. 😀

It was really nice to get out of Madrid for the day. I should have spent more days here getting out of Madrid for the day.

Today is a national holiday in Madrid it has been described as “

“This can not be defined as a Madrid fiesta in the party sense. Celebrating the birth of the Spanish unified nation this day is marked by military parades along the Paseo de la castellana. Great if soldiers in uniform is your thing but otherwise a little trying!”. 

I woke up late yet again so I didn’t see any marching but there are people everywhere, so many people that I just want to hang out in my apartment  and google “why are the men in Madrid so short?” ( not that that is a bad thing) and” why do Madrid people add tuna to so many dishes?” that IS a bad thing.  maybe there is a correlation between my two pondered thoughts??