Toledo

After a 9 hour journey to Toledo, I was beginning to wonder if it was going to be worth the trouble.
I left the hotel at 10.30, plenty of time to walk to the bus I thought -  but no, the bus stop for  the airport leaves from the opposite side of the park, and consequently I missed it. A $3 trip turned into a $42 one by taxi. It did mean that I was at the airport nice and early and was able to get a good seat on the flight. All went well until I was on the Metro changing lines, as one does to get around Madrid, when I discovered that I was going in completely the wrong direction!  At the next stop, I did a quick change and eventually arrived at Atocha which is the actual TRAIN station.  To get a ticket to Toledo, I had to take a number and wait, and wait, eventually I succeeded, only to find that the next train was and hour and a half later.
The AVE train is very smooth and comfortable and the trip to Toledo only half an hour.  I caught a taxi to the hostel which was right in the middle of the old city.

Hostel Centro was basic but perfectly adequate for a night or two. After a quick shower, I set off to explore. The streets are winding and narrow with unexpected twists and turns. I did see a restaurant called 'Kumera Cafe' which seemed a little out of place amongst the historical buildings.

I wanted to see an exhibition of the 'Kinghts Templar' but it was closing and they didn't want to let anyone else in. I happened to find the most popular bar in town (everyone wanted a drink there) and sat for a while people watching. Lots of families, groups of friends etc were having a drink before converging at the Cathedral for an amazing light show. The whole of one side of the Cathedral was lit to show images of the works of El Greco to music. It was fantastic and a wonderful end to the day.

 On Sunday morning after a very strong coffee in a cafe, I rode the tourist bus on the circuit, and made friends with a couple from Adelaide who needed some help with  the headphones on the bus and a couple of directions from a local - well I had been in town over 12 hours!!

To be continued...