With the big red tourist buses pulled up outside of the train station at Toledo, it was all too easy to pay and jump on one for a look around and save us walking into town. The bus started by going up around the hills surrounding the city, giving us a great view and some photo opps to start the visit. http://www.offexploring.com/barack/albums/madrid-and-toledo/8108978

It was stinking hot and there wasn't much respite given it was a largely stone dominated, walled city with very few parks or shade anywhere. Regardless, we quickly got around the main sights such as the castle, cathedral and huge library building, which were good without being great. The city was mostly interesting due to its history and the fact it is the former capital of the Spanish empire.

While we didn't ask anyone about it, there was a definite obsession in Toledo with swords and marzipan. We couldn't really test drive one of the former, so we tried the local delicacy and were left a little disappointed. Obviously our palette wasn't as refined as the lady before us who ordered about a kilo of it at a hefty price.

That night it was on our first night train, a 10 hour journey from Madrid to Lisbon.