We journeyed to a city about 30 minutes away from Madrid by high speed train today. Another glorious weather day! We were able to catch the Hop on Hop Off bus right outside of the train station, which was very convenient. Sitting on the top may have not been the best idea since it was only about 45 degrees...however, the views made being a little chilly worth it. The city has a LOT of Arabic influence in their architecture, and I found it fascinating since it's so different from anything seen in our own country. Not to mention that many of the walls, towers, bridges and buildings were built over a thousand years ago!! The fact that they're still in existence today is a testament to their building skills. Apparently there is a radio station named after us in the main square of Zocodover. See photo. Too funny. We wandered down to the cathedral and went in where you'd go for confession...the entry fee was 11€ per person, so we opted to just see what we could see from where we were standing. I took a bunch of pictures and so did Rich. As we were leaving, we saw on the entryway that it says no photos allowed inside! BIG OOPS!! I saw a bunch of people taking photos, so I guess we weren't the only ones to miss the warning. We decided to eat lunch at Burger King for a number of reasons. We didn't feel like trying something weird to us, it wasn't busy and it was cheap. :)) Our bus ticket included a guided tour of the city, which we were thinking was going to be a big waste of time. Turned out to be great, as only 17 were in our tour, and the guide was very knowledgeable about the city. She pointed out many things we would have not known about otherwise and we spent about 2 hours with her. One thing I found interesting was the height of the door knockers...they were placed way up high because back then, everyone was on a horse, and they could knock from their horse. Also, the more ornamental a door was, the wealthier a person was. The city is a combination of Jewish, Arabic and Christian influences, all living together in harmony. Our guide told us they all celebrate each other's religious dates and it's always one big party. :)) The ticket also included a glass of sangria and tapas at a local bar, so we took advantage and enjoyed. After resting a bit, we caught the bus back to the train station, and with only 10 minutes to spare, caught the next train back to Madrid. We decided to eat dinner in a local place...the good news is we aren't in a tourist area...the bad news is the same. Nobody speaks English, so we are pretty much shooting in the dark ordering. We have google translate, but it leaves a lot to be desired. In any case, we ordered a paella dish and it was really tasty. See photos. The sangria was also delicious...my cheeks are definitely rosy. :)) There was a private party going on in the back room and they had hired a singer. It was so loud, we could not talk to each other. She stopped just about the time we were done eating. Good thing she could carry a tune!! A shout out to all who are leaving comments. I appreciate hearing from you, even if it's just a short blurb. It's different (read challenging) being over here and not knowing a soul other than Rich. :))