After my late night last night,it was an early start as I had to find my way to the meeting point by 8.40. I had tried for a hotel pickup but not possible from this hotel, so the receptionist suggested I go by train - change lines - and it will take about 20 minutes. Too complicated for me, so I got a taxi. Another taxi driver who can't speak English - this time a very aggressive woman driver - but she dropped me off and pointed in the direction I needed to go. It didn't look promising - it was a big plaza and I couldn't work out how I would catch a bus there. So I stopped a guy who could speak a little English and he pointed me in another direction - and when I got there it still looked wrong - no traffic here and I couldn't see that they would let a big tour bus in here. So another passerby, this time a girl whose English was good and she said come this way, and then pointed me up an alley way and said tour buses leave from up there. I walked up there, by now it is 8.20 and I'm starting to get 'that anxious feeling.' Anxious Moment No 6.

I paid $150 for this trip before I left home and I certainly don't want to miss it. And then suddenly I see a sign "Julia Travel" Oh well, at least I can find out if I am in the right spot - and miraculously I am. Now that was not in the instructions - they said to meet at Plaza de Oriente 8 at 8.40. And this is nothing like that. But what the hell, I'm in the right place and I am issued with a ticket for the bus, for my lunch and a sticky label which I find out later gains my entry into the monuments.

Phew - so I now sit and wait for the bus. There are lots of tours leaving here this morning so I am told to wait and listen carefully for Toledo Full Day.

Just before 9am our tour is called and we walk down the lane, down some stairs into an underground bus station, and all 41 of us board this huge bus and set off for Toledo. We are told it is an hours drive with a stop at a servicio for toilets and food 15 minutes before we get to Toledo. Great - I might be able to get something to eat and drink as I set off without breakfast.

And sure enough, we stop at this huge service area. Good clean toilets, a cafetaria (but the queue was huge as we were not the only bus stopping here) and loads of wonderful souvenirs. I grabbed a bottle of water and a wee packet of Oreos, and had a quick look around, but didn't have time to buy anything as it was time to get back on the bus. Lots of Toledo souvenirs, but as we haven't visited yet I have no idea what I want. Hopefully we stop here on the way back.

So back on the bus, and on to Toledo. First impression - OMG - gobsmackingly beautiful. An old city built on a hill, surrounded on three sides by a river. We pull up outside the city and get told we now have four hours of walking and sightseeing.

Up hill, up stairs, down stairs, down cobbled lanes, up cobbled lanes. Into the mosque, the cathedral, the chapel. Amazingly beautiful buildings. We walk past all the little shops, but no time to stop and buy, as we follow our leader holding up the red umbrella. We had been warned not to lose sight of the tour group as it will be too hard to find our way and were given two meeting points, one at 1.30 (but it was too difficult to work out what she was saying) and the second at 4.00pm at the factory. So, I decided the best idea was just to keep up with the group.

We went into a theatre to see a presentation about the history of Toledo - it is a fascinating place where Jews, Muslims and Christians lived in harmony for many centuries. How nice it would be for this message to get through to the world today.

Those of us who had chosen to stay with the group for lunch were taken back to the bus, and those doing there own thing were told to meet the bus at the gate at 3.15. So we were taken on a bus ride to a restaurant high up on another hill where we were bundled in and sent to appropriate tables dependant on what option we had ordered. I had ordered the 'tourist' option - so my lunch was minestrone soup (lots of vegetables but very very bland) followed by roast beef and roast potatoes with gravy. Very delicious, and bearing in mind that there were four huge buses here for lunch and others driving away as we arrived, so the food is mass produced. A small dessert of ice cream and fruit salad followed, and it was time to get back on the bus, with time only for a very quick photo of the view, and head down to pick up the others at the gate.

Next stop was the Factory where the famous Toledo jewellery is made. We were given a quick explanation of how it was made and saw an artisan at work and then shuffled into the showroom to make our purchases. The jewellery was very beautiful but extremely expensive, and also on sale were swords and knives, plus a few fans (and here there were two types - the very beautiful ones which were around E150 or the very cheap and nasty ones for E20. Needless to say I didn't buy anything here except a bookmark.

Unfortunately we didn't get to stop at the service area again on the way home and we arrived back in Madrid around 5.30 and dropped off in the middle of the city somewhere. I have no idea where, and although I did the "Hop On Hop Off" bus the other day I really haven't got my bearings here yet. So I flagged down another non-English speaking taxi driver and miraculously made it back to Eurobuilding 2.

I was absolutely exhausted, all those stairs, all those hills, but I walked up and down every single one of them, so now a quick shower, quick check of my emails, and I was in bed and asleep before 7pm. But what a wonderful day.