Toledo had the benefit of our presence today.

From pre Roman times to the mid 15th century, Toledo was the capital of the local caliphate / kingdom / empire. Today it is still the religious and military centre of Spain, although more from a heritage than practical perspective.

The coach took us from just behind the hotel on the one hour journey.

Toledo is located on a high bend on the Tagus River. Its most famous structure is the Alcazar fortress - not part of our tour. During the Civil War this was held under siege by the nationalists. Even when the commandant's son was captured by the republicans, he refused to surrender. The son was executed; the nationalists prevailed.

We were dropped off by the coach at the base of the citadel, with an escalator to transport us. Thank you Mr Otis.

We walked through cobblestone streets to the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Toledo. This is still the primate cathedral of Spain and took 500 years to complete. It is massive in size with extensive embellishments on the exterior. The site previously had a mosque and even the Catholics copied some Mudejar (Muslim) features in the replacement building.

Our guide, Maddelena, said that we have no idea how these current places of worship will be used in the future - what religion will be practiced here. I suspect her comments were regret at the loss of harmony and cohabitation that seemed to have been practiced here by the three main religions, even though it was centuries ago.

Next we headed to the Church of San Tome. The foyer here had a painting by El Greco of the burial of a dignitary from a nearby town, whose mausoleum is below the painting. He included himself and his son in the painting while his mistress was portrayed as the Virgin Mary. El Greco was born in Crete and spent the last half of his life here, dying in Toledo in 1614.

From here we arrived at a viewing terrace to look along the Tagus River. It was a great view and included the ancient bridge. Here was also a cinema where we were shown a 10 minute video of Toledo. This made us feel like we should stay longer, of course.

We continued through the Jewish Quarter to the Sinagogo de Santa Maria de Blanca. This building is now a museum and has been beautifully restored. The architecture is Mudejar - interesting how Jews, Christians and Muslims all cohabitated harmoniously until the Inquisition. Most of the churches are built on former mosques and synagogues, which were themselves built on ancient sacred sites.

Next we went to the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes. This monastery was built by Ferdinand and Isabella in the Jewish quarter to remind the Jews who's boss. It is a delightful gothic building with a great cloister and beautiful garden. Inside the church, most decoration has been given over to icons and representations of the monarchs. No room for Madonna and Child here!

We ended our walk by stairs down to the 14th century Bridge of San Martin. On the way - and on the flat! - I lost my footing and took a fall. With my great bulk behind me I managed to land badly on my right knee. It was scraped and started bruising up nicely but thankfully no other damage, apart from pride. Everyone was particularly helpful and concerned. Mind you, in Spanish they could have been asking "Are you ok, you stupid Aussie?" Maddelena went to a nearby bar and made an ice pack while Bruce went to the pharmacy for antiseptic, bandages and a pressure sleeve. Lucky it happened here and not at the beginning. It was also our pick up point for the coach.

The tour continued to a factory making damascene ware. This is overlay of gold and silver on metal introduced into Spain by artisans from Damascus, hence the name. I stayed on the coach with ice pack. Bruce had a quick look-see then tended to my wound. One should always travel with one's nurse.

Back in Madrid we searched out a place for lunch and then walked a bit to find espadrilles for Bruce. Size was the issue but I bought two pair - at €10 each who could resist. We got to the hotel and rested. Bruce went for a massage while I slept.

For dinner, we headed to the fantastic Mercado de San Miguel. This place comprises specialist vendors of meat, chicken, ham, seafood, pastries, wine, beer and even gin! There is also a sushi bar. We fairly quickly gained a table - one's first priority here - and then separately headed out as hunter / gatherers to collect food. Prices varied - €1 for an olive on a stick vs €1.50 for crumbed bacalao. We had good food and enjoyed a true Madrilenos experience. Bruce bought a massive icecream and we headed back via Puerta del Sol. At close to midnight this place was busy. It will be packed on Saturday night when they announce the election result. No not that one; Madrid is front runner to host the 2020 Olympics that are to announced on 7 September.