Took our time this morning with our pack up and brekkie then left our luggage at reception to walk to the nearby garage to collect our car, with coffee enroute.
Drove out of Valencia about 1030am heading west towards Madrid - today’s destination Toledo!
Yet again diverse scenery. Rolling hills of farmlands - citrus and massive expanses of grapes. Picturesque - green and lush vegetation between the hills with rich soil. In no time the hills are densely forested, the motorway following the railway line which we have rarely noticed previously. Then, another bend and more farming - this time grain crops already harvested mixed with sunflowers and other crops. Once again several areas of wind farms and at least one significant field of solar panels. In general it appears in Spain that not an inch of land is wasted - everything is put to use!
After a petrol stop we finished our scoot around the periphery of Madrid, arriving in Toledo around 2pm. Hotel appears to be ok but unfortunately undergoing some construction work on the road way right out the front and the parking can not be readily accessed. Oops! Guess that would explain why it was such a good rate! Not to worry - Raym found parking very close by while I checked in. Once settled we took a stroll the short distance up to the old town, most of which was via escalator! At the top it was time for a beer and a burger - lovely spot looking down over the river, but far too hot to sit outside. We wandered around the old town for a while, had another beer, but the 35degree temperature was quite oppressive so by 5pm we were back in our air conditioned room for siesta (we could get use to this!)
After a snooze and some more planning we were heading out for a bite to eat and a thirst quencher by 8.30pm, hoping for a cooler temperature .
It was slightly cooler though still bright daylight so managed to climb back up
to the old town. Found a restaurant recommended to us by a lovely shop assistant called El Trebol just off the the main Zocodover Plaza. Wow! Was awesome. Had a delicious Sangria with a lemon foam on top - and we shared stuffed potatoes, venison stew and pork ribs. All tapas and sensational! Wandered some more as the sun set and the lights of the town began to glow. A nightcap Tempranillo in our hotel bar before bed.