Our return trip to Madrid took us through Toledo (as in "Holy Toledo Batman!"). This was the capital of Visigoth Spain back in the day. We had two hours to wend our way through medieval streets, past the Alcazar and massive cathedral, before it was back on the bus and continuing to Madrid.

Madrid was hot. After checking into our grossly overpriced hostel (Equity Point Madrid - never stay there), changing rooms to one where the toilet actually flushed, and hiding all our valuables, Dale and I took a walk down to the old city gate, past magnificent stone buildings with intricately sculpted frontages, trying to stay out of the late afternoon sunshine. When the heat became too much, we returned to our dingey room for a cold shower.

Feeling refreshed, we met the rest of our tour group for one final round of tapas (and sangria). We went to a nearby bar specialising in northern Spanish tapas which are as much a feast for the eyes as they are for the mouth! We grouped around the u-shaped bar, goggling at the gorgeous array of dishes behind the glass in front of us. Dale and I tried a couple of dishes at a time - beginning with safe choices (tomato, ham and mozzarella on crostini, and hamburghesa which is like a small hamburger with no top bun) and moving to more unfamiliar territory (a zucchini parcel containing mince, and a mushroom kebab). Our final choices were a chicken skewer with a smoky barbecue sauce and an eggplant and goats cheese stack. The hamburghesa was particularly cute with a tiny fried egg on top and finely sliced coleslaw underneath the meat patty which was smothered in tangy mustard. Delicious.

After the tapas we went in search of dessert. It was then that I discovered my favourite place in Madrid. Mercato markets. A covered food hall dedicated to the best of all things edible. Wishing I had not already eaten, I walked wide-eyed around the various displays - tapas (of course), wine, oysters in their shells, pyramids of fruit so shiny it was as if they'd been polished, piles of cheeses, hanging ham legs, fresh seafood laid out on ice, a whole cabinet dedicated to croquettes, paella in family sized paella pans, nuts, olives with every kind of filling (including anchovy if you are that way inclined) and even sushi. Then we found the dessert section - It was like being in a dream. Every colour of gelato you can think of, chocolate mousse lined up in glasses, pancakes, waffles, a lolly scramble of macaroons, custard and pastry creations, fruit tarts that looked like pieces of artwork, decadent cakes, tiny biscuits decorated with nuts and on and on it went.

Daily recommended calorie intake exceeded, we walked back through Mayor and Sol Plazas. Both were brightly lit and packed with people wining, dining or meeting up with friends. Tourists crowded around the numerous street performers busking for coins. We gave money to a goat made of tinsel bobbing its head about and clacking it's wooden puppet mouth in gratitude - oddly cute and reminded me of a large sparkly version of the puppets used by the Von Trapps in The Sound of Music. I was somewhat affronted when an American guy came up behind the poor creature to simulate a sexual act (and they wonder why they are not well-liked!)

Another performer we couldn't resist throwing a coin to was a levitating guru - I still haven't worked out how he did it!
But the prize for best costume would have to go to the duo dressed as Alien and Predator. The Alien was especially convincing, snaking his head from side to side and flicking his tail sinisterly. I was too creeped out to get close enough to throw them any money, but they were doing pretty well from all those braver than me who wanted photos with them. It was so funny watching kids nervously approach, knowing it wasn't real but still wary of the two beasts, which would then wrap their talons around the kids' necks and pose for gruesome photos.

We stayed out until 1am but even at that stage the streets were still buzzing with activity. Too tired to keep up with the locals we headed for bed in our stuffy room. Wishing we had air con, we left the window open, letting in the hint of a breeze as well as all the noise from the street below - which continued until 7am!! Groggy from lack of sleep, we ate an uninspiring hostel breakfast of cornflakes and toast from a packet (like eating sawdust), and walked to the Botanic Gardens and then back to the magnificent food markets. Our hostel had one last disappointment in store for us. We had arranged an airport transfer the previous day. When it was 10 minutes late we asked at reception whether this was usual. A couple of phone calls later the man at the desk advised us that the shuttle was 15 minutes away. We waited a further 20 minutes and flagged a taxi - preferring to pay a larger fare than miss our flight. As it turned out, we got Madrid's best taxi driver who got us to the airport in record time, and it only cost 2 euro more than the airport transfer!!