Yesterday morning, after a leisurely breakfast in our room, we checked out of the Don Felipe Hotel. A taxi took us back to the train station for 11 euros. The drivers need a lot of patience to negotiate the narrow streets full of pedestrian tourists and tourists in cars who don’t know where they’re going. It must be really crazy in the summer. Once again, we’ve decided that there must be no-one left in Japan and other Asian countries. They’re all touring Europe.
In a lot of the train stations, you have to have your bags and coats scanned for weapons or bombs. It’s not quite as stringent as airport security but they’re still careful. Spain has had some terrorist incidents in the train stations.
Our train arrived on time, of course. You have to be ready to board because the trains usually stop for only 2 minutes. That’s another reason to travel light.
The half hour trip to Madrid Chamartin station near the north end of the city was uneventful. About half of it seemed to be in long tunnels through the small mountains. At one point, we could see that the posted speed was 250 km per hour.
Chamartin station is big but not that hard to figure out. We found a ticket office and got tickets for 2.40 euros each for the commuter train to Atocha station near the south end of the city. As soon as we got tickets, we went to the correct platform and boarded a train within 3 minutes. They leave every 5 minutes.
It took only 13 minutes and 3 stops to get to Atocha station. It was a long walk from the commuter train platforms to the main long distance train station. Atocha is not as nice as Chamartin. The ceilings are low and it’s a bit grimy. However, we finally found the right platform and boarded the waiting train to Toledo.
After another 1/2 hour trip we arrived at the Toledo station. A taxi up the hill to our hotel cost 9 euros. Hostal La Campana, where we’re staying, is very simple but it’s clean, secure, well located and has good WIFI. We’re paying 52 euros per night (about $78 CDN) and that includes a simple breakfast. The rooms are heated and there’s lots of hot water. The only real downside is that the walls between rooms are paper thin. I’m sure the other guests don’t appreciate all my honking from my never ending chest cold that I’ve had since mid September. We try to be quiet.
After we got settled in, we went out to find some food. The streets of old Toledo are very narrow and winding. It’s a labyrinth. There’s a saying that, “ Everywhere is uphill”. However, we found a little tapas bar down the street where a free tapa comes with every round of drinks. A glass of wine and a beer totals 4.10 euros ($6 CDN). For 5 euros, we also bought a racione of beef stewed in a red wine gravy. Excellent. Anita also found her new favourite cheap white wine.
It was pouring rain when we left the bar but we only had to walk a couple of blocks to our hotel.
Today, we’ll visit the Cathedral, reputedly one of Spain’s finest.
In a lot of the train stations, you have to have your bags and coats scanned for weapons or bombs. It’s not quite as stringent as airport security but they’re still careful. Spain has had some terrorist incidents in the train stations.
Our train arrived on time, of course. You have to be ready to board because the trains usually stop for only 2 minutes. That’s another reason to travel light.
The half hour trip to Madrid Chamartin station near the north end of the city was uneventful. About half of it seemed to be in long tunnels through the small mountains. At one point, we could see that the posted speed was 250 km per hour.
Chamartin station is big but not that hard to figure out. We found a ticket office and got tickets for 2.40 euros each for the commuter train to Atocha station near the south end of the city. As soon as we got tickets, we went to the correct platform and boarded a train within 3 minutes. They leave every 5 minutes.
It took only 13 minutes and 3 stops to get to Atocha station. It was a long walk from the commuter train platforms to the main long distance train station. Atocha is not as nice as Chamartin. The ceilings are low and it’s a bit grimy. However, we finally found the right platform and boarded the waiting train to Toledo.
After another 1/2 hour trip we arrived at the Toledo station. A taxi up the hill to our hotel cost 9 euros. Hostal La Campana, where we’re staying, is very simple but it’s clean, secure, well located and has good WIFI. We’re paying 52 euros per night (about $78 CDN) and that includes a simple breakfast. The rooms are heated and there’s lots of hot water. The only real downside is that the walls between rooms are paper thin. I’m sure the other guests don’t appreciate all my honking from my never ending chest cold that I’ve had since mid September. We try to be quiet.
After we got settled in, we went out to find some food. The streets of old Toledo are very narrow and winding. It’s a labyrinth. There’s a saying that, “ Everywhere is uphill”. However, we found a little tapas bar down the street where a free tapa comes with every round of drinks. A glass of wine and a beer totals 4.10 euros ($6 CDN). For 5 euros, we also bought a racione of beef stewed in a red wine gravy. Excellent. Anita also found her new favourite cheap white wine.
It was pouring rain when we left the bar but we only had to walk a couple of blocks to our hotel.
Today, we’ll visit the Cathedral, reputedly one of Spain’s finest.
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