Toledo

There were two choices for a day trip out of Madrid, Toledo or Ávila. For better or worse, I picked the former. After a breakfast of cafe con leche and an ensaïmada, I caught a train from Madrid Atocha to Toledo, a distance of about 80 km. It was a hot and sunny day.

The Alcázar is the most imposing building in Toledo. It gained fame when the nationalists held it against adverse odds during the Spanish Civil War. Today it's a military museum and has displays of armour and such.

The gothic cathedral is another sight of Toledo. It's rich in art treasures, including many by El Greco, who lived in Toledo for the last part of his life.

There were swarms of schoolkids in the cathedral, probably on excursions. The gothic arches were magnificent, but by this time I was suffering from religious building overdose. Basta ya de catedrales, I thought to myself.

Toledo was full of young tourists from all over, ticking off this city on their checklist. One still had the luggage tags on his backpack and wore sunglasses. He couldn't have labelled himself TOURIST more blatantly even if he had worn a T-shirt with that on it.

I found the streets where the locals lived and shopped more interesting.

There wasn't anything else I wanted to see so I caught the train back before lunch. I thought that the regional train was more comfortable than the express because it wasn't airconditioned and therefore breezier.

After a bocadillo snack and a siesta, I found a Cuba Festival in progress in the plaza, but the queues were long. And anyway I was headed for a screening of Rancho Notorious, another in the Fritz Lang festival, featuring Marlene Dietrich. Lots of twists in the story; a great director.

When I emerged I looked for a Mexican restaurant on Gran Via but it didn't look promising. In the end I selected Hamil, a Korean restaurant. They served a good meal of miso soup and grilled meat. It felt strange speaking Spanish with another Asian.

Then it was back to the cinema for the late late session, this time for an Atom Egoyan film, The Adjuster. His films have great visuals and intriguing scripts but often express despair in the human condition.

There was still a lot of people out on Gran Via at 0240 as I walked back to the hostal.