A trip to Toledo...

Playlist

Santana - Abraxas

Electric Light Orchestra - On The Third Day

David Bowie - Aladdin Sane

The Doobie Brothers - What Were Once..

The Beatles - 1962-1966

Wizzard - Introducing Eddy and the Falcons

Queen - Queen

Juicy Lucy - Lie Back And Enjoy It

Steeleye Span - Parcel of Rogues

Steeleye Span - Now We Are Six

Grand Funk Railroad - Shinin' On

David Bowie - David Live

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Bay City Rollers - Rollin'

Bryan Ferry - These Foolish Things (1999 remaster)

The Beatles - 1967-1970

Humble Pie - Thunderbox

The Doobie Brothers - The Captain And Me

Status Quo - Dog Of Two Head

Various - Rock Revival

Various - Das Bleiben Hits

The Doobie Brothers - Stampede

Various - 20 Star Tracks

Cockney Rebel - The Human Menagerie

Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Cockney Rebel - The Psychomodo

Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself

Eagles - Desperado

Alice Cooper - Muscle Of Love

Lonesome Stone - Lonesome Stone (Orginal Cast Album)

Deep Purple - Made In Japan

Deep Purple - Stormbringer

Bad Company - Bad Company

The Carpenters - Horizon

Santana - Santana III

Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run

Faust - Faust IV

Lionel Rogg - Bach - Exploring the World of Music

The Beatles - A Hard Days Night

Genesis - Wind and Wuthering

Kiss - Destroyer

Emerson Lake & Palmer - Emerson Lake and Palmer

Clouds - Watercolour Days

The Beatles - Abbey Road

Alice Cooper - Alice Cooper Goes To Hell

Hawkwind - Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music

Kinks - Lola

Deep Purple - 24 Carat Purple

The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)

Roxy Music - Stranded

Pink Floyd - The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

John Cale - Slow Dazzle

Bob Dylan - Another Side Of Bob Dylan

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Love's A Prima Donna

Rainbow - Rainbow Rising

The Beatles - Please Please Me

Roxy Music - Country Life

Emerson Lake & Palmer - Pictures At An Exhibition

Various - This Is...The Front Line

Tony Ashton & Jon Lord - First of the Big Bands

MC5 - Kick Out The Jams

Pink Floyd - A Saucerful Of Secrets

Mott - Drive On

Fripp & Eno - Evening Star (Remaster)

Elton John - Here & There

Roxy Music - Viva! Roxy Music

The Beatles - Beatles For Sale

Mick Ronson - Play Don't Worry

Billy Cobham - Spectrum

Genesis - Selling England By The Pound

Rough Diamond - Rough Diamond

Grand Funk Railroad - Live Album

The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys 20 Golden Greats

Emerson Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery (Remaster)

Jefferson Airplane - Bark

Alice Cooper - Lace And Whiskey

The Doors - The Doors

Genesis - A Trick Of The Tail

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - he Roaring Silence

Yes - Yes

Status Quo - Blue For You

The Beatles - Rubber Soul

Emerson Lake & Palmer - Tarkus

Udo Lindenberg - Götterhämmerung

Various - Island Presents: Rock Steady

65daysofstatic - No Man's Sky: Music For an Infinite Universe

Various - The Cream Of Rare Groove Vol. 1

Various - Frontline Presents Roots

Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story

Cathedral - The Garden of Unearthly Delights

ZZ Top - First Album

ZZ Top - Recycler

Ligeti - György Ligeti Works

Humpe & Humpe - Annette Humpe: Zeitgeschichte - Das Beste von und für Annette Humpe

Die Ärzte - Nach Uns die Sintflut

Telemann - Telemann: Viola Concerto, Recorder Suite In A Minor, Tafelmusik

Count Basie & His Orchestra - Frankly Basie

ZZ Top - Rio Grande Mud

Up and out early not breakfasting at home...

Instead, coffee and croissants at El Brilliante near Atocha Station...

Over the road to our point of departure, where terrapins awaited...

Tickets obtained, through security (in Spain, much like airport security) and on to the train...

A 30 minute journey from Madrid...

...South West...

...to Toledo...

A walk from the station to the old town, up on a hill...

A picturesque approach indeed...

We last left the former capital of Spain...



..over this bridge, twenty-seven years ago...

  

Good to be back...

There have been some changes...

We no longer needed to climb the hill to the old town...

...as a very helpful escalator had been put in place...

A trip to the top indeed...

On up into the town...

We made our way through the back streets...

...past the Teatro de Rojas...

...and the Posada de la Hermandad...

...to the cathedral, the Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada de Toledo...

...emerging onto the Plaza del Ayuntamiento...

Where we took a rest and got our bearings...

The square is home too to the Ayuntamiento de Toledo, the Town Hall...

The Beast and its Executive Producer were about their business in the former capital of Spain...

Onwards...

...finding ourselves at the Plaza del Conde for lunch...

...at El Greco...

Replenished, we made our way along the Calle de los Reyes Católicos

...and round the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes...

...taking in the views...

...before descending the hill towards the river...

...and the Puente de San Martín...

...where the Executive Producer executively produced me out of taking my chances on a zipwire over the Tajo...

Oh well...

Down to the riverside...

...and a walk around the outside of the old town ensued...

...taking in the wildlife...

..and the rock climbers...

...and the wildlife...

If you look closely you can see the bird which is supposed to be the subject of this...

I thought this snake had expired...

...until it slithered off in to the undergrowth...

Some fishing was being undertaken...

We made our way back up into the town via Calle Tintes and Bajada Barco...

..noting this wee one-eyed beastie at Plaza Colegio Infantes on the way...

The long climb...

...was rewarded with ice cream at the Plaza de Zocodover...

...watched by opportunists...

No rest for the wicked, so now, a walk to the Alcázar de Toledo...

...where another rest afforded views of the Academia De Infantería across the river...

Back...

...and more walking - towards previously uncharted, by us, parts of town...

...spotting this wee monkey on the way...

Past the University...

..through covered back streets...

...past monasteries and convents...

...to Plaza Santo Domingo el Real...

...and back again to the centre...

...past San Pedro Mártir, fachada antigua iglesia conventual...

...back through Plaza del Ayuntamiento...

...and down towards the bridge we'd left by last time...

...Puente de Alcantara...

...which afforded these river views...

...and these of the old town on the hill...

Over to the other side...

...and a walk back to the station to wait for the fully booked train...

Through security...

...and another 30 minute journey home...

  

  

Out and by the Reina Sofia...

...and home for a rest and recharge of the batteries...

In the evening, we made our way back to Plaza de Agustín Lara...

...to Abu Gassan...

...as the light faded...

...for beers...

..and a tasty tea...

...accompanied by drums...

...as a tiring but rewarding day drew to a close...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : Back in Toledo...