Back to Madrid

We bade a sad farewell to Valencia today, heading back on the train to Madrid.

Valencia is a fascinating city with a beautiful old town and lovely beaches, plus some spectacular architecture and fascinating places to visit. I'm sure we'll go back there one day.

After praising the Spanish railway system earlier in this holiday, I had to laugh today when our high-speed train rocketed to Madrid, only to have to sit just outside Atocha station for half an hour. That'll teach me!

And my Spanish is not good enough to be able to understand complicated public address explanations for problems like these. So the cause remains a mystery.

Once we got off the train, we checked in again at the superb hotel where we started our stay, then spent some time in the Campo del Moro park - a beautiful green oasis beneath the majestic Palacio Real, the official residence of the King of Spain. Mrs Dailykeith is pictured relaxing there.

After going shopping we were so famished we found it impossible to fit in with the Spanish mealtime clock.

This is how I think it works - breakfast time first thing usually involves just a cup of coffee; you might have pastries or toast or churros or a mini-bocadillo during a late morning break; your main meal would be any time from 2pm to 3.30pm; you might have an early evening snack and eat again at 10pm.

I couldn't wait until 10pm and most restaurants aren't geared up to producing food much earlier.

However, I found an Indian restaurant that was. And it was the best Indian meal I've had in years.

I know.... it's not in the spirit of discovering the Spanish culture. But this was an emergency!