Another restless night. Not because of coughing etc but this bed is one of the hardest I have ever had the misfortune to sleep on. I had one similar in China, back in 2003 but at least with that one, there was another single bed in the room and I could use the blankets from that bed to pad up the mattress. No such luck here. Only doona’s. Hopefully tonight will be better. I still have 3 night here.

I had a late start today and didn’t go down to breakfast until some time after 8am. They have a very good breakfast selection at this hotel. I toasted a slice of wholemeal bread then added a fried egg on top of that. After that I went back for some cheeses and cold cuts, an orange juice and then a coffee.

A small part of the restaurant where breakfast is held.

After breakfast and before I headed out for the morning, I asked at reception about banks nearby and there are 2. One just up the road on the next corner, so I headed there to get my torn 20 euro note, exchanged for an untorn one. They lady in the bank was very helpful, spoke a little English and after checking that the note was “genuine”, happily handed over a good note in exchange.

I liked their bank security. 2 doors to get through to get inside with 2 locks on both doors that are a push of the button to enter. Same getting out. Not much chance of robbers bursting through the doors. Which is a good thing. That bank was ‘Santander’. Far more helpful than the French bank that I went to in Amiens.

After that I decided to head to Plaza Major and would walk there. 3.3 kilometres and a 45 minute walk, according to google maps. Some pics taken along my walk.

There were a couple of smallish green parrots feeding with the feathered rats.

The General-Prosecutor's Office of Spain

On top of some hotel

Knowing me, I missed a turn and when I found myself walking past a building, that I had walked past about 50 minutes earlier, I almost burst out laughing.

Atop insurer Mutua Madrileña building

This pic taken at 10:14am

This pic taken at 10:51am

I knew it was time to really concentrate and follow the maps. I never did get to Plaza Major but that’s okay, as I had been there before in 2005. This time it was just a point of reference to get me into the city proper. Walked through a seedy part of town though. I was also very aware of pickpockets in this part of town, having witnessed an example back in 2005. Very slick. My pedometer was showing around 12,000 steps.

The Bear and the Strawberry Tree

Tio Pepe

Charles 3rd of Spain (I think)

Around midday, I found a little cafe & thought I’d have some lunch BUT they don’t start serving lunch food until 1pm, so I had a coffee instead.

After people watching for some time, I decided to head back to the hotel but by taxi, not on foot. Most of the walk from the hotel was either downhill or on the flat. I didn’t plan on walking uphill, as what had started as a cool overcast morning, was now a brilliant sunny day. Not overly hot, though the earlier walking had me sweating.

There was a taxi rank nearby, so I availed myself of that convenience. That was at 12:35 and I was back at the hotel by 12:55.

I don’t think he took the shortest route, as he indicated that a right turn would have taken us to a standstill but I think he took the quickest route. The charge was euro 10.70. I added 1.30 tip. Cheap at half the price. I still remember what I paid for taxi’s back in 2005. I just need to check distances before decided if it was a good deal or not. It is what it is anyway for legit taxis.

My room had been serviced. I must take a photo of that tomorrow, before I start destroying the girls good work.

After re-charging the iPhone I headed back downstairs, ordered a white wine and have been writing this up while it’s still fresh in my memory.

Back to my room for a rest, before heading out for some dinner.

Just down the road from the hotel, at the corner, is an outdoor/indoor restaurant, Mikkila. I decided to eat there, so order a white wine and a salad for dinner.