Up a bit later, since we were only away at 0930, when we took the coach round the horrible vast motorway system (but at least, you get going) to Aranjuez, some 50 minutes South of the hotel. This is where the Summer Palace is, originally built by Philip II, burned down twice & now largely 16th & 17th Century (when Carlos III threw out a couple of wings, pedantically dated differently) with the decorative scheme & furniture of Isobel II in the later 19thC. Still, very interesting.

Front of the Palace

As one first sees it

Lots of water features - River Tagus

We were not allowed to take photos but the guards were so conspicuous that this was easy if you did not give yourself away by using flash. Yesterday, I could have legally used my camera in the Queen Sofie Museum if I had known. There is an awful lot of sheer stuff in this building, which seems larger inside than out. Notable were the painted ceilings, done in rather primary school style & a room with a lot of coloured porcelain screwed invisibly to the wooden walls, which was entirely over the top. We went out into the extensive gardens & discovered when we left that there was another whole area of them we had not explored. The river Tagus had been diverted by the look of it, to go behind the palace in cascades, the unnecessary water being allowed to go the proper way through a lot of ducks & geese.

The formal gardens from the palace

Throne Room

Another painted ceiling

Main staircase

Formal Gardens

We went into the beginning of the town for lunch at about 1215 but found the restaurants only opened at 1 but one maid took mercy on us & served coffee & cake for E12. The coach left at 1 & we did not know why, as it got back before 2, leaving us with 3.5 useless hours before we were due to go out again in the coach for dinner: not enough time to go into Madrid proper & back. But the 40-odd photos came out all right. However, the general feeling seemed to be that we had had long enough in Aranjuez. We left at 1730 for Chinchon & I forgot my camera, as I did not take my rucksack. This was a mistake, as Chinchon is a Spanish version of Great Tew & the oval square has three levels of balconies, as it is used for bull fighting, some of which we had seen earlier on the telly & is a most unattractive activity.

The photographs taken in Chinchon below are all copyright ©Jacquie Randall
The Plaza Major/Bullring	A model in a shop	Avis & Ken

We had the drink, a bit like ouzo before dinner, which was in a wine cave. Barbara & the other Peter were reds, we found out as we drank our liquor. It was a long way down to the cellars, which had giant amphoras in it & a long way up again! It was a most atmospheric location & the booze was cheap & plentiful: E4 for all you needed, water; wine & coffee. We were served quite substantial pork kebabs, then soup with cretins, beef with roasted vegetables & a strange crispy dessert. I had more than my share, as I was sitting next to the abstemious Moura, who turned out to be another red. She had a host of tales of teaching deaf children, using deaf & dumb language in strange countries. We were all well oiled when we left but the coach was caught in a traffic jam.