Into the station nice and easy thanks to yesterday's reccy, and 15 minutes to wait for the train.
Off we go in the dark outside the scenery is lost in the dark, in the coach people will have to do!
I do like people watching....
After about an hour the sun rises and the landscape becomes visible small rocky hills all around tho they appear to never rise more than 500 foot (ISH) certainly it feels like we're travelling through an eroded flat tableau!
on the train thundered through land getting flatter and appearing to be more arid, with forests of trees looking any little kid would draw a tree .... Like a broccoli stem! , its as tho the leaves on these odd looking trees have evolved to stay away from the ground to avoid being eaten or too prevent reflected summer heat scorching the low leaves? One to learn the answer to another day as I'm now at midday drawing into Madrid station.
Another building under reconstruction the builders have been busy in Europe this year!
Straight from the station into the metro and away to my station in the middle of Madrid at a place called Sol, it was here that in the 12th century the eastern city gate was called the sol gate as the sun rises inevitably in the east!
Out the station the first thing you see is a statue of Carolus the third king of Spain
the first thing you feel is it's cold!.
the first thing you feel is it's cold!.Considering that this area was the eastern gate in the old city it's now very much central, with my hostel ('Toc hostel' ?) being only two streets away!
Booked in rucksack stowed away in a locker and I start my exploration of Madrid in planning two days here being away mid day Thursday..... Not sure where to yet but I would like to see Gibraltar so likely south!
Right now tho I walk west to the palace I don't pay to go in happy just taking snaps of the building and it's location 
the palaces most eastern wall is built upon a a cliff edge where the land falls way exposing panoramic views.... Including a view point I want to climb tomorrow if the weather holds! 
to the left of the palace is the Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena, a beautiful baroque building with a statue of pope John Paul the second at the front
internally colourful with imposing panels at the head of the cathedral
more moorish influence? I don't think this blue design would look out of place in a moorish temple?
the palaces most eastern wall is built upon a a cliff edge where the land falls way exposing panoramic views.... Including a view point I want to climb tomorrow if the weather holds! to the left of the palace is the Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena, a beautiful baroque building with a statue of pope John Paul the second at the frontinternally colourful with imposing panels at the head of the cathedralmore moorish influence? I don't think this blue design would look out of place in a moorish temple? 
as people were in prayer I didn't hang about for to long and I was soon hunting down a definite moorish construction... In the most unlikely of places! The tower of bones as it's called was found during excavations for an underground car park.....
It received its name because it was near Huesa del Raf, the ancient Islamic cemetery. The tower was built two centuries after the 9th-century construction of the walls of Mayrit, the medieval Muslim city that predates the Spanish one, tho not much more remains
heading east through the maze of streets I encounter a shop that couldn't be further from the grandeur and holiness of the early constructs.....
It received its name because it was near Huesa del Raf, the ancient Islamic cemetery. The tower was built two centuries after the 9th-century construction of the walls of Mayrit, the medieval Muslim city that predates the Spanish one, tho not much more remainsheading east through the maze of streets I encounter a shop that couldn't be further from the grandeur and holiness of the early constructs.....