Sepulveda - Heading North Through Spain

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We are really enjoying Spain!

Palacio Cristal

We went to the Palacio de Cristal.  It was a fun walk out of the downtown area on a major avenue.  We stopped in a church built in 1802 where we discovered that Saint Ann was Jesus' grandmother.  We looked at each other and thought the same thing.  Of course, everyone has a grandmother.

The Palacio Cristal is set in a huge park and botanical garden.  What a relief to be among the green and not to mention the much cooler air.  A lake sits in front of the palace which was once a huge arboretum.  Beautiful construction.  A lot of very friendly tourists willing to help each other take pictures.  We met quite a few people and one interesting character from Huesca, Spain.  

It was a long walk, a hot day but well worth it.  Later in the day, we took a walk in the tourist area to look for something to eat.  We passed one couple with their kids and as we looked at their table on the outside patio he told us how good the Hindu food was.  Then he went on about a place called Mercado San Miguel.  The name alone said it.  It's like a market filled with small stands that sell tapas of all kinds imaginable.  We weren't that hungry so that fit the bill.  A glass of wine and a couple of tapas.  We went home and called it a night.

Mercado San Miguel

We'll spend the weekend here at Sepulveda.  Tomorrow and Sunday are for hiking, one semi-long and one short.  The heat is really too much to stay out to long.  Monday we will head for Burgos.  We found a small apartment (Airbnb).   We are now looking for a small styrofoam ice chest to take the rest of the trip.  More on shopping later.  

Up early we headed to the airport to pick up our car.  The subway was busy but not to crowded.  It was easy finding our way back and we arrived to the rental kiosk in 45 minutes.  The reservation was ready and they handed us the keys to a 2022 Fiat 500, a small car but with air conditioning.  That's all we need.  We headed out to the highway, the airport is on the outskirts of Madrid, and off we went.  It took me a couple of minutes to get the hang of the highway and people here drive fast.  I mean much faster than we drive at home.

Off we went to our hotel in Sepulveda.  A small town will a few hundred people with a church and castle built in 1093.  It was hot today but we did make it up to 3000 ft so it did cool down to about 35C.  Tonight, it's a cool 29C with a breeze. 

This is the town square.  At night, things really liven up.  I'll try to post a short video tomorrow.

An interesting fact.  I was able to figure out why it was light at 9:15 p.m.  I did some quick research and back during the days of Nazism, Franco decided to align the clock to coincide with Berlin and the Hitler regime.  It has never changed.  Now add DST and the sunset today was at 9:16 p.m.

The first order of business was to take a nap.  I was beat.  Yesterday we did over 19,500 steps.  

Acres and acres of sunflower seeds.  They produce sunflower oil and also sell the seeds for use in snacks.