To the Country!

Saturday we fled the city once more. We took a train to Chamartin, the train station on the other side of Madrid, and then wandered a bit to find the Plaza de Castilla bus station where we would take a bus to Manzanares el Real. We got to the village mid-morning and walked around the medieval castle, past the church that storks had made their home, and 2 kilometers out of town to the Periza park where we took a breathtaking hike through the rocky mountains. Amy said she was glad I didn’t give up on her during our trek, which was mostly uphill. We reached a point on our hike where we turned the corner and our breathes were taken away. There is a picture Amy took, with me on the right corner, but sadly it doesn’t communicate what it really looked like. Besides the natural beauty of the park, we also stumbled upon a gay/nudist colony (ahhh!!!) and lots of people having picnics on the rocks. Some carried this weird large square backpack. A table perhaps? Being out of the city was so relaxing for the two of us. The quiet, the greenness, I don’t know what else. I guess we’re not quite city girls! We also met a woman from Venezuela who said that the hiking will be better in October when it is cooler. Maybe I’ll go back then and take a longer hike.