Arenjuez Palace and river surrounding it.

The Palace

Side of Palace and river.

Friday 25^th April

A cold morning! We put the heating on and got the van ready for the next 85 miles to the town of Aranjuez about 27 miles south of Madrid. About 10 miles into our journey we went through a tunnel that took us through the mountains. When we came out the other side the sun came out and the temperature shot up. In the distance we could start to see the Madrid outskirts. Aranjuez turned out to be a bit of an oasis, a very green area with a few rivers and lots of forests. I suppose the area would look even greener in the summer period when the surrounding plains become parched with the heat. The most notable feature of this town are the gardens and palaces on the edge of town. The actual town itself seemed a bit characterless with no defining heart or centre. We had planned to go by train to Toledo tomorrow but the tourist office told us there are no direct trains and only one bus a day at 8am