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Some small Spanish towns!

 Hey everyone, as we know (and everyone in my personal life is sick of hearing), I lived in Madrid, Spain last year. This allowed me to travel both to other Spanish cities but also discover hidden gems in the mainland. 



That’s what todays blog is about! I spent a few days last year visiting Aranjuez and Toledo! 

Now I won’t sit here and say they were the most amazing experiences of my life but equally I’m glad I went! 


📍Aranjuez 

The first small town we visited in Spain did not leave the expectations very high for anywhere else, let’s just say that! Aranjuez is in the larger area of Madrid, mainland Spain, and is about an hours train journey from the city. Aranjuez was recommended to a friend of mine and seemed pretty handy to get to, so we picked a random Saturday afternoon and off we went! 



Our first confusion was when we got off the train in the middle of nowhere. Now this is saying a lot considering I live in the countryside of Co. Tyrone. But I am not exaggerating when I say there seemed to be no life within the surrounding 5 miles. Anyway, we persevered (and followed the other people who got off the train) and eventually found the town of Aranjuez. 



Things did not really improve when we got there however. While it was a lovely town there was just not a lot happening. We went for a lunch which was unreal, we had sooo many tapas, huge portions and it probably cost us €10 each. Then we just wandered around the town. There was a little train that did a tour but it was cash only so we just walked instead. There was a huge castle area with greenery and a little lake, but other than that there was not much to do. 



It was nice to visit somewhere in Spain that’s not usually talked about, but I wouldn’t be rushing back! 



📍 Toledo 

Toledo however I thoroughly enjoyed. Again, about an hour or two from the city of Madrid and a relatively small Spanish town. 


We got the bus this time but again, not without a mistake. We didn’t realise that with a monthly metro card, you could travel to Toledo for free and we had already bought return tickets! Thankfully it was only €10-20 so it didn’t matter too much but it wasn’t a great start. Definitely do your research on these things! 



Toledo was gorgeous though. It was a bit of a walk from the bus stop, up a LOT of stairs but the results were worth it. We, again, picked a random day and set off but we seemed to have chosen right as there was some sort of an event on in Toledo that weekend! The town was covered in decorations and there was even a parade! 





Again we just wandered around, taking in the sun and looking at the stunning architecture. Toledo had a lot more going on than Aranjuez however, which makes sense as every international student ever recommended going to visit. As far as I know, Toledo used to be the old capital of Spain, before Madrid! 


We had lunch and then went on a mini hike. For someone who is no more interested in exercise, especially in 30° heat, this was not easy. But the view, as seen below, was worth it. We then visited a few shops, explored the city and started to head home, all content with our travels. 




Next time I’ll talk about my visits to other Spanish cities, which were a little more exciting but not any less beautiful!



Clodagh xx 



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