Before entering, we watched birds soaring around the ravine that nearly encircles the castle, and were thrilled to spot a red kite and a white stork. Then into the castle.
The Alcazar is one of the most dramatic castles in Spain. It was one of the castles of Ferdinand and Isabella. We toured the waiting room, the magnificent throne room and chapel, the lovely simple bedrooms (no fireplaces), and then the armory.
Finally we decided to climb the tower.
The top of the castle provided stunning views. It was particularly "stunning" because we had to climb a narrow winding stone stairway that, according to the guide book, had 152 steps. It seemed like more! The last couple of steps, my legs were greatly complaining.
But the views were worth it. You could really see how the entire city was laid out on an escarpment, with the castle at the prow end.
Upon reaching the ground, we decided to try to catch the 4:50 train back to Madrid (it was about 4:15). Hustling our tails back, we were almost there when we were passed by a guy running, who yelled back at us "Madrid??!" So we decided we had better un too and just made it in time.
On the train ride back, we were treated to stunning views every which way we looked.
Back in Madrid, we decided to find a bar in our neighborhood and have a beer. We finally found a nice-looking joint with just a couple of people and an older bartender. We ordered our usual "dos cervezas" and settled back to watch the parade of the "reina magus" while munching very good tapas.