Today I took a Greyhound type bus (is there a specific word for that? Motorcoach?) from Madrid’s Moncloa station to the town of San Lorenzo to see The Royal Monastery of El Scorial. It was very impressive. It was built in the late 1500s as a shrine and crypt for members of the royal family. There is also a palace and convent.

The tour was amazing, with a section on construction, tapestried, paintings, the royal palace, the basilica, and of course the crypt. But alas no picture taking was allowed.

The bus ride took less than an hour and it gave me the chance to see the countryside. You can tell Madrid and Los Angeles have similar climates. The drive reminded me of the rolling hills about 30 years ago along the drive out to Ventura, hills that have since been flattened and covered with urban sprawl. Or perhaps the Santa Clarita area, again before it became solid city.

Ate at a small restaurant in San Lorenzo. Sometimes I’m ok with menus, but not today. This restaurant had an appetizer, entree, desert and a drink for under 10€. For the first course I selected a zucchini onion tomato stew with an egg or two scrambled in. It was very good. Also very hearty. With the bread it could have been a meal in itself. For the entree I ordered the pollo. I was able to figured out from the menu that it was a chicken thigh. But what came to my plate was pounded thin, breaded, deep fried until crisp pretty much all the way through, and served with a side of French fries. I ate most of the chicken and a few fries. Then for desert I had the melon.

After the bus back to Madrid I walked around the Moncloa area, then came back to the apartment and took a nap. This evening I packed. Tomorrow I fly to Berlin.