We then checked out of Il Castillas, receiving the same fascinatingly lifeless service as when we checked in. The desk clerk was polite and efficient both times, but barely spoke to us nor cracked a smile - we had friendlier service from the toll road agent later in the week! It was no big deal to us, as the important thing is that they aren't mean and it all runs smoothly, but it really made us laugh.
Then it was a repeat of the previous day - hop on the Metro to the Estacion Atocha and stand in line for tickets. This time we had our cameras put away and arrived plenty early, so it was a far more pleasant experience. The ticket office used the take-a-number system, which actually is a very good idea. Instead of everyone standing in line and crowding each other, we can relax on benches or even wander outside the office.
When it finally became our turn (after about 15 minutes), we were served by a nice but brisk lady who spoke not a word of English. Nevertheless, we managed to order two round-trip tickets to Toledo for that morning followed by two one-way tickets for Seville that evening.
Both journeys are on wonderful new high-speed train lines (which makes the hefty price to Seville just a little more tolerable), but unfortunately not the same lines. Even though Toledo is in the same direction as Seville, the line ends in Toledo so one has to return to Madrid in order to get on the Seville train. I suppose the landscape must prevent connecting the two, but it really is a bummer. Fortunately, the Toledo trip takes under an hour so it isn't a huge deal.
Tickets in hand, we headed for the departure rooms. Here they put our bags through a rudimentary screening process, which can only serve the purpose of making passengers feel safer after the bombings. I was allowed to keep my jacket on and carry my camera outside the x-ray machines, and the official didn't examine the x-ray screen all that closely anyway.
Before long, we boarded our train, which was a beautiful machine. Although not quite as impressive as France's glorious TGV (which recently broke a rail speed record), Spain's AVE train was speedy, smooth, quiet, and had abundant legroom.Towards the beginning of the journey David walked up to the front, where he was able to look over the shoulder of the driver and down the tracks at high speed! He loved it and snapped this photo, in which I think the driver looks remarkably like Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget. Meanwhile, I attempted to eavesdrop on two cute 50-something French ladies across the aisle from me, with only limited success.
In less than an hour, we arrived in Toledo. As promised by my guidebook, the station was modern and lovely, decorated in full Andalusian style with horseshoe arches and a tall clock tower. Unfortunately, however, it did not have the one thing we really did need - left luggage lockers. Since we were on our way to a new hotel in Seville, we had our bags with us. We had done our best job ever of packing light, but it was still far more than we could drag around the cathedral and other sights!
So we walked in the direction of town with our burdens, hoping to figure out an alternative solution. We tried several nice hotels, none of which would agree to keep our bags. But the last one suggested we try the bus station though she was not at all sure they had lockers, so we made the long trek there with our fingers crossed. Along the way, we crossed a peaceful river and enjoyed some great views up to the castle and medieval walls of the old town.Just in case, we kept our eye out on the way for large bushes where we could stash our stuff, but happily the luggage gods were with us and the station had glorious, available lockers. We had to buy a special token and fill out an extensive information card to use one, but we were ecstatic.
Next: Exploring Toledo
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