Today was a travel day - Bilbao to Madrid. We opted for the bus as opposed the hassles of flying and the more expensive train. We figured we had the time and it was a very comfortable ride of about 41/2 hours. I enjoyed seeing the variety of countryside that we passed through, from rugged mountains to rolling hills to undulating plains - I found it very scenic and relaxing.
We checked in at HotelEuropa where we had stayed when we first got here, what seems like a loooong time ago, but only three weeks! We had a bit of a walk around, a drink at a streetside bar, and then off for a paella dinner. We tried to get into the place we ate at on our first night in Madrid, because the paella there was very good. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a table so wandered over to Plaza Mayor and found another place that had paella. Not quite as good as the original place but it filled the gap! And of course the mandatory stop for helado before heading back to the hotel.