After we were overrun by tourists in Granada we decided to visit the city of Cordoba right after it. This town also has a huge tourist sight, in the form of the world famous Mezquita. This building, a more than thousand year old mosque, was transformed into a church in the 13th century, after the Moors were expelled from Cordoba. The complex actually consists of a huge mosque, wherein a giant cathedral is built, right in the middle. It is a beautiful building and definitely worth a visit. The nice thing about the Mezquita is, that the entry between eight-thirty and nine-thirty in the morning is free of charge. And that are precisely also the quietest hours of the day, because the tour and school groups are still having their breakfast during this time of the day.

After seeing the most visited cities of Andalusia, we felt it was time to find some quieter areas in Spain. So we went for a few days to Guadelupe, a meaningless mountain village with a fabulous monastery, which was once visited by historical great figures like King Fernando, Queen Isabel and explorer Columbus (see the article about Guadelupe). Afterwards we drove to the national park Cabañas, which lies on the border of the provinces of Extremadura and Castilla-La-Mancha. It's a beautiful hilly area with wide valleys. The area is sometimes by chauvinistic Spaniards called the Seringeti of Spain, referring to one of the world's most famous wildlife parks in Tanzania (Africa). Obviously exaggerated, but it does indicate that it is a beautiful area where it is relatively easy to see the main birds of prey that live in Spain, including the Spanish Imperial Eagle.

On the way to Madrid we made a stop for a few days in Toledo, in the heart of the land of Don Quixote. This famous story is about a man who lost his mind by reading too many chivalric romances. He starts thinking that he is a real knight, and leaves his home town under the name of Don Quixote of La Mancha (named after his birthplace) and starts wandering through the countryside of Spain, which actually is the region around Toledo. The area is not particularly beautiful, partly because of the huge numbers of olive tree plantations, but does have some beautiful castle ruins. The city of Toledo itself is also worth a visit, and has one of the most extravagant cathedrals of Spain.

From Toledo is only a short drive to Madrid. We stay at the campsite in the suburb of Boadilla so we could use the metro network to the travel to/from the city centre. We have planned our visit to Madrid at the time as the final of the Champions League (soccer), a struggle that goes this year between the two superpowers of Madrid; Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Atletico Madrid has hired for her fans the huge sport palace of the city, to show the match, which is actually played in Milan, on big screens. Through the internet we were able to get tickets for the event, so we could witness this incredibly fun event. After a very exciting match, in which Atletico came on par just before the end of the game, rival Real Madrid won after penalty kicks; this to the dismay of the 15,000 Atletico fans in the sports palace.