It's Good to be the King....or Even the Don

Another brilliantly clear day in Belmonte!  They say it is supposed to rain and be cold tomorrow, but Accuweather says that cold is actually 67, so.....not so bad.  We are finding, though, that because of the thick stone walls of the building, it is often kind of chilly inside.  I have taken to carrying a sweater and sunglasses around with me because you never know what your one-to-one partner will want to do.  This morning I was supposed to have a free hour, but one of the Anglos wasn't feeling well, so I took her one-to-one.  He hadn't been outside yet, so he wanted to walk.  We headed into town, which always sounds like a good idea at first, because it's all downhill, but you do have to come back.  We stopped at the "Chinese store" to get some Coke Light, only to find the cooler empty - darn!

So we walked down to a different part of town because he knew where there was a really nice arch, part of the old city wall, which he had found while running earlier in the morning. We then started back (you know, the uphill direction).  It's hard to talk very well if the hill is long, but I tried to keep up and not ask to stop.  He admitted that the hills on the way back were a hard way to end his run, too, and he had to keep telling himself it was "only 200 more meters".  So every time I would slow down, he would say, "Come on, you can do it!  Only two more streets!  Only one more hill!"  There is a bit of flat ground right in front of the hotel, but then there are maybe eight steps up to the little parking lot,  Could I stop to catch my breath?  "No, come on, it's only eight more stairs!"  When I got up the steps, he asked if I felt better now, and I said I would tell him in ten minutes after I could breathe again.

A few minutes later we were on our way to the castle.  As luck would have it, I had a one-to-one with one of the guys who was driving up to take some of the less-able people, so of course I had to ride along so we could talk.  (I did walk back, though, following my personal trainer's "shortcut" along with several others).  

We were all completely blown away by the castle.  As with many such buildings, it had been added to and changed over the years, but the original castle was built in the 14th century.  The first castle had been built where our hotel stands today.  When they built the "new" castle, the first one became the convent, as I mentioned the other day, I think.  The inner courtyard is a triangle.  Set up in one corner were some archery targets, and we all had a go at it.  I don't think anyone even hit the hay bales, much less the target, but it was fun.  Anyway, the bows were not strung with actual strings, and some of the arrows were missing their points.  No matter.

We all explored every nook and cranny of the castle, including the original toilet.  It was a two-seater.  When you opened the lid, you were looking straight down into an outer courtyard.  Must have been extremely unpleasant in the winter, especially, though on a day like today you could have gotten a nice air-drying,  On the third floor were some rooms furnished as they were in the 1800s.  The ceilings of every level reminded me of those in the Forbidden City - intricately carved and painted.  I then went out onto the roof and walked around the walls, taking way too many pictures.

When we returned to the hotel, it was lunchtime, then siesta.  I went out to swim, but everyone who had been out there the day before decided to do something else.  (I guess I missed the memo.)  The sun was fierce, but the water was just slightly warmer than slush.  Still, I set my alarm for 30 minutes and stayed in,  There are a number of Spanish insects who owe their lives to me tonight since I spent a fair amount of time scooping them to safety.  I hesitated for a second with the bee, but I saved it, too.  When I came back downstairs after getting dressed, I found that Mike had brought me two bottles of Coke Light from the Chinese store!  I guess they restocked, and he had been down there during siesta.

Tonight was our final entertainment hour.  Tomorrow, the Spaniards will be given their presentation topics, and tomorrow night we will hear the presentations.  Everyone is beginning to talk about exchanging email addresses and finding each other on Facebook, and there are cameras out constantly.  When I return to Madrid a week from tomorrow, I think I will be having dinner with one of the Spaniards who lives near the airport.  That would be a great way to end the trip.  Maybe tomorrow I can actually get pictures posted here.  It was more difficult than I anticipated to transfer them from my phone to the netbook, but I think they are almost all done transferring now.  I will have to see what my schedule holds in morning.