Day trip to Aranjuez

Hello! Last Friday I went to the town Aranjuez with two of my friends. It was quite a dull day weather wise but a fun day nonetheless. I knew I wanted to return there as I was eager to do some walking in the hills outside of the town. Two days later I returned with Craig, we were armed with lots of fruit and reading to take on the hills. 

The weather was a little bit better than my first visit, brighter and warmer. However, it soon lashed rain. It feels like it has been raining here on a weekly basis since November. Maybe I brought Ireland's bad weather with me when I left for Spain? Who knows, all I want now it constant sunshine, is it too much to ask for?!

Aranjuez is a quaint town with lots of history as it is home to one of the Spanish monarchy's palaces. I have no time for the monarchy of any country so I didn't visit the museum but this building and the grounds around it were quite pretty. 

Royal Palace of Aranjuez, apparently built so the King could get away from the pressure of the city..bless his cotton socks.

We made our way to the hills. There was a sign just at the start of the trail which stated that the trail was of medium difficulty  I was looking forward to a bit of a challenge. It turns out however that the sign was a total exaggeration and the hill was a lot smaller than we expected. No matter what which way we went, we couldn't get away from the view of the town and the many industrial estates around it. 

Of what I've seen so far of the Spanish countryside, it doesn't excite me that much to be honest but I am eager to explore more of the country. 

 We came across these sculptures about half way up the hill. There didn't appear to be any sign explaining what they stand for or who made them but I thought they provided a  pleasant  burst of colour on such a cloudy day. 

As I have two dodgy knees I was quite proud of myself for not falling down this slippery slope. This was the most difficult part of the trail but as it wasn't part of the official trail route I don't think it really counts.

It was a fun day even though I got absolutely drenched from the rain. I love being in the outdoors, it felt great to get out of the city. 

I hope you all had a good Semana Santa / Easter holiday!