will i am's delayed diary

Breakfast buffet at Marriott was quite good with a wide selection of fruits, pastries, cold cuts and cheeses. Of course they had the usual hamster food station as well. And the walls were lined with Nespresso machines. A local guide was arranged for our tour of Toledo and Madrid. Her name was Goncha and she met us at the hotel. Started out towards Toledo which was about an hour out of town, passing through many furniture factories and olive orchards. She spoke in a lazy, slurred manner prompting many of us to have an early siesta (nap) . Toledo was the capital of Spain approximately 1000 years ago before the nobility moved to Madrid. The old city is unique because it was a community of Christians, Muslims and Jews. But that changed during the Spanish Reconquest when Catholicism was proclaimed as the official religion and those of other faiths were asked to convert lest they be expelled. In 1986, Toledo was declared a UNESCO heritage site for its cultural and monumental heritage. B

Morning call was at 6:00 AM and we checked out of the hotel at about 7:45 AM after breakfast. Started the journey in mist and rain. During our toilet stop, we bought a 2 KG box of huge strawberries for just EUR5. Sweet and juicy snacks! The first leg of our journey brought us to Guarda some 243 KM away. Hardly realized that we had crossed the border into Spain. No fanfare, just a change in time zone. Our lunch stop was at Restorante A Mexicana . Not sure if it was really Mexican food. Started with vegetable soup like usual and that was followed by pork chops and rice with beans. The dessert was a light as air flan called pudim molotov . Continued our journey to Salamanca some 160 KM away. Salamanca is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that throbs with the power of knowledge and youth. Students from all over flock to this ancient Celtic city to study in the beautiful blonde sandstone buildings. According to the local guide, the attraction of Salamanca lies not only the quality

According to the original itinerary, we had a day of private devotion in Fatima after our morning mass at Chapel Senora de Las Dolores. But I guess there's only so much praying and quiet contemplation one can do. We were offered a mini tour at an extra cost of EUR20 per pax. That brought us to the coastal town of Nazaré, just 40KM from Fatima. In that town is a gem of a church, Church of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré which is related to the Legend of Nazaré. Legend states that Dom Fuas Roupinho was out hunting and nearly chased a deer off a cliff if not for the intervention of the Virgin Mary. When we arrived, rain and mist enveloped the whole place. Rushed inside and was greeted by a Door of Mercy called Porto Santa da Misericordia in Portuguese. The interior of the church looked as old as the one in Santarém, but this was more elaborate with its baroque twisted columns, gilded coffer ceiling and beautiful ceramics. For a donation of EUR1, we were allowed up to view the statue of