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intermittent rains and dropsy where the winds are from the north and west

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  Having taken a wrong turning we are off the road and going somewhere that Streetview has not been so strap yourselves in, it is going to be a bumpy ride. We are going to edge through Yunclillos.  It is either side of the Guadarrama river and is a quarter of the way from Toledo to Madrid. Our dear friend the GSH Dictionary gives us a mid 19th century view,   situated between two hills, through the center of which runs a stream that divides the town; it has a temperate climate , the north and west winds prevail, and intermittent rains and dropsy are common: it has 130 houses ; the town hall, with good granaries for the public storehouse; jail in the same building; school endowed with 1,825 reales from public funds, attended by 55 children of both sexes; parish church (San Andrés) with a curacy of the first rank by ordinary provision. It is supplied with drinking water from a spring within the town and 6 in the vicinity, of medium quality. The land is uneven, suit...
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Where the thatched hut meets the enclosed fish

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  We are heading into the beating heart of Bargas but why it called that.  People argue. Some say it is a Celtic word meaning hut. Some point to the Arabic word meaning a thatched hut. I think we can go with hut although in Leon it might mean an enclosure located in a marshy area, surrounded b a palisade, intended to catch a fish - which sounds more fun but less likely. Having said that the Guadarrama flows through here, just before it meets the River Tagus. Bargas was one of those places which was depopulated when it was in the Marches between Northern Christian and Southern Muslim kingdoms. Alfonso VI began to repopulate the place in 1085. Pedro Ibanez de Vargas,  a royal favourite, was given this land.  Pedro has a wiki page. It tells you just what I said and little else. The place mooched along throughout History. The roads, apart from the Toledo one, were irregular and poor. They grew cereals and olives and even got a railway station and an electricity. They als...
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They have strange things

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  We are dodging over to the Avenida de Francia and we will pass the Convento de Dominicas de Jesus Y Maria.  https://deliciasmonasticas.es/monasterios/dominicas/convento-de-dominicas-de-jesus-y-maria-toledo/   Queen Juana - she of the Madness - seems to have established the institution. The building is mostly 17th century, however dates back to the 14th. It became a convent in 1601 and remained as such till 1984 when the nuns moved out to somewhere more comfy and the Ministry of Culture to be the Provisional Historical Archive of Toledo.   I clicked on the website’s link to Monastery Products.  Dominican Marzipan costs 50-122 euros in a cake version.  Bitesize marzipan is but 20 euros. Reviews are positive. HS J claimed ‘ Whenever I come to Toledo, I stop by here. I don't usually like marzipan because it's too sweet. However, here they're all delicious, especially the marquesita.’   Francisco was more non-food in his two month old review ‘Beautif...
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Gloria finds happy

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  From old narrow Spain to wide open, shiny roundabout and edge of town apartment block Spain.  As we are in Reconquista Avenue the Reconquista Restaurant has nothing sinister about the name.   https://reconquista14.com/   Six months ago Giovanna opined ‘ Excellent food, service, quality and price. I strongly recommend to everyone to come here and have an authentic Toledo food experience! The bacalao (Cod) pepper was AMAZING!   Yesterday Alex was less impressed. ‘ It's a shame the coffee is still dark roast and of such poor quality. Lunch was excellent and the service was top-notch.’ The Centro Fotografico de Toledo SL has a facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063632287323#   The last post was three weeks ago, which is good by the standard of these things.  Four months ago Gloria said ‘ They were very nice, you can pay by card and they give advice to ensure we're happy with our purchase.’ Matthew was very happy.  ‘I wa...
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Farewell to Mordor

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  Walking round Toledo is one of those disorientating things. With no clear vistas and streets that bend you can find yourself not quiet where you expected to be as you navigate what feels like an island - albeit lacking crashing waves and a decent fishing industry.  We are leaving the island today - but we will be back. I can’t remember where we ate but it was everything you could hope from a Spanish restaurant.  We were on small boy time so rocking up at 9pm for a meal meant the place was empty. They took one look and immediately put two chairs together so the son and heir could sleep, while his parents consumed.  It was the Taberna Artesana; La Tintilla, but we are passing it by so we will pop in and think of decades gone by. Woman owned and LGBTQ+ friendly, https://restaurante.covermanager.com/taberna-artesanal-la-tintilla/ La Tintilla gets 4.8 stars.  Three hours ago JP noticed ‘ The couple who run this place are very nice and attentive.’  John felt ‘...
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