The town was bustling, and is apparently very popular with Madrilenos for its local specialty of anis. This licorice flavored alcoholic drink isn't particularly tasty, but, unlike in Aranjuez, at least the stuff is actually made here. There are about thirty bars serving anis so we stopped for an obligatory drink, and afterwards walked around the town for an hour. It's got an ancient romanesque church perched above the plaza mayor, and a decrepit castle that's not particularly interesting but makes a good vantage point for seeing this tightly packed town.

123. Chinchon

Our final stop for the day was the pretty market town of Chinchon. Its plaza mayor is really pretty, a bullring surrounded by centuries-old buildings lined with covered arcades. The buildings are all tilting precariously and the arcades are held up by columns that look like they're about to snap, but it's a pretty arrangement, ruined by the practicality that the bullring is a parking lot when the bulls aren't being slaughtered.