#12 When Common Sense Loses

Saturday we decided to head west to a town called Talavera.  It is known for its pottery and we wanted to get a head start on Christmas shopping.  The weather wasn't fabulous for a day of exploring, but the rain had stopped so off we went.  Of course, what kind of day of exploring would it be without chocolate and churros, so our first stop was at a chocolateria and then we hit the shops.  We were blessed that a fellow pastor had told us where to go for the best deals.  We wandered in and out of several stores and made several purchases.  Then back in the car for a drive through look at the center of town and to find lunch.  We settled on McDonald's (I know, living on the wild side).  As we headed home we passed the exit for Lidl (kind of like Aldis) and decided to turn around and grab a few things from there.  So far common sense is winning, but then we see a castle off in the distance.  Just ask Alex - all days of pueblo exploring have to include either a castle or a church, and so far we had seen neither.

We asked the clerk at Lidl how to get to the castle, but her directions didn't seem accurate (don't ask me why we foreigners thought we knew better than the native), so we took off following our own ideas.  Well, we would get close, sort of, but not close enough.  We drove on dirt roads, through parking lots, and made several turn arounds.  Finally, we gave up.  We were heading home, via the directions the clerk gave us, of course.  And then we saw one more road - it led under the interstate (the whole problem we had been having to begin with) and appeared to go in the right direction.  Common sense said "Quit!  Go home!"  (I think we might have heard Alex say that too), but we tried once more.  And guess what?  We found it - or at least the base of it.  You can't drive to it - you have to hike to it.

And then once again, common sense failed.

Because yes, I was wearing dress boots.  

And yes, this is the rainy season - and yes, it had been raining here for days - and yes, Spain is not known for lots of grass, and yes, they build castles on the top of hills.

And yes, if you climb up that muddy hill in dress boots, you have to walk back down that hill in the same shoes.

But why not?  It's only a little mud and after nearly an hour of wandering to find this castle, common sense must lose and fun must win!  I made it to the top and back down without falling.  My boots were a mess (as were everyone else's shoes) and had to be removed and put in a bag instead of worn in the car.  But it was a gem of a castle - deserted and not preserved - but you could go inside and up a few of the stairs.  

It was fun.  We laughed a lot.  We conquered the "lost castle" and enjoyed some time together as a family.  There was a time in my life (not so long ago) that I would not have let common sense lose - and I am thankful that I have lightened up a little and can truly enjoy those days of just doing the crazy thing.  Wonder where we will find ourselves on our next day of exploring (and what shoes I will be wearing)?