toledo

We packed one more trip into Mom and Abby's already packed time in Europe.  I asked for Friday off from my internship during the week they were in Madrid, and we decided to go to Toledo for the day.  We (I) debated for a while about the best use for that day- Cordoba, Zaragoza, and a few others were on the list, but ultimately Toledo was the most cost-effective and efficient use of our time. 

On Friday morning, I met Abby and Mom to check out of their hotel.  It was an early morning after a very late night the night before when we were in Camarma.  We left our bags (including my weekend Paris bag) at the desk and headed to the train station.  We stopped at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast on the way to Atocha.  I had invited Pilar to come with us to Toledo, since she doesn’t usually work on Fridays, and she and her mom, Candi, came along!  It was so fun to have them with us.  We all met at the train station, and since we had purchased all of the tickets, we sat near basically together in the train.  The train to Toledo isn’t actually an AVE, but it is still a high-speed train, and the trip to the nearby city is half an hour.  I was glad that Mom and Abby got to experience a train trip!  

Toledo is in the community of Madrid in the autonomous community of Castilla La Mancha and was formerly the capital city of Spain.    

The train station in Toledo is walkable distance to the city, so we first set out in search of the tourism office to get a map.  Toledo is very hilly and just getting to the office wasn’t an easy walk, so we took our time walking up to the city and admiring the city’s unique gates, walls, and bridges along the way.  After getting the map, we planned our route and decided to start at a synagogue.  There we purchased bracelets for 9 euros that allowed us to get into most of the city’s iconic buildings and attractions- admission for each one by itself was about 3 euros, so we got a great deal!  Pilar’s mom made tortilla and brought sandwiches for us, since we woke up and had breakfast early, so we enjoyed those in a patio area near the synagogue. 

From there, we headed towards the Jewish quarter.  Toledo is one of many “three culture” cities in Spain.  The three cultures are basically three religions: Christianity (Catholicism), Judaism, and Muslim.  At different points in Toledo’s history, one, some, or all of those religious groups occupied the city, and there is still architectural evidence of the presence of all three.  The Jewish quarter is also uniquely marked with different Hebrew symbols and characters on small tiles embedded into the walls and streets. 

Here, "Jewish Quarter" is written in Hebrew, Spanish, and English.  

On our route to the Jewish quarter, we also stopped at a traditional Toledo shop with jewelry and knives or swords for sale.  Gold etching art is very popular and characteristic of the city, and they are also known for making knives and swords.  The highlight, though, was the shop owner and artist, who showed us and explained to us how he creates the jewelry and gold-etched products in his shop!  It was very interesting to learn, and we also picked up some souvenirs there. 

From there, we saw a few other churches, synagogues, El Greco’s burial sight, and a monastery.  Several of the landmarks had archeological findings on display with original bricks and frames of the existing buildings that were built by Romans in early, early years AD.  In one church, we got to climb up a tower and look out over the city.  The bracelet admission also helped guide our visit and know where to stop and where to go next. 

Unfortunately, not too long into our morning/early afternoon, it started to rain hard.  We were prepared for the rain, and honestly the rain was better than the heat that there is always potential for in Toledo.  When I was in Toledo three years ago, it was an almost miserable experience because it was so hot, and it is hilly to walk.  At one point on Friday it even was hailing!  Toledo made national news for lots of flooding, but thankfully, it didn’t interfere much with our plans. 

We walked out to a bridge on the opposite side of the city from where we arrived, and we had amazing views of the city and a beautiful valley.  From there we took a break to get a drink, mostly because it was starting to rain harder and was hailing a little bit again.  That stop was enjoyable in itself; Mom was really testing my translating abilities, but we got into some great conversations about our respective cultures and lives.  I feel like having Pilar and Candi along really authenticated the Spain experience for Mom and Abby.  They are easy to travel with and made for a great day trip. 

The only thing we had hoped to do and didn’t was stop in the Toledo cathedral.  We saw it from the outside on our walk back to the train station.  I also stopped at a bakery to get mazapan, which is a typical Toledo pastry, and we also got to sample Toledanas and a few other goodies. 

We made it back to the train station in a good amount of time to make a bathroom stop before heading back to Madrid.  I slept on much of the train ride back- even in just the half an hour trip.  Honestly, I was exhausted from the whole week of sightseeing, but particularly that day from translating and flipping back and forth from English to Spanish! We said goodbyes to Pilar and Candi at the train station.  It was emotional for me to have Mom and Abby say goodbye to my Spanish “family.”  I am so, so glad that they got to meet; it meant so much to me. 

Abby, Mom, and I walked back to the hotel and got our bags, and then we took a taxi to the airport to head out for our Paris weekend!  We decided to get McDonald’s for supper that night just for fun.  Unfortunately, due to the rain and storms, lots of flights were cancelled or delayed, so we left about two hours later than anticipated.  We still made it to our hotel in Paris well before midnight.  At Paris Orly Airport, we didn’t even have to show our passports or go through any kind of passport control!  That certainly sped up the process of getting to the airport shuttle and checking in, but it was a bit odd.  I’ve been through a few countries where they have not stamped my passport, but it’s always been checked. 

Though the day was tiring, Toledo was a highlight of my time so far in Spain this round, and I know Abby and Mom loved it too.  Pilar asked Abby what she had thought when I went to Spain, and Abby said that Toledo was what she’d always pictured.  Toledo is a lot less modern than Madrid, but its charm is very fun to explore. 

More on Paris, coming soon!!!           

Photos not shot on my iPhone are by Abby Manwell