Tuesday Madrid and Toledo

 

On Tuesday we started with a bus tour through Madrid. We got off the bus to see the out of the Los Ventas bull fighting ring which is huge and relatively new in the Moorish style with lots of arches.

We took a tour of the royal palace. Spain still has a symbolic monarch and the palace is still used for some official events. The decor in the rooms was really over the top. The grounds around the palace have been made into a public park that is really beautiful and wild.

We were on our own for lunch in sidewalk cafe near a square. Sophie did not like the bacon and cheese sandwich she ordered, so we picked up a ham on baguette sandwich for her to munch instead and of course a gelato.

Most of the group had the afternoon free, but we had signed up for a tour of Toledo.

The bus ride there took about an hour. The highlight was a stop a the scenic overview of this medieval walled city. The geography of the place makes you think of the defensive benefits of choosing this location for a city that’s been in existence since at least the romans. The city is on a steep hill and protected on three sides by a river that winds around it and a wall. Absolutely the picture of a medieval town.

In Toledo we did a Cathedral tour of a very significant Cathedral. We saw many paintings by El Greco both at the cathedral and at a smaller church. Toledo is also famous for the Jewish quarter where medieval Jews were tolerated but forced to live in a separate walled section. We walked through a small synagogue turned church turned museum that was so stark and beautiful. The last stop in Toledo was a jewelry and sword making shop. The kids really enjoyed that but were disappointed that they couldn’t buy swords to bring home.

Back in Madrid we had Tapas dinner at a very funky place. It was a fixed menu of small bites for everyone brought out in batches, and I loved it but apparently not everyone agreed. We were served potato tortilla that was delicious(potato pie), sliced cured meats, veggie salad just like our Polish guests made, ham croquettes, fried calamari, sausage, potatoes, chicken on a stick (Sophie’s favorite), and a layered chocolate mousse dessert. Then we walked to a large square and had churros dipped in melted chocolate.

Madrid is really vibrant. We saw such a large area full of people walking, shopping, and eating. While the population is less than DFW, the feel couldn’t be more different. There was plenty of traffic, but having a metro and small streets that are either explicitly pedestrian of effectively that way because they’re small makes a huge difference in the liveliness of the place.