Loosely Translated, Toledo Stands For ....

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.... uphill both way OR buns of steel. I think that it is one of those words that have a few meanings, depending on how you use it in a sentence.

I made my early to the Atocha Renfe Train Station. The subway route that I would normally would have taken had parts of lines under construction so I had to take a pretty long way out to get there. Now I know what rush hour on the Circular looks like ... good grief. Worse than the number 2 bus at supper time!

The Atocha Train Station is actually quite vast because not only is it connected to the metros but it also services the 8 or so suburban trains. In the center of the station is a tropical forest. I know that you are picturing a couple of potted plants but no this is actually quite large. There is also a pond with turtles and you can see birds flying around. The humidity is provided by sprinklers that gently mist these huge tropical plants.























So after a quick security check, one espresso cortado (my new obsession), I made my way onto my high speed train to Toledo. For some reason, I thought that high speed train would feel faster ... I mean I wasn't expecting Mach 3 and being stuck to my seat or anything but I just thought that you would get more of the feeling that you were zooming through space. Not so much ... felt like a train ride.

Toledo is actually the most popular day trip out of Madrid so the trains are frequent and the ride is quite short, only thirty minutes. I went into it thinking that I would really get a different feel than in Madrid and I was not disappointed. Toledo was the Imperial capital of Spain and it was and is the ecclesiastical heart of the country. There is and was a huge Jewish, Muslim and Christian population and apparently the streets are overrun during the procession of Corpus Christi. So hence the expression "Holy Toledo" ... now you know!

So when I say uphill both ways, I'm not being that dramatic. The town does sit atop a hill and to reach it you have quite the long uphill climb.







Then throughout the town, you are constantly going up and down these narrow streets, still lined in cobblestones. For the faint of heart, there is actually a mechanical escalator that will take you up to the town itself. Now to be noted ... by the time you reach the escalator or at least the first sign pointing towards it, you will already have blown out your left lung.


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Sign to the outdoor escalator into town</td></tr></tbody></table>
I chose to continue in the merriment and walk all the way to the first point of interest, la Puerta de Bisagra. The town is walled and this is one of the entry points. How to describe ... it's like going back to medieval times. The town surrounded by walls with archways leading you in. Like I said, the streets are still cobblestones and you are instantly transported into another world.















The surroundings are quaint with shop windows covered in awnings selling traditional Toledan wares such as brightly coloured ceramics and anything and everything medieval like armours, swords and the like. Some of the sights like the Catedral, Iglesia de San Juan de los Reyes and the Museo Santa Cruz defy description.













































After a lot of walking, I essentially circled back to la Puerta de Bisagra and undertook once again the uphill climb back to Plaza de Zocodover where I knew I could easily find a restaurant. I stopped at El Foro de Toledo and had a vegetarian paella and a glass of sangria. I could not leave Spain and not have tried the traditional dish of paella. It was served in the actual skillet it was cooked in and it was absolutely delicious although it does give off a little heat and when you read how hot it actually was in Toledo, you'll see why I mention it!

This is when I hit the proverbial wall. That was some serious walking I had just done and the sangria had not helped the cause. I meandered around some more and again made my way back to the main plaza and essentially just did some people watching. What I needed was a siesta but contented myself with ice cream. When I went to Rome, this was the big thing ... gelato. Gotta have gelato. Well Spain has them beat because that was some damn good ice cream. I then headed down (finally it was downwards!) Calle Miguel de la Cervantes to find the other entry point into Toledo, which again are these amazing medieval-like arches flanking this bridge.

I walked back to the train station relatively early and thought that I would poke around there for a while. First of all, outside there was a huge sign that indicated the time and temperature and that's when I saw how hot it actually was and maybe why I was soaked to the bone, beet red and quite drained. It was a whopping 36C!!! I knew that it was hot. I like hot. Just didn't think that it was THAT hot. I think that Bangkok was good practice for Spanish weather.

The Toledo train station is actually quite stunning. It dates back to 1914 and is a sight to be seen. The windows are all stainglass, comparable to any church. The floors are these terracotta tiles with inlays of smaller ceramic tiles, each with a medieval like design. The old ticket windows are still there with wrought iron railings to delineate where the lines should be. There are these massive wrought iron chandeliers with some inlay of coloured glass. The walls are covered with these intricate and extremely colourful ceramic tiles.




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This photo does not do it justice</td></tr></tbody></table>

So I hopped back on the train and headed back to Madrid. While I was at the train station, I decided to look for the memorial to the victims of the terrorist attack that took place on March 11, 2004 at this particular train station in Madrid. From outside, it just looks like an enormous glass cylinder. You actually make your way into the train station and enter this large room that is directly underneath the cylinder. The room is barren except for a long row of seating. The walls are a deep shade of blue and the lighting is quite low; the only light coming in being from that glass cylinder outside. In the center of the room is the hole that essentially is the bottom of that cylinder. Inside is a "tapestry" of clear material with words that people have written in response to this violent attack. As you enter the room you have the names of the 100+ victims. It is an absolutely beautiful memorial. If the intent was to provide a space of reflection for the families of the victims and others, it has been accomplished in spades. A very peaceful, serene space in response to a violent act.
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The cylinder from outside</td></tr></tbody></table>


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Inside the memorial</td></tr></tbody></table>









So another successful day in Spain. I am still debating whether I will venturing out of Madrid tomorrow ... to be decided.

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