Thursday in Madrid

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Hello everyone! We wanted to add a quick update to show you a few photos and introduce you to the newest member of our posse, Rachel (or Raquel, as we call her in Spain). She came through the initiation ceremony with only minor injuries, so the three of us have been having a wonderful time.

Rachel brings a new skill to our sightseeing; she is very good at spotting something in our field of vision and matching it to the guidebook, which has been extremely helpful.

Yesterday we took a train to Toledo. We were a bit initimidated by the whole "buy a ticket and get there" process but found it to be very easy. We found a self-serve kiosk and purchased our round trip tickets in just a few minutes, so we were able to avoid standing in the very long line at the ticket counter. We actually jumped up and down when the tickets started printing!

We had a wonderful time in Toledo. The Almudena Cathedral is astounding. I have seen a boatload of cathedrals in the past 6 weeks, and this one was my favorite. It was so beautiful and peaceful. We also visited the Casa-Museo de El Greco, 2 synagogues, Iglesia de Santo Tome, and the Museo de Santa Cruz. I also had my first piece of marzipan cake and boy is it yummy!

Toledo is the epitome of quaint, with narrow cobblestone roads. Narrow as they are, cars and even tour buses fly through these streets. Wendy was able to have a superhero moment when she noticed a tour bus heading towards Rachel who was looking at postcards. Wendy grabbed Rachel's arm and pulled her out of the way just moments before the bus whizzed by. Why they put tourist crap in the street where buses come by is a mystery to me.

Today we had another wonderful experience with public transportation, this time by bus. We rode for almost an hour to a monastery called El Escorial. Lots of paintings, a beautiful basilica, a pantheon full of dead people...it was pretty cool.

Hope you enjoy these pictures...

Take care,
Adrienne

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Photos

Heeeeeere's Rachel
Wendy's niece Rachel, at the cathedral in Toledo

Palacio Real
Our first full day in Madrid took us to Palacio Real.

Toledo View
We found a lovely park across from one of the synagogues that had a great view of the edge of Toledo.

La Tarta
A crypt in the Pantheon at El Escorial, where royal children are buried.

Comments

[Lemon]

Toledo
Hey wasn't this the previous capital of Spain under the Visigoths? It looks like you guys are having a wonderful time...I'm really excited to talk to you when you return...I really would like to spend a good amount of time discussing the attire you've been witnessing (why is it so shocking to you when you both usually dress that way at work?). I really want to know more about your local prostitutes.

[Michele]

Are you sure that's not Wendy?
Wow! Rachel looks just like Wendy. Pobrecita... Just kidding.

[Jessica Besterman Carsten]

Rachel! Be More Careful!
Thank you Wendy for saving my sister's life. We need her to come back in one piece. Toledo looks gorgeous. A lot prettier than the Toledo I live in. I hope you all are having a wonderful time. I have been reading about all your travels since the orphanage. Drink some sangria for me! Love, Jessica

[Wendy and Adrienne]

Thanks a LOT, Becky
Yes, yes, I know we are known, at least I am known, to not be the best dresser at work. However, there IS a difference between us and them -- at least in Madrid!

[Michael]

You mentioned cake, but what about the sausage and wine? Have you experienced any Flamenco yet?

[Wendy and Adrienne]

Sausage and Wine
Si, tomamos la sangria varias veces, y nos encontramos con un MEXICAN restaurant con chorizo y margaritas fabulosos. Tomamos el flanito varias veces, pero nunca el vino solo. Los echamos de menos y volveremos manana por la tarde. Hasta pronto! W.

[Wendy and Adrienne]

No Flamenco
We missed the Flamenco, but promised to do it the next time. I have seen it many times, but Rachel and Adrienne had not. - W. See you-all soon.