Mixing it up in Spain: Culture in Toledo, Partying in Madrid

I flew to Madrid last weekend to meet up with my Dad who had been traveling through Spain for the past few weeks. I convinced a few of my friends to come along as well so the weekend was a nice balance between culture and museums in Toledo and partying until the wee hours in Madrid.

I spent Saturday with my Dad in Toledo. We took a bus from Madrid very early in the morning (it takes about 50 minutes by bus; we would have taken the high-speed train but it wasn't running that early) to get there in time to hear a mass said in Latin in the Toledo Cathedral. We made it there in plenty of time for the 9:45 a.m. mass only to discover that the mass isn't held on Saturdays, contrary to what they have posted on their website.

Disappointing but we still enjoyed the beautiful sunny morning walking around inside the walled city, toured the Cathedral and visited some of the synagogues and museums in town. We saw El Greco's most famous works, enjoyed stops in some outdoor cafes and had a nice set menu lunch. Toledo is a tangle of small, quaint streets. Easy to get lost in but small enough that you're never far from where you were trying to go. All in all, a lovely day.

My Dad and I took the bus back to Madrid and had a much needed siesta before heading out to meet my friends for tapas near Plaza Mayor. We worked our way up Calle Cava Baja but by about 10:30 p.m. all the tapas bars were so crowded we could barely squeeze our way in, let alone get within earshot of a bartender to order. Eventually my Dad decided to call it a night and the rest of us pressed on to El Viajero in Plaza Cebada - a three story tavern with an open rooftop bar which was not too crowded yet and turned out to be the perfect spot.

After a few drinks there, our next destination was the neighborhood Chueca - we had heard it was super trendy and fun with great people watching (think transsexuals and other characters right out of an Almodovar film). We were not disappointed. Great bars, great music, lots of dancing...and yes, a few trannies.

Sunday morning my Dad got up early and went to the Prado while I slept in. Later on we had a nice breakfast in the Plaza and then wandered down past the Cathedral to the Palace and the Palace gardens with the statues of all the Visigoth leaders. Professor Joyce told me about each one, why they were important and who they conquered. It was beautiful and warm and a perfect day for strolling around Madrid.

I'm so glad my Dad passed through Madrid and that I could go meet up with him. It was the perfect excuse to go back to one of my favorite cities (generally I have so many new places to visit that I don't have time to revisit the places I really liked) and it was great to visit Toledo with someone who knows it so well.

And thanks to O, Gman and Alissa for coming with me and not letting the fact that they stayed out until 7 a.m. on Saturday morning stop them from bringing their A game on Saturday night! Ole!

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