Blogs from Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain, Europe - page 2

Issy is either turning Spanish or reverting to her teenage years. She's been going to bed at 2am every night, and then waking up at about 10.30am. Actually she doesn't wake up; I wake her up. First stop this morning is the El Greco Museum. On the way we pass the 14th century Puente de San Martin, which we read is Toledo's second oldest bridge across the Tagus River. It has large towers at both ends, and its 40 metre long central arch was apparently one of the longest on any bridge in the world at the time it was built. We buy tickets to both the museum and the synagogue next door. The museum was founded by the Marquis of Vega-Inclan, who was a patron of the arts, and it opened in 1911. The Marquis ... read more

We get up at 7am, and we're in the breakfast room as soon as it opens at 8am. We're the only people here which is probably not too surprising. Seven am on a Sunday morning, which is effectively the same as 5am on a Sunday morning anywhere else in the world, is probably a time that most Spanish people haven't experienced very often. It's 9am when we get to the station but all the shops are still closed. We need to change trains in Madrid, and we have to queue up there to get our luggage scanned. When we get to the front of the queue we're told that we're in the wrong place, and that trains to Toledo leave from a different part of the station. The helpful railway official we ask for directions tells ... read more

Malaga – City of Pablo Picasso, awesome Tapas bars & great wines We fly back from Ibiza to Malaga (in Andalucia) and pick up our car from a garage nearby (arranged via Ryan Air & definitely the cheapest option) and spend an hour trying to find some parking near to the hotel Pension Juanita, which is slap bang in the centre. No such luck so we go to our regular spot near the bus station – which is free after 6pm and only 15 mins walk away. The hotel is in a great location by the main street (Central Calle Marques de Larios) into the city centre, though the room has only a small fan and in the heat of summer we are not sure how folk would cope, as we were hot. It’s off to ... read more

We had a 2:50pm train to Toledo, which was thankfully only a 30 minute trip. Our landlady, Mercedes, had informed us that we could leave the apartment whenever we liked, so that made it easier to do some sight-seeing without luggage. We set out in the morning to the park behind our apartment with the Egyptian temple to get some photos of Madrid and just enjoy the views from up there. It was cold, but not ridiculous. I had got by without gloves and beanie so far, and that morning was the coldest we had experienced yet. It looked like the Spanish winter was going to be a lot more forgiving than Germany. We had a short walk through another park where Kohen and I could film some scenes for our upcoming movie. (We are currently ... read more

With its cobblestone streets and medieval walls it is no wonder that the entire city of Toledo is declared a UNESCO world heritage site. For centuries, Christians, Muslims and Jews flourished in this city of three cultures and built an incredible display of churches, monasteries, mosques and fortresses. In addition, Toledo is known for its traditional crafts, including damascene metalwork antique swords and handmade marzipan (sweet almond pastries). With so much to see in Toledo, it feels ironic that our first stop was the bus station. We were thinking about taking day trip to Consuegra, Spain, to see the windmills and the Saffron festival. However, realizing that we would not have much time in Consuegra, we decided to skip the trip. Instead, we headed to Zocodover, the main square. With nothing planned, we decided to take ... read more