Toledo and Madrid

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Madrid and Toledo

Just returned from another exciting weekend away, this time from Madrid and Toledo! We left Salamanca early Saturday morning, and drove approximately three hours to Toledo, about 70 km south of Madrid.

Toledo:

Did you know that the small city of Toledo has over 80 churches?? Hence the phrase “Holy Toledo!” Betcha didn’t know that didya? This medieval city, and the former capital of Spain, invites visitors to get lost (literally) in its labyrinth of crowded streets and ancient history.
Toledo had a charming old feel to it, and I really enjoyed walking down the compact cobbled roads and poking into various shops and boutiques. First, we drove up to a hill outside the city to view Toledo from the best vantage point, then came back for a walking tour. We started by visiting the old Jewish quarter and going into the Museo Sefardi, one of the only remaining synagogues in the city. Toledo was once a cultural fusion of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian beliefs, but now, according to our tour guide, there are no more Jews in Toledo. Thanks to Alfonso VI, non-Christians were expelled from the country and forced to convert or flee. Nowadays, the only Jewish people you will find in Spain are in the big cities.

Next, we went to see El Greco’s most famous painting, The Burial of Count Orgaz. This artwork depicts the supposed descent from heaven of St. Augustine and Stephen to attend the burial of Count Orgaz. Although it is a beautiful painting in itself, having a tour guide to explain the background information and to point out the many details of this intricate masterpiece made me appreciate it much more.

After spending the morning and afternoon in Toledo, we continued on to Madrid, about an hour away by bus. Went shopping (gotta love European fashion!), then got dinner at this restaurant/bar called Sintras, which served tasty cider and warm tortillas at a fair price.

Madrid:

The next morning, we took a tour of the city. WARNING: If planning on spending a whole day sightseeing in Madrid, it would be wise to NOT stay out clubbing at El Kapital until 6am. When you stumble bleary-eyed onto the bus 30 minutes late, the rest of the group will hate you (not that I would be guilty of such a thing).

Anyway, Madrid is really cool. I would describe it as a mix of London and Salamanca on steroids. It is a huge, bustling city, but still retains that Spanish air with a plentiful tapas scene and an impressive Plaza Mayor (although, not quite as breathtaking as the Plaza in Salamanca, if I do say so myself). As with any big city, it’s full of street vendors (both comical and annoying- watch out for the tables with masks on them, they will pop out at you, and you will scream, and they will laugh). You also have a good number of homeless and beggars, and tourists, tourists everywhere! Even on a Sunday in February, the streets were choked with people, most of them foreigners. I can’t even imagine Madrid in the summer months, the height of tourist season and the peak of heat! I bet it’s insane!

From morning to mid-afternoon we hit the highlights of the Prado museum. The most visited museum in Spain and one of the most visited in Europe, the Prado houses the masterpieces of mainly Spanish artists, including but not limited to Velasquez and Goya.

It was especially captivating because we had studied both Velasquez and Goya during our two week orientation classes. Learning about Las Meninas, Los Barachos, La Maja Desnuda, La Maja Vestida, and Saturn Devouring His Sons, and then seeing ALL of them, right in front of me, was pretty spectacular.

After the Prado, it was time for lunch (all that culture makes a girl hungry!). I had really wanted to visit the Reina Sofía, which is Madrid’s modern art museum, but it was closed Sunday afternoon. Instead, I walked around and went into shops, watched dueling mariachi bands in the Puerto del Sol, stopped and got churros con chocolate, then made my way back to the bus for the drive home. Although I feel like I only got to see a small portion of what Madrid has to offer, I consider it a weekend well spent.

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