3 senoritas showed me what was under their skirts!

Europe » Spain
August 25th 2007

Published: September 30th 2017

A pre-emptive strike - my big toe always splits open in 3 or 4 places right on that spot. So I've started taping it up with mole skin to prevent it from happening. With much travel comes great foot-care wisdom ... at least, that's what Yoda once told me.

Geo: 39.8568, -4.02448

I had a very crappy sleep. Despite the lower-than-normal temperatures for Toledo, it was still hot in the room and I tossed and turned all night long. Of course we still both managed to sleep in until 9:30 AM! Apparently Mary dreamed of having sushi with her E&Y co-workers and then playing poker with Khanh and Jessica. Poor girl - she can't get over work!

The weather definitely is not typical of Spain - cold and rainy. I dropped Mary off at the Cathedral (since I've been there before) and went for a walk. Noticed some kind of lumberjack competition being set up in Plaza Ayuntamiento; it might be worth checking out later on.

I sat and had a café con leche - not great, but it started to taste better as I drank more of it. Still a great value at 1.1 Euro - Starbucks, you can go to hell!!! The café was along a street lined with fish vendors, running up to the central market. I don't think I've actually ever been on this street before. I stayed awhile and wrote in my journal. I'm so happy to be in Europe again! But was the

The resemblance is already uncanny ... just give me a few more years and a few more white hairs on my head ...

feeling euphoria ... or a caffeine buzz?

Ahhh .. it's nice to have a few minutes to myself. I do like being on my own ... but I'm starting to realize that my independence can be too extreme. It's not always a good thing. Anyway ... the café makes a good-looking paella, and a bubbling scampi-like dish. I noticed that more bathrooms in Spain seem to have soap now. From a hygienic standpoint it's a good thing, but this unfortunately means that Spain's already bland food will now have even less flavour! I also noticed them now having vending machines selling toothpaste and toothbrushes. Not a big deal; just something that I noticed.

Fortuitous timing - both Mary and I arrived at the main market square at the exact same moment. She enjoyed the cathedral and told me that she was starting to see what I like about Spain. She changed her opinion because she saw two hot Spanish guys walking around the cathedral. Unfortunately, she thinks they might be gay. Too bad for Mary ... of course, who knows ... Mary might like that kind of thing ...

On the way to the Victor Macho museum we

Mary, finally finding her knight in shining armour. I felt bad when I told her that there was nobody inside. I felt even worse when she told me "That's OK, I like the strong and silent type."

picked up some pastries from a place that caught our eye yesterday. Mary had a pedestrian cream-filled pastry and I had one filled with ham and cream cheese - very good.

The museum had a number of view terraces overlooking the Tajo river. Today was a lot like the time we were in Sintra, Portugal, with a smattering of clouds and fog. Simply put, it was a beautiful sight. We heard a rooster crow and laughed after Mary commented that only in Spain will you find roosters that wake up at 1 PM!

The museum was mostly a collection of Macho's sculptures. "La Madre" (the mother) was incredibly lifelike, with exquisite detail showcasing veins and wrinkles. Reminded me of last September in Florence, when I was marveling at the veins on the hand of Michelangelo's David, unlike the scores of middle-aged women who were marveling at his butt (see Euro 2006 blog entitled "I had the perfect gelato - my life is now complete"😉

A number of El Greco's works were temporarily on display here because El Greco's house was closed for renovation. The eyes ... his ability to make them come alive is always so striking

I was incredibly fortunate today to have three Spanish senoritas show me what was under their skirts ... caliente!!!

and powerful. There was also a short film on Toledo's history playing inside a VERY hot theatre. Not too bad.

As we left the museum there was a group of Spanish girls chatting animatedly. Mary asked if I was in Heaven - I responded "Nope, but pretty close!!!" It's like a beautiful symphony ...

Off to the Synagogue - St. Mary the White. I joked "White implies purity, but the only Mary I know is very dirty-minded." Ahh ... Mary ... always good for comic relief. Not too much to see here; we walked back to the hotel area for some lunch - it's kebab-time, baby!!! The ultimate backpacker food!

I pointed out to Mary that I had bought a bottle of water at this shop last year and also used the bathroom in the basement. I did a lot of that today - pointing out places I've been and their significance. It was kind of nice being a bit of a guide on the "Wannabe Spanish Casanova" tour of Toledo, and showing Mary the places and things in Toledo that are related to Isabel, and my previous adventures here.

We ate the kebab in the

I didn't want to take this picture. Mary made me do it. Dirty Mary ... tsk, tsk ...

park we went to last night. A typical kebab - tasty! I don't think I've actually ever had a kebab in Spain until now. It was a good one to start with. After, we munched on some chocolate purchased yesterday. We thought it was hazelnut, but it wasn't. And it was sugar-free - yech ...

Back to the hotel for a siesta. Mary commented that "Everybody looks different here!", alluding to the vastly-differing appearances of Spaniards. The problem was that the group she was referring to weren't Spaniards!!!

Watched the news - there are storms in Alicante and Valencia. Footage showed huge waves crashing on the beaches, branches and trees strewn about the streets, and flooding. Apparently a bridge also collapsed near Barcelona a few weeks ago. This doesn't bode well for us as we will be driving along that stretch of highway. On a recent weekend, traffic was backed up for 75 kms! And even more Spaniards are expected to return home over the next few weeks. Perhaps we need to change our plans?

All sorts of terrible events are taking place in Europe right now - forest fires in Greece are threatening countless lives and ancient ruins,

Re-enacting John's infamous cactus-fruit-grabbing moment 2 years ago in Arcos. I'm still pondering that one - as Mary would say "Why?!!???"

and there was also an ETA tourist attack in the Basque region. Mary suspects that she has cursed Europe! I can believe that! Hurricane Maria is relentless!!!

Mary went off on her own for awhile and I napped for about 10 minutes. After that I laid in the dark for another 20. Sometimes I don't need to sleep ... just relaxing in silence is enough. Off to the Sinagoga del Transito. It's warmed up a lot today here in Toledo.

The synagogue was nothing special, but free! I'm running out of things to see here in Toledo! I walked around afterward and went back to Plaza Ayuntamiento to see the lumberjack competition. Turned out to be more of a wood-carving demo. It wasn't very impressive so I didn't stick around. Apparently Mary saw me there but pretended not to see me. After only a few days she's already ashamed to be seen in public with me! But can you blame her?

Off to the internet café for a moment and then to the hotel. Mary returned with some souvenirs. I guess she knocked down a huge bucket of pins in a souvenir store. Maybe she IS cursed after

I've been told that I have a way of seeing the beauty in the world. Some would see an ugly snail ... I, on the other hand, see a beautiful and delicious escargot. It's a rare gift that I have.

all ... she also lamented how like always, she buys a souvenir and then finds something afterward that she likes even more.

We had hoped to catch the sun setting over Toledo from outside of the old town, but with dark clouds hovering overhead it wouldn't have been a very beautiful sight. Since it was our last night in Toledo, we splurged on dinner. It poured as we walked to the restaurant. I had forgotten my umbrella in Calgary but luckily Mary had hers. It was difficult walking together because it was so tiny, but we managed to get to the restaurant without getting too soaked.

Castellano soup - with chunks of bread, ham, and poached egg. The oily broth had no flavour. The local specialty is partridge (and all this time I thought it was hotel hotties!) - stringy and flavourless. It was basically boiled poultry. The accompanying bread was hard and stale. I was roasting after eating the hot soup and hot partridge dish. Mary had roasted pig - lacking a little salt, but roasted pig is always a yummy dish. According to the menu, dessert was "trifle with scum". Mmmm ... scum-ilicious ... but I

I'm not sure who the subject of this painting was, but given the hand gesture ... I'm guessing it's Spiderman.

expected it to be scummier ... the scummy dessert was probably the best part of the meal. That says something about the food here ... though I'm not exactly sure what!

Chatted with a Parisian couple next to us - a dental surgeon and a realtor. We discussed Calgary's crazy housing market. They asked us if we were from the "American or French part of Canada". Uhh ... that wasn't quite right, but we understood what they meant. Kinda funny, actually!

Off for a concert - part of the "Three cultures festival". It's a nod to Toledo (and Spain's) tolerant past and is a celebration of Jewish, Arabic, and Catholic cultures. Tonight's featured group was Mashala Arbol Milen Aris, and is comprised of a Canadian singer, Moroccan percussionist (a very happy, energetic, and charismatic guy who resembled the Cuban guy who competed in the Amazing Race a few years ago), a South American, and an Italian.

Her vocals were haunting ... it was almost unrecognizable as Spanish when sung in an Arabic or Hebrew style of song. I did my best to translate for Mary but had trouble keeping up. A truly unique fusion of musical genres, and

El Greco - check out the eyes. So distinctive, so moving, so powerful ...

it was a very impressive performance in an unforgettable setting. Very nice acoustics in the courtyard of this old university. The sprinkling of Spanish hotties in attendance was also a nice touch! The concert was well worth the 12 Euro admission price and was a great way to end our time in Toledo.

It was a chilly and windy night - we had hoped to walk to the boundaries of the old town but couldn't because the wind started whipping up sand. Had a chocolate banana gelato on the way back to the hotel. Crappy. Sigh ... wearing long pants and a hoodie on an August night in Toledo? That's just plain wrong!!!

So this is likely the last time I will ever set foot in Toledo. It's funny ... somehow it no longer seems as magical here. Perhaps the romantic mystery of Toledo for me resulted only from the smile of a beautiful Spanish girl? It's amazing how a single chance encounter can colour your perceptions and memories of a place. But though things have changed, Toledo will always be a special place for me, and whenever I think of it - I'll still have a smile on