Toledo Santo

So... after a bit of deliberation, I have decided that Toledo beats out Segovia for the best Madrid daytrip I have been on. They are very similar vibes, straight out of medieval times... and they are both very accessible (2 hours North to Segovia, a little over an hour south to Toledo), affordable (12 euro train roundtrip to Segovia, 8 euro bus roundtrip to Toledo), and they are both teeming with history.

Toledo is a bit bigger than Segovia, and there was a path you could go down that Don Quixote traveled down in the book. There is a Jewish influence in Toledo that there isn't in Segovia. This influence is fairly restricted to one small neighbourhood with some old synogogues. Also, there is a really nice cathedral here, that is less aesthetically appealing from the outside than the one in Segovia, but, you can go through the backdoor and get a peek for free (or pay 7euro to enter the front door); whereas, you have to pay to get into the cathedral in Segovia. Toledo also has more artisan work (mainly gold, leather and swords... as I mentioned, this is where the Lord of the Rings swords were crafted). It is interesting because I got a cheap necklace with a cross, and the patterns on it are almost gaelic-looking. Any boys would go crazy for the weaponry and armour in the windows, pretty cool-looking stuff, and I kept saying "my brothers would love that"... somehow, my friends were under the impression that they are 12 years-old or so... and I said they pretty much are! Hah just kidding...

Toledo has a nice art gallery and the house of El Greco. Also, there is a really cool fairy tale bridge on the south side of the city that goes over a gorgeous river. The views really were great. The only downside is that Alcazar, the castle in Toledo, is under construction so we couldn't go there. And, as many know, I was quite taken with the Segovian alcazar. We didn't have a meal in Toledo; so, I'm not so sure what they have that would rival the Segovian pig hoof, but I did see some promising signs for paella. Toledo is full of little restaurants you just want to take pictures of and quaint alleyways. While I was there, one of my friends had a toledana, which is a traditional pastry, crusty and scone-shaped, with hard frosting flaked on the top and filled with pumpkin marmalade, if that makes sense. I tried some, and it was pretty good, very sweet. I tried marzipan (mazapan) that was shaped like little fish. They sell it everywhere, and it's a pretty big deal there. It was really delicious, too sweet perhaps, like bread with doughy, sugar clumps keeping it together. It was my first experience with marzipan, and I'd say it was overall a good one.

What really set my trip to Toledo apart from my trip to Segovia was the weather. It was about 72 and sunny on Saturday, and we walked everywhere. It seemed like EVERY hill was uphill, I don't think that's possible, but maybe in Toledo. The little shops around Toledo are so interesting, especially if you had a lot of money and were going to be renovating a house or something, there were antique lantern shops and decorative glassware, pretty cool stuff! Also, we sat around in a park for an hour or so that was really gorgeous in the sun.

I shouldn't judge Segovia on account of its weather... though snow is obviously such nonsense! I would say the Roman aqueduct and alcazar there are very cool, and the trainride a bit more picturesque than the mostly urban busride to Toledo... even though I said Toledo wins out, it is definitely a close call.

Sorry this post is kind of rambling and not well-written. I'm exhausted, and I have to brush up on my elementary-level portuguese so I can navigate my friends and myself around Lisbon this weekend!! Again, the pics for this post are on my disposable cam. So, be patient. Okay, I'm going to go now. Until later!