The day in Toledo.

Despite the fact that my feet hurt and are fairly swollen from walking 6+ miles today, I am officially on a Spanish high right now and have been this way since the moment I arrived.  I can honestly say I am in heaven here, even the octopus on a tomato bread, not eating dinner till 10pm and walking everyday until your feet hurt, I cannot think of anything I have not enjoyed.  Today was definitely the highlight of my time here.  After arriving, I quickly made up my mind that Madrid was most likely going to be my favorite place because the city is bustling with energy, food, smells, sounds and culture; but after my adventure today, I concluded that I will not have a favorite place because every place has its own wonder and awe.  Toledo though was my favorite ;)

 For those that have been to Assisi Italy,  it was very similar.  Small town vibe (although nothing like an American small town), with old cobblestone streets and Medieval buildings (it used to be Spain's capital until 1561) and sword shops with Medieval artifacts and souvenirs on every corner.   I went to sleep last night rather worried about this "assignment," which was vague.  My academic director told us to pick three cities, Toledo, Segovia or Alcala de Heneras and figure out transportation there and back and go sight seeing, but not just visiting, she asked us to really take in the smells, the local customs and culture and compare it to our experience in Madrid.  So last night it hit me that I have never in my life taken a metro, never had to rely on a bus to get from point A to B nor have I been in this country for a week, and she was telling me to go to another city on my own???  Needless to say I woke up a little anxious and headed out the door after breakfast with my roommate.  Between the two of us we were able to find the Metro Station en La Plaza del Sol and take two trains to La Plaza Eliptica (about 30 minutes of running around) and then catch the bus to Toledo with only two minutes to spare.  I was surprised how well we fit in with the flow of the morning work rush, actually the whole trip was exhilarating and if you're tired in the morning, a trip from home to the metro and then another walk to the bus will wake you up on a crisp morning.  I could not believe that we actually made the bus to Toledo without any mess ups or disasters, we did almost get on the metro going the opposite way we wanted, but caught our mistake before it was too late. 

One thing about Spain is the people are who define the meaning of Spain, they are so friendly and often times they will stop and actually walk with you to show you where you need to go.  There was a little vieja lindo at the station who took me by the arm and showed me where the bus was that would take us up to el Ciudad del Centro and then walked over to us before we left to make sure we actually got on the bus and smiled.  There isn't much than can describe Toledo, the whole time Cecilia and I were walking through the streets we squealed like school girls at the charm and beauty of the city.  It's just like being in a book, the city is a complete time transport into Spain's Medieval days. Our first stop was the Catedral del Toledo where we took an audio tour of the church and I of course was in heaven!  The architecture is amazing, it's a beautiful mix of Gothic as well as Moorish influence.  I'm sure if you want more info on the Cathedral you'll look it up, so I'll spare the details.  Our next stop was to obtain Mazapan de Toledo from a convent where the nuns make sweets to sell in order to support themselves.  All I can say is they're good and loaded with sugar!  I am still recovering (they're just an almond flour pastry with tons of sugar!)  After more walking and lunch, another three course meal (very typical for lunch and its actually cheaper to get a fixed three course menu + a drink than to actually order off the regular menu) we ran into the other highlight of the day "El Entierro del Senor Orgaz de el Greco."  To be in a church, that was not anything magnificent like the cathedral, but to just walk in and see this painting was incredible.  You wouldn't believe the detail of the painting from just looking at pictures on the internet.  It's a masterpiece of expression, faith, humanity and art. 

All I can conclude with is: the day to Toledo was the highlight for me so far and that's saying a lot since I am in Spain and everything is a highlight.  Yesterday we went to El Prado and saw many other famous pieces of art by El Greco, Goya and many others.  These few days in Madrid have truly been an eye opening experience into what the world outside my little Wooster and Austin bubble have to offer. 

Tomorrow we head down to Granada and meet our families, I will stay with a woman and her young cousin who is my age.  I am so excited to meet her and she supposedly lives quite close to the center of Granada. I am about a mile from school so I will walk everyday, up hill mind you, and will spend three hours a day in class and then twice a week several more hours doing my community service project (to be determined). 

I'm sure there is so much else I am forgetting to say, I'm rather tired now, but it has been a truly graced day and I feel so lucky and blessed to be here!  Sorry mom and dad, I'm not the slightest bit homesick ;)  How can one be in a place like this when your mind is constantly awe struck?