Holy Toledo!
No, not that Toledo.
Toledo, Spain is one of the most historic cities in the world, with some buildings and relics dating back over 1000 years. Located only 50 miles from Madrid, a visit there is almost perfect for a short day trip.
To simplify things for myself, the transportation and tours were arranged by the ERASMUS group at my university. From what I can tell, ERASMUS is a foreign exchange program for students in the EU. They get funding from the European governments and even offer travel scholarships to students from the EU. Even though not from the EU, they offer their programs to students from the United States.
Starting off Sunday morning, the meeting point for the traveling group was the Atocha train station. Atocha is the main train station for Madrid and where the high-speed rail departs for longer distance trips. For me, getting from the university to the station is a 5 minute metro ride and a 30 minute light-rail ride. All in all, it takes over 40 minutes.
That morning, breakfast service in the dorms did not begin until 9:00 on the weekend. With the group departing for Toledo at 9:30, I could not get breakfast in time to depart. Low on resources, I finished a quarter package of rice cakes I bought earlier and ate one of my few remaining Clif bars.
Meeting up with some Canadian students coincidentally at the metro, we traveled to the train station but just missed the first train, needing to wait another 8 minutes. Thankfully, the train moved quickly and we arrived at Atocha by just before 9:30.
Two buses were allocated to transport around 50 students. Three student organizers from ESN (ERASMUS Student Network) were in charge of filling the buses. Naturally, this process took around 20 minutes as the students went through every name pronunciation possible for the students on the list. The way they pronounced my name, you would think I was German.
Finally on the bus, I got a window seat and waited as the bus filled. At random, a girl from New Zealand sat next to me. Throughout the 35 min ish drive to Toledo, we talked about the USA and New Zealand. Coincidentally she had a brother studying at the same university as another friend of mine from the USA. We then started making arrangements for the two to know each other. It must really be a small world!
Looking out the window on the gray day, the Madrid countryside consisted of rolling hills of desert-like terrain Still, more interesting than Indiana.
The city is on a plateau bordered by a river except on its north side. We arrived at the city on ground level at the main gate. There, we were joined in the bus by a tour guide. We then drove around the city on the opposite side of the river. The views were incredible.
The majority of the history lesson offered by the tour guide was boring and forgettable. An interesting fact was how the three major religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all coexisted peacefully for many years in the city during tumultuous times between the religions elsewhere.
Continuing the drive, we were informed of an ammunition factory located very near to the city; we also noticed how no homes were built near the factory.
Returning to the city gates and disembarking, we took a series of escalators up to the city plateau. Funny: modern escalators built into the hillside of one of the oldest cities in the world.
The subsequent tour of the city was rather bland. Every other building was some famous church. Pro tip: every building you see in the city is/was a church or convent.
Progressing, interest level among the other students decreased to almost zero as lunchtime approached. On the bus, we were promised an authentic paella lunch for only six euro. Soon, everyone was asking where the paella was. My attention turned to talking with other students, meeting some from Canada, Finland, Poland, and some other Americans.
Stumbling through some more famous churches/convents/Jewish temples, this starving band of students finally arrived at the lunch location. Much to their credit, feeding 60 starving students was easier than expected. Maybe the free sangria and beer helped....
After more than a hour for lunch, we were allowed to tour the city on our own. Teaming up with some Canadians we first proceed to the famous Cathedral of Toledo. Beyond it being old, it is also very beautiful.
Entrance to the Cathedral cost around 10 eur. Not wanting to spend too much on the visit, we decided to skip the inside and perhaps return closer to closing.
Our next destination was the Alcazar, the iconic four-tower building that hosts the Spanish war museum. In the process, we got lost wandering through the maze of streets. All of the buildings are iconic to the city style. Not knowing, you could easily believe each home was some famous building. It was almost nice getting lost in the city and seeing these different parts.
Finally arriving at the museum, we were pleased to know it was free today. The museum has two buildings, both connected. The first serves as a protective shelter for the old foundation of the Alcazar (Arabic for castle).
The other building is the Alcazar, which houses the majority of the war museum. Here, we decided to separate and see different parts of the museum. I powered through a few of the exhibits until I came to the plaza of the museum. There, I noticed it was raining.
The museum closed at 5:00 and I was kicked out with everyone else. Still separated from my friends, and with an hour left before the bus departed, I decided to wander for just a little longer.
As promised (to myself), I returned to the Cathedral and entered through the public viewing section for free. The beauty of the Cathedral was easy to notice. I almost wish I had paid for the entry. Oh well; there will be more interesting sights along my journey.
Wandering to a few dead ends and gradually making my way to the city gates (and the buses), I passed one more famous location and could not pass this up. La Mezquita Cristo de la Luz (Mosque of Christ the Light) is an old Mosque adorned with frescoes of Christ and other Christian images. I believe it was worth the 2.50 eur entry fee. It is very interesting how such conflicting images are present in this Mosque. Perhaps it reflects on how easily the two religions can coexist in close proximity.
Just outside was a pleasant garden. It looked nice, even against the gray skies.
With minutes to spare before the buses departed, I returned to the city gates, boarded the bus, and fell asleep for the return to Madrid after a long day.
To close, here is a picture of me and Don Quixote, the famous novel character from La Mancha region of Spain (near Toledo).
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