Holy Toledo

Today we took the fast train to Toledo. It took under thirty minutes to get to Toledo. We went and looked at some local craftsmen at work, they were making jewellery. It was intricate work. 

We then moved on to visit the Cathedral. Toledo was once the Kingdom of Castile Leon and Aragon in 1516 under the raign of Carlos 2nd meaning that Toledo was once the capital of Spain. So most of the monuments in Toledo are well decorated such as the Gothic Cathedral as it is one of the largest churches in Spain. It contains a very impressive art collection in Spain.

We spent two hours wandering through the nave, the cloisters, the sacristy and a range of other spaces. It was an interesting and moving church. 

Toledo was occupied by the Moors, Arabs, Jews, Cristians.... so the culture has been influenced by many. The architecture is a mix of the above although you can differentiate between each period quite clearly.

Christian Arch

Moorish Arch 

The Cathedral

After the Cathedral we wandered the streets looking at the interesting homes and shops. 

We ended up at the main plaza and decided to catch the tourist train that takes you around the whole city. Very cheesy but they make a stop which means you have the best view of Toledo.

Our tummies were rumbling so that means it was lunch time. We found a quaint little place and again opted for the meals of the day. Great pork knuckle! 

With our bellies full we set off walking around this beautiful city. 

Alas we had to return to Madrid. The kids were tired so requested pizza from the shop next door. Ed and I headed down the road for a drink and some tapas. The wine was lovely. The tapas fantastic! Tomato and asparagus risotto, mussels on a pizza base that was coloured with squid ink to look like a mussel shell, crispy shell with a delicious filling and something that resembled a cigar ( they lit it and you dipped it into the ash of burnt cinnamon) - Wow! The restaurant is called D' Fabila and I found it in one of my guide books. It was fabulous!

The food has been great. Sad to be leaving Spain but excited about the prospect of seeing Ed's family in a couple of days. Yeah!!!!!!!

El Rastro Market , Reina Sofia and Prado

It was a late start today - 10.30. We had a quick breakfast and headed off for the market. It was only one street away. On first look it seemed like it went a little way down. As we walked we realised that the market went on and on. I thought it was just one street but it was more. Lots of clothing, jewellery, souvenir and antique stalls. The kids and I wore out before Ed, he was on a roll.

Dropped off our purchases and headed for Atocha Station. We had lunch at Spains version of a fast food joint. 

Next off to visit the Reina Sofia Museum. First stop was a temporary Richard Hamilton exhibition. I did not realise how diverse his work was. We went on to view works by Gris, Picasso, Dali, Miro, Man Ray and a wealth of other artists. Of course the highlight was Guernica. It is amazing!

Stopped for a refreshment and decided to head towards the Prado. Ed lingered and enjoyed works on the ground floor. I took the kids around to view the major art works by Bosch, Goya, Velaquez, Raphael and El Greco. Kristy if we visit Sagrada Familia together we will have to visit Prado too!

Strolled home stopping off at the famous chocolateria San Gines for a hot chocolate and churros. We are having an early night as we are off to Toledo tomorrow.

Park Retiro, the Prado Museum and San Miguel Market

We set off strolling towards the park enjoying the sights along the way. Near the park we spotted Atocha Station. We have tried purchasing tickets for the fast train to Toledo online but we couldnt get past a particular point. So we headed for the ticket booth. Their were over a hundred people in front of us so we went and found an automated ticket machine and finally puchased some tickets for Monday. 

We set off again for the park. It is lovely full of lovely trees, meandering paths and monuments. We stopped for a refreshment and watched people rowing boats. There were lots of buskers playing very good music -jazz and classical. We visited an exhibition that was focussed on promoting gay pride - interesting.  Our stomachs told us it was lunchtime so we went in search of food. 

We had lunch at a lovely cafe having the plates of the day. 

After lunch I headed for the Prado Museum we stopped on the way at the Caixa building to check out some interesting exhibitions. The contemporary installations were the best. My fav was a video of people swimming in toilets that were connected to one another and had water flowing from one bowl to another. When each person got sucked into a drain they would appear in another bowl. It was fun and informative.

The family abandoned me at the gallery. They are crazy! It is right up there with the Louvre. I spent over three hours observing great works. I was kicked out on closing so did not get to see everything. You could spend a week just visiting this gallery. 

I walked home admiring the Madridlenos out walking in their finest attire. When i got home i made the family get dressed and we set off for some tapas at San Miguel Market. After we wandered around Plaza Mayor watching buskers. It was after midnight by the time we got home.

Good night!

Avila and Segovia

We took a tour to the towns Avila and Segovia today. First we headed to Avila which is completely surrounded by a 2km wall. Avila has the oldest Gothic church inSpain as well as being famous for producing two saints - Saint Teresa and Saint John. We visited the church dedicated to St Teresa. Part of the Basilica was her family home. There is asmall relics room where some of her belongings as well as her finger are on display. Franco had her finger beside his bed the whole time he ruled Spain. She was very short and had small feet.

 

It was market day in town and the produce looked good. We bought some cherries that tasted great.

On leaving Avila we headed to Segovia. It has an Aqueduct that was still functional in the early twentieth century.

We took some photos and went to find somewhere for lunch. We had meals of the day which included a lovely salad, some grilled lamb, meatballs or tomatoes stuffed with codfish. No dessert as I had already hit the pastry shop for some local delicacies- the kids and I like the cake like biscuits with a lemon icing. We sat next to the Gothic Cathedral in Plaza Mayor - great view.

After lunch we visited the Cathedral. It was the last Gothic Cathedral to be built in Spain. Mitchell was quite impressed with this church. 

Lastly we checked out the Alcazar. It looks like something out of a Disney movie. It was interesting both inside and out. It was surrounded by a moat and has great local views. 

I dont think we would have seen so much if we had set off by ourselves. The tours have been good so far.

Day Two Madrid

I woke this morning to red marks on my legs. Googled and found a doctor. I have circulation problems from flying as well as  

eczema. The doctor was very thorough. Explored the Cathedral de la Almudena. It was full of beautiful paintings, sculptures and decorative features. The highlight were the stained glass windows and painted ceilings. A mixture of contemporary and traditional designs.

 We looked at the Palace Royal next door  and will come back to view from the inside.

Lunch awaits!

Lunch was plates of the day- Ed had a salad, fish and creme caramel; Mitch had rolled ham, pork and melon; Sabrina ate paella and chicken; and I had deep fried cauliflower, chicken and melon.

After lunch we wandered up to Plaza Mayor and people watched. We decided to go back to the palace.  A good move as there was no queue. 

The palace is very grand. Spains version of Versaille. We know why people starved, it is because all the money went into royal residences. It is very beautiful but the highlights are the dining room, main chapel and the throne room. The palace houses gorgeous art, furniture, ceramics and glass.

Caught the metro back home, doing some general shopping before going to our apartment. 

Ciao!