Day 22!

And what a day it has been! We started early over to our tour departure stop. We grabbed a little breakfast (I had a croissant!) on the way. At 9:30, with only six other people, we departed Madrid for Toledo in a small coach with Jose driving and Carmin as our tour guide. It was about an hour trip and well worth it. My first real sight of the city is the one picture above featuring Toledo's Old Town. We stopped and took pictures, and it was truly hard to capture everything. From the beautiful city to the Tajo river, even a panoramic photograph did not seem to capture the beauty I was looking at.

Then we started our tour. I am thankful for Carmin because Toledo was built as a labyrinth. We would be crossing the entire old city that day. Again, I am amazed at the architecture. It is a city rich in history, and I hung on every word Carmin said. Our first stop was an old mosque. Even though it was the smallest building we would see that day, it was truly amazing.

Next, we visited the cathedral. This one, according to Carmin, is the most important in the country and the second largest. On Thursday, they held the Corpus Christi (a religious holiday). The entire city was still beautifully decorated, and we got to see the sacrament inside the cathedral where they would be having mass on Sunday. The cathedral itself was amazing and beautiful. It also combined many architectural designs including Baroque and Gothic. I was even allowed to take pictures! There we also saw many works by the famous painter El Greco.

Continuing with the work of El Greco, we visited another church just to see one of his works. It depicts the death of a nobleman and was truly amazing. In it El Greco had included himself as well as his son, the two staring directly at the painting's viewer. No photography was allowed and everyone had to be quiet.

After that, we went to the Jewish quarter. In it, we visited a synagoue and learned the interesting story behind its architecture. Toledo is a city full of blended architecture.

At this point, we were taken to a restaurant for lunch. It was high on a hill and featured beautiful views from inside. Our food was ordered for us. We ate with a German couple from our group who were very kind and had pretty cool stories. The first course was a plate filled with all kinds of unique foods: a tortilla (potato omlette), cheese, asparagus, mushrooms, small fried thing(?), and red salsa looking stuff. There was not a bad thing on my plate. Next, we were served lamb, potatoes, and roasted vegetables. All of which, again, were amazing. Finally, we finished with chocolate cake and ice cream. I had not been that full this entire trip. Let's face it, England is not known for its food.

This is where I also had my first successful conversation in Spain. I asked where the bathroom was, and the waiter gave me directions involving going through a door and down a hall to the right. I thanked him and suprisingly understood perfectly without having to translate in my head.

Then we departed for a local winery. We were given a tour of the facilities and a little history on wine making in Spain. Afterwards, we got to taste some of the winery's special wines. We were served cheese, crackers, and sausage and got to try three wines. At the end, I thanked the gentleman showing us around and had my first "Besa Besa" moment which was less awkward than I expected. (Haha.) I happily got on the bus out of what turned out to be a very hot afternoon and slept on the way back to Madrid.

When we arrived back, I immediatly set out to the Prado (an art museum). It was after 6:00 PM which meant the museum was now free! I spent the next hour and forty-five minutes walking every inch of the museum. I got to see more El Greco, Velasquez, and Goya, all of which I studied in high school. As an added treat, the museum was also showcasing ten Picassos. Goya was my favorite. I still may not understand art, but it is certaintly cool to look at.

We then headed back to the apartment. None of us were hungry for dinner and instead, Dana and I walked through the Parque del Retiro and then down a few more streets in the Puerta del Sol. We also got ice cream to finish off the hot day.

Around 12:00 AM, we went back to the apartment to prepare for our 7:00 AM flight.