Tuesday we went on an adventure to Toledo, about 30 minutes south of Madrid. Unfortunately, it took us at least 30 more minutes to get into Madrid from the airport, but we figured out multiple trains and buses to get where we wanted to be.
Toledo was worth seeing-- any small, charming towns are a welcome change from bustling big cities. But, with the exception of the main cathedral, we weren't exactly sure what the big highlights were supposed to be. We enjoyed just wandering around town, down small, empty roads, but the few other historic sites we visited were kind of misses-- or just not that exciting.
But the Toledo Cathedral was amazing, possibly the most enjoyable church I've toured through. We followed the Rick Steves guide from a book, and there were more astonishing things around every corner. And I'm sure there was plenty we even missed.
It dates back to the 13th century. A few highlights:
- Part of the cathedral has become an art gallery, with many pieces by El Greco, who lived in Toledo.
- Monstrance de Arfe-- this giant piece of gold and silver, adorned with jewels, measures over ten feet tall and has been used in the parade of Corpus Christi for centuries. It's no wonder Spain sent so many people to look for gold and treasures in the new world. I told Hyrum that's where all of Colombia's gold went.
- One smaller chapel contained paintings of every Pope in the Catholic church. When they built the room, all previous popes were painted with the same face, and Popes added after were painted unique to the person. Cool way to keep history.
- In the choir area, there were friezes above each chair depicting important battles in Spain's history
Shockingly, Hyrum ate (and enjoyed!) sea food for lunch! He ordered paella and didn't complain once.
The other two sites we went in were a synagogue in the Jewish quarter, and an old Mosque that was later turned into a Christian church. Both were small, didn't offer a ton of information on the role they played in Toledo's history, but luckily didn't cost much.
Toledo was full of hills, so I got more than my fair share of exercise. I was huffing and puffing all over. Hyrum thought the views were worth it. I wasn't really sold and would have preferred a flat city. We left town in the late afternoon as the sun was setting.
Wednesday we slept in and took our time getting to the airport. Madrid's fancy airport lounge was the first we've seen with an outdoor area. We enjoyed some snacks on the balcony watching planes take off while we waited for our flight.
Unfortunately, our stop on the way home was in Toronto. And they were in the middle of a storm. We had all of our fingers crossed that our flight would make it out, and we wouldn't be stranded overnight. The majority of flights up on the board showed as delayed, but I think that because we were going to somewhere warm (instead of somewhere also experiencing snow), and our flight wasn't for 3 more hours, it showed as on-time. But, the airport in general was a zoo, and the lounge was anything but relaxing because it was packed with miserable travelers. We were so, so grateful to get on the flight and actually have it take off!! We arrived back in Dallas around 11 pm, and ubered back home to crash after a really long day.
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