Carlos V Toledo

... paraded through the streets of Toledo on Corpus Christi day. Of the church’s many chapels, the most interesting is the Mozarabic Chapel where the Visigothic Mass is still said (in Latin) every morning for the Mozarabic community in Toledo.

This afternoon, we are on the train to Seville where our friend, Philip Hurst, will meet us. The three-hour ride is a needed rest from our hyper-tourist pace.

... In one enormous concession to the tourist onslaught, the city has installed a series of pedestrian escalators that ascend the outside of the city walls. While reasonably well disguised, one feels inevitably of two minds about them: disgust at their desecration of the historic walls and profound relief at being spared the multi-storied climb. There was a beautiful sunset over the city in the evening and Chris took many photos, including this one of the two of us.

... buildings and churches.. Did you know that not the Arabs but the Romans where the first to build the patios? but they where sure the first to “adorne” them with fontaines of different sizes and with amazingly smelling plants…

After seeing Cordoba and Granada last year, Toledo didn’t impress me to the bones, but it gave me the same warm feeling… I love the Mudéjar style and ...

... et voir le Protugal et l'Espagne (et l'Europe en general) pendant que l'on peut marcher et monter des marches. Lorsqu'on ne le peut plus, on pourra aller aux Etats-Unis! Je ne sais pas comment les pauvres vieux ici font pour survivre dans ces rues inegales, ces marches sans arret, ces collines de la mort qui n'en finissent plus et ces rues si etroites qu'une voiture et un pieton ne peuvent cohabiter!!!

... the labarinth of cobblestoned laneways past towering church spires and over centuries of secret tunnels and long-forgotten building foundations. Walking around Toldeo has been a magical little experience. I don´t think we walked home the same way twice. And a few times I felt lucky we found our guesthouse at all! The narrow streets are lined with look-a-like 3 storey buildings, wall to wall, which makes navigating by skyline impossible. The first ...

... also a nice touch! The concert was well worth the 12 Euro admission price and was a great way to end our time in Toledo. It was a chilly and windy night - we had hoped to walk to the boundaries of the old town but couldn't because the wind started whipping up sand. Had a chocolate banana gelato on the way back to the hotel. ******. Sigh ... wearing long pants and a hoodie on an August night in Toledo? That's just plain wrong!!! So this ...

... personal space isn't such an issue, and to find yourself packed in the metro like a sardine is just a regular day. And there isn't the obsessive need to be polite all the time, when really you just want to poke someone in the eye! I won't say adios "goodbye", but instead hasta luego "until later", because I will definitely be back! To all the amazing people I have met while here, muchisimas gracias por todos...I hope to see you again soon :)

... past. (I swore that the car driver was lost too but just couldn't find a place to U-turn or 3-point turn!) I also came across a marzipan outlet (which turned out to be operated by nuns). It was rumored to ...

... are the Three Graces, Descent from the Cross, and Garden of Earthly Delights. You are allowed to take pictures inside, which is not very common. Anyway, I had a great day, and then went for a lovely walk in Retiro Park which is this huge green space right in the middle of town. It has a pond where you can rent paddle boats, and is a beatiful place to walk or have a picnic and read a book. Tonight we had our prep meeting, and tomorrow we head out on the bus to Pueblo Ingles!

... bonus when his star rose again. One of his most famous paintings is housed in the Iglesia de Santo Tome. The El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz (The Burial of the Count of Orgaz) depicts the burial of a rather famous and saintly count; so saintly that the deceased Augustine and Stephen actually made an appearance at the burial. It looked like a psychedelic album cover with its orange wash and mass of saintly bodies swirling around the heavens. A collection from another ...