Hotel Minerva Chillon

... of getting stranded all the time, decided to get the return around 6:30pm.

Toledo is all about tourists. Lots of tourists. Also it is the photographer's paradise. I think I took almost 100 shots that day and walked almost 6 hours.

The main attractions are the Cathedral, Alcazar, Puertos, and Puentos :)

I got to bed early for an early trip to Segovia tomorrow morning.

As a day trip to show me a little more of Spain Carlos, Tory and I decide to head for Toledo, an ancient city just 70km south of Madrid. Toledo has been inhabited since the Bronze Age and throughout it's history has been important economic and political center for the Romans, Visigoths Moors and Christian Spanish kingdoms. Since Tory has only been here for a month and hasn't seen any of the sights this was a good opportunity for her to see some of her ...

... with olive groves here and there. Driving through the country, it becomes apparent what Andalucia's main agricultural product is - OLIVES! We have eaten them, oh, at about every family gathering and they are served with bread at most restaurants before the meal. Our family actually makes their own olives, meaning that they pick them, soak them in water for a duration of time, and then soak them in spices and vinegar. They are so delicious! I want to take them back ...

We actually only stopped here for a few hours on the way to Sevilla. I really only saw the inside of the resturant that I ate at which was good but not historical. There are supposed to be some of the best roman ruins in Spain here and I did see the aquaduct from the bus which is supposed to be the best artifact there so that was enough for me.

... they gave me the number of the train company, and also the location of the bus station where the bus I would need the following day at San Sebastian Plaza. My plan was to stay the night in Sevilla, then go to Gibraltar, but it was looking like I'd need to connect through Algeciras, not Linea de Concepcion, which is the Spanish town right across the border from Gibraltar. At the station I got the times to Algeciras, made some calls about rooms in Gibraltar, and then went ...

... kicking h** leg *ut, *v** and *v** and *v**. I m*ved t* the side *f h**, but I was still facing h** and it dr*ve me crazy. But I didn't want t* m*ve again s* I didn't. I guess that was an *men *f s*me s*rt. The train was the fastest I think I've been *n, which explained why it was 25 Eur*s. I was t*ld that the train t* Sevilla lat** that aft**n**n w*uld be 13 if I left at 9:30, but that lat** *nes w*uld be m*re. This w*uld c*me t* haunt me. On the train I ...

... of some nudity and some softcore sex while chat and SMS numbers flashed, but the other had full-on, no holds barred sex, also with numbers for chat lines. Then there was actually a third station, but this was a regular old station showing a documentary on Internet porn. Wow. Spanish TV. I mean, this hotel isn't sophisticated enough for those channels to be satellite or pay-per-view. This was just basic cable. Unbelievable. Well, I finally realized that I should probably go ask the man ...

... built in 1328) and then taken over by the Christian Monarchs (Ferdinand and Isabel - the same ones that sent Columbus on his merry journey) and hence its name. The gardens were really beautiful and the orange trees were in bloom which made it also a very delightful olefactory experience. The arabs really loved their water fountains as they were everywhere and were fed by others through a very well-thought-out irrigation system. Tomorrow: Sevilla!

[Elena and Jonathan] Hello everyone, We can't post any pictures at the moment but we will when we can. [Jonathan, Tuesday evening] My plane leaving from Montreal was delayed 4 hours, which meant that I missed my connecting flight. Other than that the trip was comfortable and without incident. In fact, on the first trans-Atlantic flight the plane was full of babies, and yet somehow none of them cried the entire night ...

... say, " I missed that day in kindergarten." I have the "only-child disease" and group tours cause me to have outbreaks. Overall, this trip caused only a minor reaction, because we had free time to break away. I figure it's good for me to learn patience, sharing, and consideration for others. If not in kindergarten, why not Spain? So we headed to Cordoba on a very long bus ride with one stop. You will have to bear with some of my explanations. They will ...