Silken Cigarral El Bosque Toledo

... 8217;s self-guided tour took almost an hour and a half because the church is filled with remarkable art, sculpture, carvings, architecture and clerical vestments. The Sacristy has a collection of masterworks by El Greco, but also paintings by Caravaggio, Titian, Raphael, and Goya. (The Catholic Church certainly knows how to shop.) The treasury contains a ten-foot high, 400 lb. shimmering gold "monstrance" that ...

... highly recommended. An example of why this city is so fascinating.

When strolling through the town you find yourself bombarded with shops selling marzipan (mazapan) and swords. Will jokingly pleaded for a sword and shield but in the end had to settle for the marzipan. And not just any marzipan...convent marzipan. We found a convent and a window - said the ...

... the guide if we´d have time to stop in a shop and get some tiles, but she said no. We then walked around and went to a modern art exhibit of Vittorio Macho. The stuff was okay, but I´m not that into art, so I really didn´t care. We then went into a synogague that was built in the Moorish style and had crosses in it. It was interesting. I didn´t stay to hear about it because I was determined to get some tile. I found a shop right outside the synogague ...

... and I like to have my shower with a bit of force in the water stream. Well, I turned on the shower and got it all nice and perfect, but while I wasn't paying attention, the pressure changed. I heard this weird sound coming from the bathroom only to find that the detachable nozzle had adjusted just so so that the water was pouring over the tub and onto the floor. A nice little flood to start my day. Once I got and dried myself and the bathroom off, I got dressed ...

... marvelling at its enormity and beauty. Made me laugh that in this ancient cathedral, instead of lighting candles and dropping your money in the box, you put a coin in a slot and a flickering light globe goes on for a few minutes. Not exactly traditional. Walked around the city in the 39 degree heat for a little while longer then piked out and headed home for a siesta. Had another early night and got ...

... and also the security check area. I expected airport-level security at least, but beyond the X-raying of bags... nothing... No metal detector, no extra guards making sure no one sneaks in... I suspect there might have been cameras watching, but somehow, things seemed pretty relaxed. We took pictures next to the train, and finally boarded and took our reserved seats in car #1. Very nice -- comparable to Japan's bullet train. At 10:20 ...

... Show gingen wir dann weiter von Bar zu Bar. Die Schlafmöglichkeit beanspruchte ich schlussendlich doch nicht, denn in Madrid ist es üblich bis am Morgen aus zu gehen. Die Schlangen vor den Clubs bilden sich beispielsweise erst etwa um halb vier. Wie das Nachtleben in Toledo ist, weiss ich bisher noch nicht, doch ab nächster Woche, wenn die Uni dann angefangen hat, kann ich sicher mehr berichten. Ab nächster Woche kann ich mich dann auch richtig in der WG ...

... on it. The finale was a showcase of the current players' boots and their autographes. I noticed two things: There was no prayers room so they didn't need last minute prayers. There were no full-size figure ...

... I ran in and out of shoe stores, and we headed to La Latina to meet another of Liz's Madrid friends and search for pre-San Isidro parties and costumes on the street. We ended up in La Plaza Meyor for a bit, I ran off to do a bit of shopping, then we had dinner back in Cheuca at Momo, a cocina creativa. We were all very tired and full by the end of the three-course meal, and somehow I made the long metro ride back to Carmen's and ended up in bed. Ay.