Toledo

Here is it: the long-awaited and FAR overdue (I’m sorry) update on my class trip to Toledo! This was a two day trip in which we stayed in an average hotel with the absolute best breakfast of my life. But more on that later.

The only rough part of those days? The 7 hour bus ride with one rest stop. But our patience was rewarded when we pulled in to this yellow/brown town in the middle of roughly nowhere and drove into its increasingly-narrow streets edged with curtain-covered doorways. I wasn’t quite sure why we were there: it definitely wasn’t Toledo. But as we rounded a corner, and we all looked up to the hills, there stood a group of windmills (molinos): the famous windmills of la Mancha, the inspiration behind the famous battle between Don Quixote and the magical giants in disguise.

After this stop, we headed (at last, but a little sadly) to Toledo. Upon arriving, I had two hours to eat, get rid of a massive headache (one rest stop = drinking almost no water = headache ), and prep for our visit to a church to see the most famous painting by El Greco: The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures, but here is a poor-quality image I pulled off Google:

After this, we went to a monastery with a beautiful cloister and church.

After this, we took a bus ride that gave us an across-the-river view of Toledo. And, well, I forgot to take a picture. However, I can guarantee you it was lovely as all get out, and here is a conciliatory view from one of the bridges:

After this, they sent us off to see the sights and eat dinner on our own. So, naturally, I got ice cream in the center with two friends (P.S.: snickers is the best gelato flavor). But after a month of so of eating fried foods for main meals, our bodies were craving an overload of fruits and vegetables. So, for dinner, I went with three friends to Carrefour Express, bought every healthy thing we could lay our hands on, and had a feast on a bench while the cutest 2-3 year-old in the world (not even kidding) put on a show for us with his itty bitty tricycle. While I do not have a picture of the kid, here is my friend’s instagram story from that night, featuring our happy, happy faces.

After a wonderful night’s sleep, we started bright and early the next day to see the Cathedral of Toledo. It is not as big as the one in Seville, but still incredibly impressive with architecture and artwork ranging in styles from throughout the centuries. Because apparently, with the coming a new archbishop, parts of the cathedral could be destroyed/taken down and reconstructed with a new style more fitting to the archbishop’s tastes. As a result, the cathedral has everything from Muslim (minimal) to Gothic to Baroque styles.

After this visit we were free to spend our last few hours in Toledo as we wished. There being a zipline that stretches across the river that you can take for only 10 Euros, there seemed to be no better way than to close off the trip.