I was talking with a few of the girls from the group today in Toledo about why we are all so exhausted, and we came up with a few reasons. First, we are all still a big jet-lagged. Second, we have been on-the-go, living in hotels and out of suitcases for a week. Third, the cultural differences are so huge that even asking where the bathroom is takes more energy than you would ever think. Finally, and I think perhaps the more overlooked, is that every day here is like two days. We get up relatively early for our activities, except when the Spaniards take their "siesta," we are still going strong. Then there is the extended evening routine, including dinner at 9 or 10, and a late bed. So whereas the natives break their day into two smaller chunks, we are just sleep deprived and moving 1000 miles per hour. Needless to say we are all really looking forward to finding our home base in Cordoba next week.
Today's adventure was a trip to Toledo, a 2000 year old city about one hour outside of Madrid. The city is strategically placed as it is on a hill that is surrounded by a river on three sides.
Although there is no historical proof as to who founded the city, most Spaniards believe it was the Jews. The Visigoths, however, were active in the area during the same time. The Arabs (Moors) arrived in the 6th century, and the city also provided the home to the Catholic church. This is historically significant becuase this is the longest period of recorded time in history that three religions (Jews, Muslims, Catholics) have lived in peace for such an extended period of time- 500 years to be exact. The Cathedral of Toledo, which was built in the 6th century and is still home to the Spanish Catholic HQ, was incredible. The Gothic (think: pointy) architecture was also spectacular. Unfortunately there was no photography allowed. It would have been really nice to photograph the alter, which was painted by 21 different artists, including El Greco, during the 14th century. El Greco made another appearance (he lived in Toledo), however, in the art gallery of the church, where we got to see one of his most famous works, El Expolio.
Now don't get me wrong, I love art, but I was more interested in the architecture and design of the building than the religious significance. Hence the alter on which El Greco's masterpiece rests:
Later on we also got to see El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz, another work by El Greco. But again, no photos... And finally, a trip to El Museo Sefardí, the Jewish Synagogue in Toledo. It was much smaller than the Cathedral, but still impressive, especially the woodwork on the ceiling, which is entirely original (1000+ years old). Also of note: Toledo, which has a population of approximately 100k, has about 30k practicing Jews.
After our tour ended we had some time to get lunch and wander the city for a while. I spent most of my time people-watching on the Plaza de Zocodover. The Islamic influence is pretty evident in the city's architecture, particularly in the inner part of this arched passway on the plaza:
In walking around the city, I saw a little kitty peaking out of a house. And it made me miss my cats... Luckily the cat was nice enough to let me hold it for a few seconds. And the owner of both the cat and the house came out and he told me a brief history of his family living there for only 130 years.
I also saw a lovely sign for sale:
Roughly translated, this means "today will be a great day until someone comes along and f**ks it up. I guess I really am learning new things. Including what my dearest mother would call "choice" words.
Now I'm back in Madrid relaxing a bit before I go out with a group of girls for tapas. Tomorrow we have almost the entire day free, so I plan on going to the Prado and to an espadrille market. I am taking requests for Christmas presents from chicas Americanas. I hear its like J.Crew heaven.
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