Toledo

While Isobel was visiting us, we went to Toledo. Since it’s still in the Communidad de Madrid, we were able to use our abono card to go for free. It was a short ride, about 1.5 hours and because of a car accident it was a little longer. It was so nice! It was warm and sunny and we spent all day wondering the streets of Toledo.

What I really liked about Toledo is that since it’s situated on a hill and there’s a wall going around the city, you can’t truly get lost. If you go too far one way, you’ll end up at the wall and you can just turn around and walk back or go another way. Getting lost in a city, some people say, is the best way to learn a city. Which I definitely think has some truth to it – but it also makes me a little anxious which is why I really liked Toledo so much.

There are a ton of churches in Toledo and amazing views, especially at night. The biggest is Toledo’s main Cathedral, simply called “The Cathedral”. You can only enter part of the church for free. Around the other side you have to buy a ticket to enter. There are also some museums, however most of these cost money and we didn’t want to spend money since we’re on a budget, so we mostly walked around and admired buildings from the outside and enjoyed the views. Apparently the Museo del Greco is one of the highlights of Toledo, however it is one of those museums that does cost money. While El Greco is one of the most important Spanish artists of all time, I honestly don't really regret not going in...perhaps that is just uncultured of us, but we're really just cheap and on a budget of 1000 euros a month so...

^The Cathedral

^La Puerta de Bisagra

However…my favorite part about Toledo wasn’t actually anything built. While Erin and Izzy were in a chocolate shop and Willa was having some solo time, I decided that since I don’t like chocolate I would go ahead. So I walked towards this huge building called the Alcázar and around the side to see if I could get in (I couldn’t, although according to websites online you can go see exhibits inside…don’t ask me how though).

^The Alcázar

When I walked to the other side, I saw there was a park so I walked down and around. That is when I heard it: a rap battle. I followed the music and found a group of high school students standing in a circle facing off with each other in an epic exchange of words. While I had no idea what they were saying, I could recognize a couple words here and there like “madre” (probably insulting someone’s mom, how rude). I was dying inside by how amazing this find was. I texted Erin and Izzy and they came as fast as they could and enjoyed the spectacle just as much as I did. It was the most unique experience I could have asked for in little Toledo.

^SPANISH RAP BATTLE!!!

To end the night, we stopped at an outdoor cafe and had a glass of wine together. We chit chatted and got to view the lights down below Toledo.