Toledo

November 1-4
Puente (4 day weekend)

I've been fascinated with Toledo since Day 1 of Basic Spanish. I can't believe it took until my 3rd time to Spain to see it. It may have been a school project that made Toledo stand out to me, but I also remember being with my family and hearing the story of Don Quixote in Man from La Mancha.

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza

From what I remembered,  Toledo was a magical place. Even more than magical, it's historical and known for its religious tolerance. (Someone else's words, not mine.) Back in the day, Christians, Jews and Arabs lived together for centuries, and were able to practice their own religions so there are a ton of architectural monuments, bridges, towers and the fortress wall surrounding the hilltop town. So while we were there we explored a little of each, among other things.

Me and Don near Zocodover Plaza

Toledo Cathedral, gothic

Sword collection - Toledo is known for its steel

And intricate designs with gold

Stretching rack in the torture museum

Iglesia de los Jesuitas, baroque church

Going up to the bell tower for a great view

At the top

Leonardo daVinci museum

El Greco's house/museum

Synagogue of Santa Maria La Blanca in the Jewish quarter,
mudejar style

Cathedral

Courtyard of Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes

 

Cristo de la Luz Mosque

Bocarone (sardines) with parsley, garlic and olive oil

Puerta del Sol gateway into the city

Along the Tagus River

Puerta de Alfonso VI gate, Arab part of the city wall

The specialty here is meat, like lamb and anything grilled,
but the only pics we have are half-eaten servings. So instead,
here is a photo of paella.

Catalan Soup with onion, bread and egg

Zocodover Square

A very rainy morning walking to the Jewish quarter

Ruins along the river

Part of the skyline

San Martin Bridge

I like river and bridge photos. It's a good bet that  most of them are Roman.
Not this one!

Tagus River

Alcazar and Military Museum (now) - no photos
inside. Sorry!

As you can see, we saw a lot of the city, but there were plenty of monuments we didn't get to, as well. It was a whirlwind weekend of walking up hills and through cobblestone streets. A lot of our traveling is not as relaxing as we would like. To see as much as possible means go, go go! After 8 hours of walking we usually chill for the evening, even if it's a dim-lit and smelly hostel. At least we can always find cheap wine and good food, even an occasional free tapa. No complaints here though, I'm definitely enjoying this opportunity!

In Vino Veritas

October 27, 2012

Waking up that morning we hardly knew what to expect for the day, but we trusted it would be good if it had anything to do with wine. So off we went to San Asensio, a town inbetween where we live and where we work. We were headed to Bodegas Lecea, one of the many wineries in this small town of 1200 people.

This was the view as we approached the bodega (winery) and a few other vendors were setting up tents with beans, pate and some other souvenirs. It was a little cold and rainy, so we spent most of our inside until the wine warmed us up.

When enough people had crowded together at the entrance, a winemaker took us on a tour of the caves where they store and produce wine. We went down a couple flights of stairs and viewed the tanks and bottling areas. The tour ended in the main room upstairs again where people had started to drink.

For 5 euros we bought our wine glasses and 4 tasting tickets each. They provided some potato chips for munchies and for a couple euros you could also get a chorizo sandwich, which was a good idea since we started drinking early. 

So, after a couple glasses of wine our growing group continued on the grape stomping! The number of people in the room doubled when we got there. It was cold, but we eagerly took off our socks and shoes and waited our turns - only a few people allowed at a time.

Clean tootsies

Grape juice from the crush - we called it foot juice and we were allowed to try!

After rinsing, drying and trying to warm up our feet, we headed back into the cold for more wine and to hang with the locals. We still had tasting tickets, but there was boxed wine outside for free. We also tried drinking from the decanter (not sure the technical name) and sampled some Riojana spicy peppers.

With a lot of wine in our bellies and not enough food, it was time to go wait for our bus. Along the way we saw some more of the town and then waited in the cafe until it was time to go home. Fun day!