Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Day Trippin

Well as the saying goes, "you win some, you lose some?" Such was today's feeling as we made our way to Toledo. The tone of the day was set with the dreary Madrid weather, ominous clouds filled the sky, scattering showers throughout the city. The foreboding weather, a late start and a language barrier dictated our travel choice. All morning we had been torn between Toledo, a medieval town 30 minutes from Madrid, or Valencia, a modern and artsy beachy town. It wasn't as if one was better than the other, both came highly recommended...its just that we had just been leaning towards Valencia.

Our first warning sign of the day, our first gypsy sighting at the train station. This clever gypsy, unlike Italian or French gypsies, she well was camouflaged into the crowd...or at least to us. She appeared out of thin air, as most gypsies do, dressed in a trendy fur vest and trendy Euro hat. Cub was her first victim, we had left her behind at a table as Sue and I stood in line ordering our cappuccinos. The sneaky gypsy crept up to the table, Cub seeing her true intentions quickly scrambled for our scattered belongings, denying the gypsy's request for, "moneda." After slinking through the tables she came upon the line of weary caffeine seeks. One after the other people turned the gypsy away...and she made her way toward the "naive Americans." As I stood innocently collecting my beverage the gypsy slowly crept from behind (I was an easy target to spot in my Patagonia...clearly from California). Just as she was about to pounce, Sue comes out of nowhere with a firm, "no...(and other inaudible Spanglish)!" The gypsy was thrown, she immediately retreated to prey on other weary travelers.

Anyways...after the incident we hopped on our bullet train. These impressive locomotives make traveling too easy, from day trips between London and Paris to traversing the entire country of Japan, trains are a fabulous way to see a countryside without actually having to see the countryside. Traveling at 120 kph we are in Toledo in 30 minutes...sweet. However, with such an abrupt thrust into our Toledo day trip we hadn't planned an itinerary (I like a prepared itinerary so I'm not wandering in circles all day). As we exit the train, advertisements for different tours litter the lobby. Which one do we pick? The one that offers the red double decker bus, tickets to the main sights and a guided tour. It seems as if a majority of our train compaƱeros were making their way to the bus, so it seems only appropriate we do too. We hopped onto the bus and scored some rooftop seats (don't worry it was only lightly misting and really windy but at least we had raincoats...conditions were basically perfect).

The beautiful city is nestled into the Spanish countryside, in the hill country and secured in a medieval fortress. It was the capital of Spain under the Romans and in the 8th century the Moors settled in leaving behind an eclectic legacy and culture. The tour bus circled the exterior of the city allowing for an impressive view of the stronghold while occasionally pausing along the road to allow for Kodak moments and brief history blurbs. We crossed the Rio Tajo and entered the city through a bridge on the south side of the city; it is a surreal moment as you enter the town. Almost as though you are entering a time warp, you half expect to see a horse drawn carriage and knights prancing around...then you see McDonald's. Ok Spain. We are let out at a plaza to look around...then the bus leaves. Yeah...it left...and not just us, everyone. We were handed a map and sent on our way. So basically we paid for an overpriced city bus..."well at least it's not raining." Cue the rain...(I wish I made that up). W quickly scamper into the nearest (cutest) boutique. I guess we'll hang in here for a bit.

The rain seemed to disappear as quickly as it arrived. We take to the streets in search of a lunch stop. All our friends and the travel books warned us that the winding streets and steep hills were exasperating...and to expect to get lost. And so was the rest of the day. Traveling seemingly deserted alleyways and discovering hidden shops and restaurants until we found one we liked. After a long lunch we resurfaced into the city to see the other attractions. We stumbled into the Catedral to find the back entrance coved in gypsies. We decided to seek out anther entrance. As we hand the man our tickets he informs us that they are not real. Dejectedly we venture into the office to procure legitimate tickets only to discover that it was 6 and the Catedral closes at 6:30 so we can't buy the tour headset...awesome. We then enter one of the most beautiful Catedrals I have ever seen (the Spanish Catholics really know how to design a church). The interior design of the church reflects that of a traditional gothic style, however because of the Moor presence in the region it allows for a wonderful collision of cultures and influences that make it completely unique unto itself.

After we exit the Catedral we have come to a conclusion we are pretty over Toledo. Hopefully, one day, we can dedicate the time and patience to this medieval wonder, but for now we need to get outta here. We jump on a train for Madrid...40 minutes later find ourselves in the hotel lobby. Trying to salvage what is left of the day we head to the concierge to discuss possible ideas for the night.

We determine that our best course of action is: attend a Flamenco show. We scuttle across town and are dropped off in another deserted alleyway, where we find a hidden door with a sign that directs us to our destination. The host guides us through the tiny restaurant towards our table. We missed dinner but we didn't mind. Soon the lights dimmed and the performers took the stage. For the next two hours we are dazzled by the singers, the Spanish guitarists and the dancers. Flamenco is a beautiful dance to which the dancers last create their own music and rhythm with their fancy footwork. Everyone is captivated by the mesmerizing display before us (the particular show is featured in the book "1,000 Things to do Before You Die"). After a long day, it is almost as if our day has been redeemed...gracias Madrid.





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