¡Holy Toledo!

Why yes, today we wandered on down to the city that is the origin of the expression “Holy Toledo!” Toledo was a holy city (no surprise there) for the Jews, but it is also where the Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived in peace for centuries. I think I saw so much that my eyes, and my legs from all the walking, are going to fall out (off for the legs). Where do I even begin? I guess with some of the history.

As mentioned previously, Toledo was an important city for the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It was part of the Muslim empire when the Moors ruled Spain and in 1085 it was retaken by King Alfonso VI (see statue below). It was also the capital of the Visigoths in Spain, who I believe came after the Romans. El Greco, the famous painter, lived here. When it’s cloudy they say the city has “el cielo de Greco”, making reference to his dark paintings. Ok, enough history for now. But I do have one more interesting fact. All the swords used in Hollywood movies, like Lord of the Rings, come from here. Cool, huh?

Today, you can find the remnants of the time of peace (the Jews were eventually expelled, which in my mind ends this period) all over the city. There are cathedrals, monasteries, mosques, and synagogues. We got to visit many of these places.

The first was el Monasterio de San Juan. Today it is often used for weddings.

Next, we stopped by the la Sinogoga de Santa Maria la Blanca. As you can see from the name, it was a Jewish synagogue before it became a Christian church. See if you can spot the Star of David, the only reminder that it was a synagogue, in the photos below. There is an interesting story that goes along with the expulsion. When the Jews left, they only took some of their documents and their keys, because they believed they would return. These keys have been passed down for generations and families still have them today. The synagogue was built in the 12^th century. ¡Que vieja! The horseshoe arches are a great example of the Muslim influence on Spanish culture.

The crowning jewel of Toledo is la Catedral Primada. There are just no words to describe it. This structure is unbelievable. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any photos inside so I’ll have to describe some of it. The entire building is basically one room inside, like a chapel, except ten times larger in all directions. Of course, there are smaller rooms here and there on the side. There are high, vaulted ceilings, black and white checkered, marble floors, and stained glass windows. And that’s not all. There are carvings everywhere. One such carving took 17 artists and six years to create. It’s all overlaid in gold and depicts the life of Christ, from His birth to His resurrection. My favorite one, and perhaps the most amazing work of art I’ve ever seen, is at the end of the cathedral. One part surrounds a window where the light shines in onto a gold sun, which is on the other part. It’s all marble with gold mixed in. It depicts angels and Mary and Christ. You really just have to see it for yourself. My description does not even do it justice. The actual cathedral was begun in the 1200s and finished in the 1400s. Can you imagine what it felt like to finish a building that had taken 200 years to build? They must have had some party! Except, it still wasn’t finished. They continued adding more to the inside into the 1800s. But, obviously, the result was worth it. That cathedral is incredible.

I also didn’t get photos of the inside of la Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz, because we didn’t actually go inside. This mosque, built in the 10^th century (that makes it 1100 years old) is the only building still preserved from before the Christian Reconquest.

Yeah, Toledo is pretty amazing, and it’s only a couple hours from Madrid. I would definitely recommend a visit if you’re ever in the area. Just don’t bring your high heels, especially if you’re a guy (that would be weird), because the whole city is up, down, up, down, and paved in cobblestone (no, that does not imply that I wore high heels. I definitely have more sense than that).

Vamos a Madrid

First day of class? Piece of cake. And no homework to boot. Mondays and Wednesdays, I have Spanish grammar. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have Iberian civilization and culture. We start at 1000 BC and work our way up. That class is especially useful here because on our trips we visit many of the places we discuss. Talk about visual learning.

Today as a group, we went on a visit to Madrid. When traveling in groups of 35, it’s very difficult to not look like tourists, especially when all of us stop at the same time to take a picture of the same building or statue. So much for blending in. Ah, well. This little trip was mostly to help us get familiar with the ferrocarril (train) system. Starting on May 1, we’ll each have a pass that lets us take the bus and trains around Madrid and Alcalá for free. Well, not for free. We did pay for those passes. But you know what I mean. It takes around 30 minutes to get from Alcalá to Madrid. We weren’t there too long. Maybe three hours. We visited El Palacio de Cibeles and El Prado.

That’s right. I was in a palace today. I told the guy I’d take it, but his asking price was too high for my budget. Maybe some other time. Anyway, I’m honestly not sure what purpose this particular palace (there are many) serves or served. It was beautiful though. The architecture of every building here is incredible.

El Prado is a museum of art that houses the works of artists such as Velázquez, de Goya, and el Greco (click here to see some of their work). I have so much respect for these artists who can create such amazing works of art. I can’t even comprehend the skill, talent, and patience that it takes to create just one of those paintings or sculptures. I’ll be honest though, I’m not really one of those sit-down-and-interpret-the-painting kinda people. I can appreciate the work for what it is and move on to the next in the space of five seconds. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy these museums. I mean, come on, seeing the original “Las Meninas” was pretty cool.

I have a confession. I’ve been speaking a lot of English. I know, I know, why haven’t they sent me packing yet? Well, it’s just when we’re with other members of our group that it’s hard to speak in Spanish (it’s not just me!). I feel like I have no personality in Spanish, and many other students feel the same way. I can’t be goofy, or funny, or sarcastic. It’s hard to express myself. So I think as we’re trying to get to know our fellow travelers, we use more English so we don’t come across as a bunch of dull people. Don’t worry, I still use plenty of Spanish at school and en casa and around the city with the natives. But I’m working on avoiding English and so is everyone else. I want to be a more better speaker of Spanish! (I'm picturing my mom and brother when I say this)

Here’s a little taste of Madrid!

Alcalá de Henares

Yeah, so much for resting today, but I think I beat the jet lag anyway. I’ve been feeling pretty amazing, although that may have to do with the fact that I’m chilling in paradise. Just a guess.

Today we went on a mini tour after our test (it was freaking hard, but I guess they need to know what I don’t know, which apparently is a lot). The lady talked super fast so I didn’t understand too much of it. Luckily a bunch of us went on an impromptu exploration of the city later. Alcalá is technically part of Madrid. It’s like what the Bronx or Manhattan or Queens are to New York. I often find myself forgetting that I’m walking down streets, not sidewalks or pathways. In the center especially, most of the streets are cobblestone. So much care is taken to keep the city beautiful. There are people hired specifically to clean the city. Although, there is graffiti EVERYWHERE (except on important monuments and historical sites). Maybe it’s considered an art? Or maybe it’s because I’m a white girl from North Idaho and I never see graffiti. Who knows, but it looks cool.

I think what I love most about the people here is that they are so relaxed and they take so much time to just enjoy life. They only work to live, instead of only living to work. The career is a much larger part of our culture than of theirs. I sometimes wonder if they even work at all! There are so many people outside, walking around with friends and family, right in the middle of the day. And of course there is the siesta. Between 2:00 and 5:00 almost all the shops are closed so the owners and workers can go home and rest. Could we please introduce this tradition to the US?

So it turns out that I have one class a day for an hour and a half and no class on Friday. Heck yes! That means lots of free time, which hopefully translates into lots of exploring. Alcalá is actually quite large. I’ve really only been to el centro. El centro is the main part of the city with all the historical sites and most of the cafés with tapas! Tapas are a wonderful thing. When you go to a restaurant here, you usually order tapas. They are like appetizers to us. I’m sure you could order an entire meal but most people go for these tapas. Usually they are finger foods and you can sit at tables outside in the plazas and eat them. On a side note, they go great with Fanta! It’s very fun and a big part of the social life here. Supermarkets are highly uncommon. You won’t find a Walmart or a Target anywhere, at least in Alcalá. Maybe if you go to a bigger city, like Madrid. Anyway, they have little shops with specific needs. At a carnicería you’ll find meant. At a frutería you’ll find produce. At a panadería you’ll find bread, and also ice cream strangely enough. But there are also heladerías for that. There are so many of these shops that you never live far from one. So the people don’t stock up on things like bread and meat. They often get it fresh for the day.

I saw the Museo de Arqueología. It goes through much of the archeology they have done in Spain. It’s rumored that los vascos (Basques, a group of people in Northern Spain) are descended from Neanderthals so there is some pretty old stuff. They’ve also uncovered things like elephant remains. Hannibal did go up through Spain in his invasion of the Roman Empire, maybe that’s how they got here?

I also went in la Catedral Magistral. It’s a Catholic cathedral dedicated to los santos niños Justo and Pastor, who were martyred by a Roman emperor. It was breathtaking. You walk in and the entire structure is made of marble. As you walk around the perimeter there are multiple alcoves dedicated to different saints (possibly the patron saints of the city, but I’m not sure). There are places for the people to pray to each saint, and in the center of the large hall are lots of benches. I believe they still hold mass. In the back is a little shrine for los santos niños. It’s interesting, since the rule of Franco when everyone was forced to be Catholic, Spaniards have become very apathetic toward religion and many avoid it, but there is still a lot of devotion to the patron saints. Each city has a holiday and festival for its saint. I guess any reason for a fiesta is a good one!

It was Madrid versus Barcelona today in none other than fútbol. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go to the actual game. That would have been sick. So I did the next best thing. Watched it on TV in Spain, obviously way cooler than watching it on TV in the US. Some other members of the group and I tried to find a restaurant or something to watch it in, but the one we ended up at was basically empty. Boring. You have to watch soccer with a bunch of crazy fans. So I ended up going back to their house to watch it with their familia. The family was rooting for Barcelona so I did to. I didn’t want to get kicked out! You just don’t mess with those rivalries here. But we have to keep that on the DL, because being so close to Madrid, naturally the majority of the city roots for them. Barcelona dominated 2-0. Better luck next time!

Here are some other photos of Alcalá. Enjoy!