Navigation
 | Introduction | |
 |  | Spain |
 | | Madrid (Days 1-3) |
| | Toledo (Day 2) |
| | Sevilla (4-5) |
|  | Barcelona (6-7) |
| | France |
| | Annecy (9-11) |
| | Paris (17-19) |
| | Switzerland |
| | Geneva (11) |
| | Germany |
 | | Homestay (12-15) |
| | Freiburg (15-16) |
| Introduction | |
| | Spain |
| | Madrid (Days 1-3) |
| | Toledo (Day 2) |
| | Sevilla (4-5) |
| | Barcelona (6-7) |
| | France |
| | Annecy (9-11) |
| | Paris (17-19) |
| | Switzerland |
| | Geneva (11) |
| | Germany |
| | Homestay (12-15) |
| | Freiburg (15-16) |
|
Toledo
We visited the small city of Toledo as a day trip during our stay in Madrid. During our visit, we saw the first Cathedral of what would be many on the trip. We also took a tour through the narrow streets of the city and visited a sword factory, where we learned a bit about the making of swords and had the opportunity to buy very large, and very authentic Spanish swords.
The following is my journal entry for that day:
Day 2
So far, Toledo seems very different from its neighbor, Madrid. The architecture of the buildings is very distinctly Spanish here. Many of the buildings have the famous curved-red rooftops, and almost all are made of either brick or clay. Also, the only tall building to be
seen here is the cathedral. The rest are rarely more than two stories high.
The streets here in Toldeo are also unique. They are narrow and winding, very few of them ever going in a straight line. In fact, the streets seem to be placed completely at random! After just a few turns through the streets of Toledo, I had already lost track of where we were going! One of the benefits of the narrows streets here, however, is the shade they provide from the hot sun.
Earlier today, we visited the Cathedral here in Toledo. It was an extremely impressive sight! There are several large entrance doors, the largest of which is only mostly just for the Pope! The Cathedral has its own art gallery wing, featuring many paintings by the famous El Greco, as well as large Gothic columns and many stained-glass windows. (We weren't allowed to take pictures.)
We also visited a sword factory that day in Toledo. The variety of swords available for sale here was amazing. All swords were handcrafted and many were very large and extravagant! Several of our group members bought large swords, and a few bought daggers. (Myself, I just got a little letter-opener sized sword, which was easier to pack and much cheaper :) )
After our stay in Madrid and trip to Toledo, we boarded on a train for the hot and sunny Sevilla...
