Jamiewrites: Madrid Day 4

Today was our day trip to Toledo, which is about an hour's drive from Madrid. We had to rush a bit to get to the meeting point, which was near a big bullfighting arena, but we got there in time. There was some confusion because it was the meeting point for a few different tour bus companies, but eventually we found the one we needed to get on.

We drove around the city first to have a look, then got off the bus and walked around with the tour guide to see things up close and then we split; some of us went with the tour guide to go into three of the monuments, which we did. Then the group split again - we went wine tasting while some of the others went to visit the Cathedral.

Wine tasting was good; we sat with two Spanish women (one of whom is planning to move to Australia and had lots of questions) and a couple from Puerto Rico. I only know two things about PR, and they both relate to musical theatre: obviously, people from there are one of the two groups in West Side Story; and that Lin-Manuel Miranda's family is from there. I did not mention either fact.

After that we had free time so we went looking for what we thought were the remains of a Roman aqueduct (like the one showing here, which apparently does not exist) and didn't find it. Then we went to two more monuments, and it was then time to go back to catch the bus home; we got a bit lost 'cause we knew we got escalators up from the lower part of the town to the upper and then jumped on the escalators when we saw them - what we didn't know is that there were two sets of escalators, and we got on the wrong ones. But we worked out where to go eventually.

Then it was back on the bus to Madrid. Aircon wasn't working so it was hot. We then walked back to our hotel with the plan to stop and find food along the way, which we did. Rochelle got prawns. I ordered some tostas (small things on bread) but they must have misheard me when I order mushrooms with blue cheese 'cause they brought be salmon instead - one of the few things I wouldn't be okay eating and had to send back, which I hate doing.

First pictures of Toledo.

Off the bus and on foot.

Statue of Cervantes - Toledo is in the area of La Mancha, so they're quite fond of him here. We did not see any windmills, though.

Lots of bullet holes in the walls of this building; we weren't told specifically, but I have to assume it's from the Spanish Civil War.

The cathedral.

Into the Jewish Quarter, which is marked with a lot of these tiny plaques.

Inside a monastery.

A casual skellington.

Now inside the unusual former synagogue, which - as was explained - was designed by a Muslim architect.

Now inside the Church of Santo Tomé, which has an impressive Goya painting, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, shown here.

We were not expecting to see a shiba inu here, but we were happy that we did.

Wine tasting.

The blue cups that look like candle holders have olive oil in them. We thought they were for water, so we put water in ours and then had to drink it quickly when they brought the oil around. We then used the warmth of our hands to warm the oil until it smelled like a tomato, and then drink it.

I've done a few wine tastings before, but I've never done that...

Wine tasting came with some food, including deer meat sausage.

Out wandering. Once again you should ignore the thumb of the idiot using the camera.

We'd come here instead of Segovia because we believed, thanks to the internet, there were similar Roman aqueducts here as there are there. We we wrong, and all we got were some chunks of stone.