This week the sun finally came back to Madrid, which made for a lovely week! After work I was able to explore El Retiro park some more with some roommates and go to 100 Montaditos for the cheapest (but still delicious) tapas available. I have some new roommates so now we have: the US, Holland, Germany, Japan and Argentina represented here! I love having such a diverse group of people, especially the Argentinians who I can practice Spanish with! We talk about how different Spanish is in all the places it is spoken, so Spanish in Spain is even hard for them as native Spanish speakers (I was glad to find that I was not alone). They also ask me to translate to English when they don’t know the correct word, which is nice to think that I am considered reliable in English and Spanish.
This weekend I was able to travel to Toledo with my roommate and stay one night in a lovely hostel (which was nicer than all of the hostel horror stories I have heard). It is only an hour bus ride from Madrid and Toledo is so different from Madrid. The history is a mix of Christian, Muslim and Jewish periods, which is so fascinating. We got to visit multiple synagogues and ancient mosques, with incredible design and history. I appreciate these kinds of buildings more than churches, because I have had less exposure to these kinds of cultural centers and am able to learn more in context. Another highlight was El Greco museum which was an ancient home in the Jewish quarter dedicated to a famous artist.
Something I also learned this weekend was that Toledo is built on a hill, with the streets weaving all ways; which makes for a great workout. My legs are incredibly sore from walking up and down the hills of Toledo to see the various sights (maybe even more than a normal leg day workout haha). However, this also means great viewpoints because the city is so high! After a 2 km walk along the river, we got to a viewpoint that shows the whole city, which Toledo is known by. The river surrounding the city is an impressive placement that makes the city feel like a strong fortress with a natural moat. I can now cross off Toledo from my Spanish travel bucket list and head to the next city!
Curly Q Travels 