España - Toledo

After not quite as good as a sleep in "the palace" the previous night but better than I normally get in my Berlin bed, Simone and I get up and head to the train station.  This time we have our tickets in hand but not certain where to go.  We finally figure it out, head through security and then onto the correct platform.  Not more than 5 minutes pass before the train takes off.  I used to be this type of traveler- pushing it right to the last minute but since having kids and knowing that so many things can go wrong along the way I much prefer to get somewhere at least 15 minutes early.  Simone is quite the seasoned traveler and didn't even break a sweat when we, in my opinion, barely made the train 😉

We didn't know it but this was an express train and we were at the Toledo station in under 30 minutes.  As we approached the dusty brown hills reminded me a lot of Mexico, or more specifically, Tijuana.  It was near 90 degrees that day and the heat and the dusty hills combined made it really seem like the hills around Tijuana. 

Train station in Toledo

One step into the beautiful train station and it was obvious we were in Spain.  Toledo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 because of its history and cultural significance.  Its history includes Christian, Jewish and Muslim influences and is known for hand made marzipan and knives and blades of all kind.

I almost didn't take photos at the station because
I knew they wouldn't do it justice.. and they don't

This walled city is (it has walls on three sides and a river on the fourth) is home to the 5th largest cathedral in the world but unfortunately, because it was a Sunday didn't open until 2PM and our train left the station at 3:25.  If we had been better prepared we could have seen it but by the time we meandered back toward the church after lunch there was already a very long line to buy tickets.  We stood in the line awhile hoping it would  move fast enough and I think if I hadn't been there Simone may have tried to risk it but I didn't to miss our train.  As it was, after standing in the barely moving line for about 10 minutes we got out of line and started walking back to the station.  I was in a near full on jog and Simone was walking quickly and it was 90 degrees and by the time we sat down on the train (with less than 5 minutes to spare) I was a sweaty mess.

Our time in Toledo really was just about meandering throughout the skinny, winding streets up and around the city.  Berlin doesn't have any hills so I was definitely feeling it. 
Our day in Toledo was very fun and eye opening.  It would have been really nice to be able to see inside the cathedral but otherwise we felt we had enough time there.  We still had one final dinner in Madrid.  I really wanted Paella so we did!!
To bed by midnight for a 4AM alarm to catch my flight.  Unfortunately I was too worried about oversleeping I didn't even sleep much during those 4 precious hours.  Oh, well... when in Spain, I suppose.

The cathedral through the tiny city street

The cathedral up close

There was a graffiti class of some kind.  We stumbled upon this guy first

After lunch we walked back and saw this transformation

The guy on the left was probably the best of the bunch.  There were four artist on the four sides of this white cube. 

Simone went searching for some gifts and met this most amazingly kind man from Senegal  He makes chocolates at a shop owned by a guy from Belgium. We had several yummy tastes.

The national beer

It was so nice to soak up the sun..
who knows when it will feel this warm again