Toledo Wandering

Last year Nacho and I had a wonderful three day vacation in Toledo. We spent our time strolling through the narrow streets, eating mazapán and continuing to know each other and grow closer with each moment. After that trip, Toledo has always held a special place in my heart. When I hear the name I am taken back to those three fun days. The town is small and enclosed, and I felt as though it was a bubble that only Nacho and I shared. Last weekend, some of my American friends asked if I wanted to join them for a day in Toledo (since it's only forty minutes south of Madrid, it makes for a perfect day-trip). I was hesitant for a moment. I didn't want this trip to change my idea of the city, as if new experiences in Toledo could somehow affect the precious memories I kept from my previous time there. But of course I was happy to go back to this beautiful place and spend the day with really nice, interesting people (who speak English!).

We spent the day wandering through the old town. It was a beautiful day, chilly but sunny. We snapped pictures, exchanged travel stories, and toured the armory museum. The city is quite famous for its swords. Did you know the swords used in the Lord of the Rings were made in Toledo? The city is perched beautifully on a mountaintop, with scenic views on all sides and surrounded on three of those sides by the Targus River.

 It was with sore feet and a satisfaction that comes from hours of walking that I flopped onto the bus seat to head back to Madrid. The day was refreshing and cheerful, with a pinch of history. I was reminded of the differences between travelling with Americans versus Spaniards, and I smiled to myself. The countless times of feeling strange or outnumbered with Spanish friends was absent today. I knew Toledo would feel familiar, but I had not anticipated the familiarity of being with people who share both spoken and unspoken language, something which I have been deprived of recently. It was a perfect Sunday.