We leave Córdoba and head for Toledo. Bob visited Toledo back in 1993 and was eager to show me the Alcázar of Toledo. Unfortunately, he was totally disappointed. When he saw it previously it was almost as it had been during the Civil War. It included interactive exhibits and you could totally get a feel for the history. What they have done to the building since then is put in a lot of exhibition type walls that completely cut you off from the real interior of the building so you lose all feel for how it must have been. We could have taken photos of the exhibition walls but what was the point. So we have no photos.
Due to our disappointment we left the Alcázar and wandered to the spectacular Toledo Cathedral. This made the visit to Toledo worthwhile.
I know there is much more to see in Toledo and look forward to another visit in the future. Now that we live in Spain we can visit anytime.
We decide to head to our hotel near the airport in Madrid and have a relaxing evening before we fly back home. The drive went by uneventfully and we arrive in Madrid amid the crazy traffic. We are following the directions to our hotel (no, we do not have GPS or Waze – we have directions and a map) and are happy that things seem to be going smoothly. We are looking for Exit 2. We pass Exit 1 and in no time we are at Exit 3. There was NO Exit 2! If you’ve driven around Madrid you know how crazy the traffic and exits are. We remember the advice given to another traveler when we picked up our rental car two weeks earlier. The easiest way to find the airport is to follow the rental car bus. We call the hotel and ask them what color the bus is that delivers passengers from the airport. They tell us and we then go around to the bus area and wait for the bus that we can follow to the hotel. We are sitting just outside the bus area at the airport because we have spotted THE bus we need to follow. The police pull up beside us to move us on our way but once we tell them what we are doing they are cool. Thankfully. Sounds crazy but believe me it works! So, the bus leaves the airport and we follow it to the hotel. Perfecto! The next morning we will follow the bus from the hotel back to the airport. Believe me if this is how the rental car company tells you to do this listen to them. It was so easy.
It has been an amazing two weeks meeting Spain. I feel like I have made a new friend. I will only find out later how important this new friend will become in my life. I’ve seen how much Bob loves it here. I’ve visited many incredible historic places and thanks to Bob, learned their history. I’ve seen breathtaking views. Both inside of buildings and in the beautiful countryside and beaches. So many people think of Spain and think just Barcelona. That is like thinking of California and thinking only Hollywood. There is so much more to see and experience than just one place.
Spain has truly stolen my heart. The culture, the people, the lifestyle, the country, the history…the passion.
The Winery Woman 