Toledo

Just like yesterday, I must have been really tired because I overslept my alarm by about three hours. Maybe it was the Benadryl, but good thing I had no concrete plans this morning. As such, I missed breakfast in my hotel and headed over to the Mercado de San Miguel where I ordered a pincho of ham and cheese. Pincho is like a bite - the tapas culture here is so great. The market was cute and right next to the Plaza Mayor. 

As many places are closed today, I decided to visit a few plazas. First the Plaza de la Villa which has three sides of 17th century baroque architecture. Then I found Plaza de la Paja, described by my guidebook as a village square in the heart of the city. Both charming and in and near the La Latina neighborhood. I then took the subway to Chueca where I had reservations at 1:30 pm at Casa Salvador. Casa Salvador is famous for their hake and oxtail stew. Their service was fantastic and I had the fried hake, oxtail stew, and a glass of Rioja. The oxtail meat just fell off the bone and was very tender.  Thankfully I secured a lunch reservation as it was closed yesterday and is closed on Monday evenings. I picked this place because, of course, Anthony Bourdain had been here. The bull fighting paraphernalia and red checkered tablecloths also added a nice touch. Here's a photo collage of the experience:

After lunch, I walked down to the Palace Hotel which is where the Atlético Madrid celebrations were held, to pick up my bus to Toledo. I had originally researched going alone for a full day, but when the tour price alone was just a little more than the cost of a round trip ticket on the Ave, the high speed train, I decided to book a tour. I also thought it would be good for me to be around some people. I also learned the Palace Hotel is now a Westin which made me think of Jamie who loves Starwood!

The bus made a few stops and then made it to the main terminal where we picked up the entire group. It was nice not having to think or plan anything. However, I was clearly the youngest by at least ten years. Our tour guide was sweet and we drove to Toledo which took about an hour. In Toledo, we first visited the Cathedral and walked through the streets of the Arab, Jewish, and Christian quarters. In the Jewish quarter, there were tiles within the stone roads that let you know you were still in the Jewish quarter. The streets were very narrow and the city sits on top of a hill. Here's an example of the narrow streets and passages:

We then visited the Church of Saint Tome, in order to see El Greco's masterpiece, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. We could not take photos, but it was incredible. 

We then visited a sculptor's house now museum of Victorio Macho which had beautiful views of Toledo and the Tagus river. Here's a shot from the museum and you can see the colorful tour buses that are parked outside the city walls:

Then we went to the oldest synagogue in Spain - Santa Maria La Blanca. It's a synagogue with a Catholic name and Arab design. Here's a shot of the ceiling with the cross, the arches, and columns:

Finally, we visited the Monasterio San Juan de Los Reyes, originally built to be the final resting place of the Spanish royalty. However they changed their minds and decided to be buried in Granada. The church had royal emblems, eagles, and initials of Fernando and Isabel all over. It's still a working monastery for Franciscans. On our way back, we visited a crafts factory known for precious metals encrusted in steel called Damasquinado. 

We then drove back to Madrid. I got off at Gran Vía, the broadway of Madrid, and walked to Plaza del Angel to Café Central where Athena and I came on Friday. Café Central specializes in jazz. Interestingly enough, this week's performers is the Maureen Choi Quartet. Apparently, she's Korean-American from Michigan and had been interested in fusing the violin with Latin jazz. The performers were clearly talented, but I don't really know enough about jazz. They performed original as well as cover pieces. I also ordered a salmon and brie pincho and a caprese pincho. 

It's my last night in Madrid and the city exceeded my expectations with warmth and hospitality. As such, here's a photo from Puerta del Sol, a central square of the city showcasing the Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid jerseys. Indeed, it's a city of champions!