Toledo

We started the day with breakfast at a little place across the street from the hotel. They served " American breakfast"- 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausage and 2 pieces of toast, coffee and juice. Bacon was undercooked, and sausage was chorizo. But the rest was good. Then we got on the Hop On-Hop Off bus to see Toledo. It is an old walled city on top of a hill. We got beautiful views of the city from the bus and got off at the top of the hill. First, we went to the Alcazar, (palace or fortress) and saw a public library on the top/fifth floor. We walked up the stairs , all five floors. There was also an Army museum, but most of it was closed today. The museum was built over Roman and other early ruins, which were left exposed for viewing. Then we walked through the cities' narrow, twisty cobblestone streets to get to the Cathedral. It was a big, beautiful Gothic cathedral. We didn't do a tour, just walked in and looked around a bit. Then, we wandered into the Jewish quarter and saw a historic synagogue. We stopped for lunch. Finally, we went to the Monastery of San Juan de Reyes, a 15th century cloistered Cathedral. It had a nice courtyard garden, cloisters, really funny gargoyles, and a beautiful church. From there, we walked downhill to St Martin Bridge and walked across it. We also got to see some girls zipline over the Tagus River. I didn't do it this time. We caught the Hop on bus and rode back to the hotel. But first we walked to a nearby grocery store to get some breakfast rolls as we have an early start tomorrow.
At the hotel, I did my final packing for going home, and we rested a bit before hopping back on the bus for a nighttime guided walking tour. It was an hour and only one other lady showed up so it was like a private tour! The guide showed us such interesting and unique things about her city, and we really enjoyed the tour. We saw very tall doors from when people would ride on their horse into the courtyard, and the door knockers were placed high so a rider could knock without dismounting. We saw a home from 8th century and she said it had the oldest balconies in town. The streets were not well lit and no one was out walking around. Such a change from daytime. It has been surprising to me how many tourists are here this time of year. I would hate to be here in summer. It was definitely a memorable way to end my time in Spain.Read more