Toledo August

Toledo, Spain August 14th

Holy Toledo!! After a 3 1/2 hour drive we  arrived in the early afternoon in Toledo, tired, hungry, and antsy from the long drive.  We headed out to get food at the hardest time to find food at about 3pm. Siesta is a very real thing in Spain. Stores and resturants lock up during the hot hours of the day to take an afternoon nap. We left our hotel and started climbing the hills of Teledo. Toledo is a well preserved medevial city located on the top of a hill. We finally found an open cafe, thankfully since we were on the brink of collapse! 

Toledo is known to have the strongest steel in the world and in the medevial times knights would come to Toledo to have their swords and amour made. There is one sword shop there that fashions swords like the swords described in the Book of Mormon. Most famous are the Sword of Laben and Captain Moroni's sword. My brother, Willie, served his 2 year church mission and ever since has wanted one of these famous swords. After some convincing from Willie, my dad bought a Sword of Laban to display in our house. Kellen and I thought it was more practical to buy a Chef's knife instead of an 8 foot gold plated sword!! 

We then went and saw the Toledo cathedral which is tucked between narrow streets. Mass was being held and the sound of the organ floated out of the doors and into the narrow streets!

Maddie is directly in front of the bell tower of the cathedral! As we wondered through the shops a parade headed down the Main Street to Zocozander Plaza, with music and huge figures of saints marching through the streets. Later we realized the parade was for the religious holiday, Assencion Day, which was the next day!

Very worn our we headed back over the hills to El Grecco Hotel to go to sleep!

August 15th: El Grecco Museum and on to Madrid

Our hotel was next to the El Greeco Museum. El Greeco is a famous painter, born in Crete, studied in Rome than came to Toledo to work. He was not very well respected during his time because he had a very different style then other painters at the time. He was not a realist and used bright colors. Years after his death people realized what an incredible artist he was and his pieces because very famous. His house in Toldeo was restored and is now a museum holding many of his greatest works. My favorite are the series of the apostles and Jesus Christ. 

We has a nice lunch in the Jewish Quater of Toledo then headed on to Madrid!!