This is the "Youth Hostel"/Castle where I stayed. Amazing heh?I think they made this place up just for me. Last night I went to an artisan market. Not hippies selling handcraft, but real old fashioned artisans who were part of a guild or whose parents had taught them the trade, or who were hippies with a sense for commerce and looked like authentic artisans. In the market was a troupe of musicians. The had drums and a bagpipe made of a goatskin. They wore ballet slippers, white stockings, knickerbockers and sashes over puffy shirts. They skipped about as they played their music and most people just seemed to ignore them as part of the usual background.
For sale was lots of stuff, but I had no idea what it was. I tasted everything on offer including the a salami the likes of which I had never eaten, until I tried the salami next to it. (This is a bit like the Madrid handsome waiters thing.) I decided on olives, but they would not sell me a little bag. After pleading my tourist status, they sold me 2euro worth. I am trying to imagine life without these olives and feel sad about it.
Toledo is a dream. It is the pictue of Spain that I had in my head, only better. The streets a tiny and winding, there are castles, churches, museums everywhere and stories abound. About half the stories go like this: There was once a a) Christian b) jewish c) muslim prince who fell in love with a a) Christian b) jewish c) muslim girl (the story only works if the first choice is different to the second choice) blah, blah blah. The story ends badly and this is how we get a) bridge of the decapitated lovers b) the war of 100 days c) the great cliff where they threw themselves to death. There are churches, mosques and syngogues all built on top of each other and some where they just changed the insignia because it was a lot easier that way.
And to my delight, today I learned that Ei Cid actually stayed at the youth hostel where I stayed. Only it was not a youth hostel then. I did not know El Cid was real but now I am going to read all about him on Wikipeida and pretend that I knew all along
Look up Toledo on Google earth. You will see for yourself.
For sale was lots of stuff, but I had no idea what it was. I tasted everything on offer including the a salami the likes of which I had never eaten, until I tried the salami next to it. (This is a bit like the Madrid handsome waiters thing.) I decided on olives, but they would not sell me a little bag. After pleading my tourist status, they sold me 2euro worth. I am trying to imagine life without these olives and feel sad about it.
Toledo is a dream. It is the pictue of Spain that I had in my head, only better. The streets a tiny and winding, there are castles, churches, museums everywhere and stories abound. About half the stories go like this: There was once a a) Christian b) jewish c) muslim prince who fell in love with a a) Christian b) jewish c) muslim girl (the story only works if the first choice is different to the second choice) blah, blah blah. The story ends badly and this is how we get a) bridge of the decapitated lovers b) the war of 100 days c) the great cliff where they threw themselves to death. There are churches, mosques and syngogues all built on top of each other and some where they just changed the insignia because it was a lot easier that way.
And to my delight, today I learned that Ei Cid actually stayed at the youth hostel where I stayed. Only it was not a youth hostel then. I did not know El Cid was real but now I am going to read all about him on Wikipeida and pretend that I knew all along
Look up Toledo on Google earth. You will see for yourself.
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