We've been very busy the last few days! On Monday, Jane and Alex arrived to Madrid at 5:45 a.m. from Boston, where they were attending the wedding of one of their college friends, They got to our hotel at 7:30a.m., joined us for breakfast, accompanied us to Toledo, and then went to a Real Madrid soccer game at Bernabeu stadium. Oh, to be young! Jane and Alex at Real Madrid soccer game

Toledo, which we visited on Monday, was the capital of Spain for a century or two, until King Felipe II decided to move the capital to Madrid in 1561. It was said that he wanted a flatter place where he could build a really big palace (Toledo being limited by its hilly geography). With the royal focus on Madrid, Toledo became a bit of a backwater frozen in time, which is all to the good today since many of the streets and alleys are remarkably preserved for us to appreciate.

Toledo is a very popular tourist destination and there are some rather "touristy" areas, but the central part of the old city is remarkably well preserved and cannot be changed at all without obtaining permission from the government. Our guide Alfredo told us about a fellow who lived in the old city and wanted to convert a room in his house to a garage (parking is murder in Toledo). He got preliminary permission to begin construction, did some digging for the foundation of the garage and found some artifacts, which halted construction for four years while archeologists dug, sifted and dusted. Eventually they found Roman ruins under his house and decided to make the garage a small museum. Apparently the locals are very careful about where they dig!

Here are a few photos from our visit to Toledo: Alex, Jim, Cath, and our guide Adolfo

The Cathedral of Toledo

A quiet, hilly street typical of Toledo