Madrid and Toledo

Day 5-7 of this month long Europe trip were spent in Madrid and a morning in Toledo. I'll be the first to tell you that I was not a fan of Madrid. Maybe it was the heat, maybe because it was day 5 and I was just exhausted. I'm not sure, but it's definitely not in my top 20 places to visit again. I got there and started my EF College Break tour, which was by far my least favorite tour. My tour guide was horrific. I could have planned out so many better things, he was just all about drinking or being drunk the whole time, and he was 40 something and still acting like a teenager. ANYWAY...

I made it to Madrid in the late morning and took a taxi to the hostel. Since most of the tour group was just getting in as well and were jet-lagged. Most of them were out exploring, I decided to stay in, read a book and relax until the group met up for dinner.

On day 6, we did a walking tour of the area before going to the Palace.

The symbol of Madrid - a bear and a strawberry bush

The Center of Spain

Plaza Mayor

Madrid Palace

Madrid Palace

Madrid Palace

There were a couple things that I truly did like about Madrid. The first was the street art. It was really beautiful. 

The other thing I loved was the Egyptian temple in the middle of Madrid. It was given to Madrid by UNESCO.  

The final thing about Madrid was the Don Quixote Statue. 

TOLEDO 

Now, Toledo, I loved. I thought it was exactly what a Spain should look like. Toledo used to be the capital of Spain before Madrid took those honors. It is called the "Jerusalem of the West" because 3 different religions (Christianity, Jews, and Muslims) all lived/live here peacefully. 

Toledo

The Bridge into Toledo

A city alley in Toledo

This is the Gothic Cathedral in Toledo and it is over 1000 years old. It's the 2nd largest cathedral in Spain, the largest is in Seville. This cathedral reminded me a lot of the Notre Dame in Paris, however, there is a lot more gold and riches in this one than in Paris. 

Gothic Cathedral 

Beautiful 

We saw some art pieces but were not allowed to take photos of that. I wasn't exactly impressed with it and really wished that I could have spent some time in the Palace.