Monday we stayed in Sol and I took Randy and Tracy to see the cathedral and the Royal Palace. We could not take pictures inside the palace but it was incredible and hard to imagine living in a place so large and well adorned. The table in the dining room was probably 40 feet long and we felt sorry for those who had to prepare the food for such a large group. We then took the metro to the train station to get our train tickets for Toledo and Avila, We then walked back to the apartment and rested while we waited for Robyn to come home. We went to a Cuban restaurant on our street and the food was fabulous.
Tuesday we woke up early to catch our train to Toledo. Vickie also joined us on the trip. We knew the lay of the land so that would save us some time. We decided to walk again so we took off for the long uphill climb into the city. We headed straight for the cathedral because it is the main attraction. This time we got the audio tour so we could learn more about what we were seeing. I tried to sneak a picture and was caught on the first try by the same guy that caught me the last time so I didn't get any new photos. The cathedral was just mazing the second time as the first time and Randy and Tracy were impressed. After spending a long time in the cathedral, we headed to the San Juan de los Reyes monestary. This is the one we did not get to see last time because they were having a service. We were able to take pictures here so we were happy. After viewing the monestary we stopped for a bite to eat and rest. After lunch we stopped at a couple of more places and then Randy asked what time our train left to go back to Madrid and I looked at the ticket and realized the guy had given us the wrong time for the return trip. I told him 5:30 but he put us on the 3:30 train. It was already 2:45 so we had to go because we were on the far side of the town. We were leaving early anyway to meet everyone to see a rock ballet in Madrid. We made our way back to the station and got there right at 3:30 but the train was gone. We were upset and the man at the ticket office had no sympathy for us so we had to buy a new ticket for the train that did not leave until 5:30 as we had originally planned. We had 2 hours to kill but none of us had the energy to climb the hill back into town so we sat and drank beer and chatted as we waited. We had a great time just sitting there talking and enjoying the beautiful weather. Once in Madrid, we met everyone at James and Katie's apartment for drinks and appetizers. Our large group then headed to the rock ballet. I did not know what to expect but the show consisted of all men and one girl. They were very talented and put on a great show. One act was particularly funny and I got a couple of pictures but I can't post them on the blog. We headed home to get some sleep before our plane trip to Granada in the morning.
Wednesday we arrived in Granada and hopped a bus into town. It was another beautiful day with temperatures in the 70's. We got a map and decided to walk to the Alhambra which is a palace that sits on top of a steep hill. We made the climb and got in lines for tickets. It wasn't long before they made an announcement that they were sold out of tickets for the day to go inside the palace. It turned out to be OK because we could still see the gardens and everything else on the grounds. The gardens were stunning with well manicured hedges that made you feel like you were in a maze. The flowers and water features as well as the buildings were magnificent. We spent over an hour just in the gardens and then made our way to some of the other buildings and lookouts. Randy did his best impression of a french soldier as he stood in front of the cannons. We then walked back down the hill into town for a bite to eat and decided to next visit Mirador de San Nicholas up on the opposite hill. This time we took the bus and that turned out to be a good decision as it would have been a very long walk. Once off the bus we found the Mirador and immediately understood why everyone said this was a must see. The views were incredible in all directions. You could see the city, the Alhambra, and the mountains from this vantage point. We were lucky enough to find a table at a cafe that sits on the edge of the hill so we could drink a beer and enjoy the views. Unwillingly, we decided to leave and go back to town to see more sights. Little did we know but we were about to experience the ride of our lives. We hopped on the small bus with standing room only and held on for dear life as the driver sped down the narrow streets narrowly missing the buildings on either side. It was like being on a roller coaster ride. Somehow we made it to town in one piece and got off near the cathedral and decided to have a look inside. It was a smaller version of the cathedral in Toledo but still magnificent. Time was running short so we opted to take a taxi ride back to the airport since it was a long drive and we did not trust the bus to get us there in time. We got back to Madrid late but Robyn waited on us to eat dinner . We got pizza to go and then walked home to get rest before our next adventure to Avila in the morning with Matt joining us.
Thursday we woke up exhausted from our previous days journeys and headed to the train station. We soon realized that the train to Avila left from a different station so we changed our tickets and were able to catch a train from where we were. Matt somehow found us so we jumped on the first train we saw that said it was headed to Avila and it was packed tightly with people. Fortunately, most of the people got off at the station we were supposed to have left from originally. We settled into seats for the 2 hour ride. We had fun talking and getting to know Matt. About halfway to Avila, the conductor came through to check our tickets. He became upset at Tracy, Randy, and myself because we were on the wrong train. Matt had the correct ticket for this train. He was telling us, in spanish of course, that we should have been on a different train that would have gotten us there quicker because it made fewer stops. We let him go on for a while and then just shrugged our shoulders and he finally moved on. What were we supposed to do at this point anyway? We arrived in Avila and had no idea which way to go because you could not see the walled city from the station. We walked to a National Guard building and went inside to ask directions. The man was very nice but spoke only spanish. He explained how to get where we were going and then started talking and asking questions so fast that I could not understand what he was saying. All I could do was say "no comprendo", thank him for his help and move on. We found the walled city per his directions. We found a map in a souvenir shop and went inside the city. The first building we came to was a cathedral of course, so we went in to check it out. It also was in the same style as the others we had seen but very beautiful. This church doubled as a church and a military outpost as it was against the wall of the city. We then made our way to the St Teresa museum which has relics such as her rosary, her sandal, a rope of some sort, and her ring finger of all things. I posted a picture of it on the blog. There is a ring on the finger to help you pick it out. Her clavical is also on display in another building but we did not make it there. We then went next door to the church dedicated to St Teresa. It was the first church I had been in that was devoted completely to a saint. Almost all the artwork and sculptures were of St Teresa. We ate lunch in a very nice hotel restaurant that was a little expensive but had excellent food. We then found an entrance to get on top of the wall so we climbed up for a look. This was a great vantage point to look out over the city and valleys below. We walked to the other side trying to find access to the top of the wall over there but were unsuccessful. We decided to make our way back to the station and stopped for a beer along the way to rest our weary legs. We all got on the correct train this time and made it home in time to eat a late dinner with some of the BBVA gang at the Cuban restaurant on our street. We had fun and good food and then went back to pack for our trip the next morning to Paris. Randy and Tracy had one more day in Madrid before they had to return home so we said our goodbyes and went to sleep. It was a lot of fun having them come for the week and we saw some great sights while they were here. Robyn really enjoyed visiting with them on the weekend and every night. We are really glad they could make the trip. I feel like we walked 50 miles during the week but it was great.
Adios amigos!
Tuesday we woke up early to catch our train to Toledo. Vickie also joined us on the trip. We knew the lay of the land so that would save us some time. We decided to walk again so we took off for the long uphill climb into the city. We headed straight for the cathedral because it is the main attraction. This time we got the audio tour so we could learn more about what we were seeing. I tried to sneak a picture and was caught on the first try by the same guy that caught me the last time so I didn't get any new photos. The cathedral was just mazing the second time as the first time and Randy and Tracy were impressed. After spending a long time in the cathedral, we headed to the San Juan de los Reyes monestary. This is the one we did not get to see last time because they were having a service. We were able to take pictures here so we were happy. After viewing the monestary we stopped for a bite to eat and rest. After lunch we stopped at a couple of more places and then Randy asked what time our train left to go back to Madrid and I looked at the ticket and realized the guy had given us the wrong time for the return trip. I told him 5:30 but he put us on the 3:30 train. It was already 2:45 so we had to go because we were on the far side of the town. We were leaving early anyway to meet everyone to see a rock ballet in Madrid. We made our way back to the station and got there right at 3:30 but the train was gone. We were upset and the man at the ticket office had no sympathy for us so we had to buy a new ticket for the train that did not leave until 5:30 as we had originally planned. We had 2 hours to kill but none of us had the energy to climb the hill back into town so we sat and drank beer and chatted as we waited. We had a great time just sitting there talking and enjoying the beautiful weather. Once in Madrid, we met everyone at James and Katie's apartment for drinks and appetizers. Our large group then headed to the rock ballet. I did not know what to expect but the show consisted of all men and one girl. They were very talented and put on a great show. One act was particularly funny and I got a couple of pictures but I can't post them on the blog. We headed home to get some sleep before our plane trip to Granada in the morning.
Wednesday we arrived in Granada and hopped a bus into town. It was another beautiful day with temperatures in the 70's. We got a map and decided to walk to the Alhambra which is a palace that sits on top of a steep hill. We made the climb and got in lines for tickets. It wasn't long before they made an announcement that they were sold out of tickets for the day to go inside the palace. It turned out to be OK because we could still see the gardens and everything else on the grounds. The gardens were stunning with well manicured hedges that made you feel like you were in a maze. The flowers and water features as well as the buildings were magnificent. We spent over an hour just in the gardens and then made our way to some of the other buildings and lookouts. Randy did his best impression of a french soldier as he stood in front of the cannons. We then walked back down the hill into town for a bite to eat and decided to next visit Mirador de San Nicholas up on the opposite hill. This time we took the bus and that turned out to be a good decision as it would have been a very long walk. Once off the bus we found the Mirador and immediately understood why everyone said this was a must see. The views were incredible in all directions. You could see the city, the Alhambra, and the mountains from this vantage point. We were lucky enough to find a table at a cafe that sits on the edge of the hill so we could drink a beer and enjoy the views. Unwillingly, we decided to leave and go back to town to see more sights. Little did we know but we were about to experience the ride of our lives. We hopped on the small bus with standing room only and held on for dear life as the driver sped down the narrow streets narrowly missing the buildings on either side. It was like being on a roller coaster ride. Somehow we made it to town in one piece and got off near the cathedral and decided to have a look inside. It was a smaller version of the cathedral in Toledo but still magnificent. Time was running short so we opted to take a taxi ride back to the airport since it was a long drive and we did not trust the bus to get us there in time. We got back to Madrid late but Robyn waited on us to eat dinner . We got pizza to go and then walked home to get rest before our next adventure to Avila in the morning with Matt joining us.
Thursday we woke up exhausted from our previous days journeys and headed to the train station. We soon realized that the train to Avila left from a different station so we changed our tickets and were able to catch a train from where we were. Matt somehow found us so we jumped on the first train we saw that said it was headed to Avila and it was packed tightly with people. Fortunately, most of the people got off at the station we were supposed to have left from originally. We settled into seats for the 2 hour ride. We had fun talking and getting to know Matt. About halfway to Avila, the conductor came through to check our tickets. He became upset at Tracy, Randy, and myself because we were on the wrong train. Matt had the correct ticket for this train. He was telling us, in spanish of course, that we should have been on a different train that would have gotten us there quicker because it made fewer stops. We let him go on for a while and then just shrugged our shoulders and he finally moved on. What were we supposed to do at this point anyway? We arrived in Avila and had no idea which way to go because you could not see the walled city from the station. We walked to a National Guard building and went inside to ask directions. The man was very nice but spoke only spanish. He explained how to get where we were going and then started talking and asking questions so fast that I could not understand what he was saying. All I could do was say "no comprendo", thank him for his help and move on. We found the walled city per his directions. We found a map in a souvenir shop and went inside the city. The first building we came to was a cathedral of course, so we went in to check it out. It also was in the same style as the others we had seen but very beautiful. This church doubled as a church and a military outpost as it was against the wall of the city. We then made our way to the St Teresa museum which has relics such as her rosary, her sandal, a rope of some sort, and her ring finger of all things. I posted a picture of it on the blog. There is a ring on the finger to help you pick it out. Her clavical is also on display in another building but we did not make it there. We then went next door to the church dedicated to St Teresa. It was the first church I had been in that was devoted completely to a saint. Almost all the artwork and sculptures were of St Teresa. We ate lunch in a very nice hotel restaurant that was a little expensive but had excellent food. We then found an entrance to get on top of the wall so we climbed up for a look. This was a great vantage point to look out over the city and valleys below. We walked to the other side trying to find access to the top of the wall over there but were unsuccessful. We decided to make our way back to the station and stopped for a beer along the way to rest our weary legs. We all got on the correct train this time and made it home in time to eat a late dinner with some of the BBVA gang at the Cuban restaurant on our street. We had fun and good food and then went back to pack for our trip the next morning to Paris. Randy and Tracy had one more day in Madrid before they had to return home so we said our goodbyes and went to sleep. It was a lot of fun having them come for the week and we saw some great sights while they were here. Robyn really enjoyed visiting with them on the weekend and every night. We are really glad they could make the trip. I feel like we walked 50 miles during the week but it was great.
Adios amigos!
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