After planes, trains, automobiles and a ship it was time to head home via a return visit to Madrid.
We were staying at the same hotel which was a nice way to finish our adventures through Spain and Portugal. It was called The Mint, hence all the green. It even smells like mint.
It had a great roof bar.
After dropping our bags we went back to Plaza Mayor for some bebidas (Spanish for drinks) we then we went for a wander further into town in search for the Latin Quarter that was said to have the best tapas. We found it but it was Monday so they were closed.
We had another early start so we ate dinner in the hotel and had an early night.
The next day we had a bus tour to Toledo and Segovia.
First stop was Toledo. The bus took us on a drive through the outskirts of town. The view back across the town was amazing.
Toledo is another ancient walled town located on the banks of the Tagus River which runs all the way to Portugal and out to the Atlantic Ocean.
Toledo is set on a hill above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha in Central Spain. It is one of Spain’s most ancient cities and known for the co-existence of Christian’s, Jews and Muslims. So it has quite a mix of architecture.
It is the capital of the region and was once the capital of Spain.
We went back down the hill and much to my delight there were escalators to take us up to the town!
We stopped in the square briefly to grab some breakfast. Looking at the arch you can see the mix of Moorish and Christian architecture.
First stop on the walking tour through the city was Catedral Santa Maria and like most cathedrals throughout Spain its outside was very impressive. It was built on the site of a Moorish mosque. It’s famous for the gothic architecture and its collection of art by Valazquez, Goya and El Greco.
In the same square is the Town Hall and the Tres Aguas. Tres Aguas is a piece of art designed by Cristina Iglesias. Tres Aguas (or three waters) is meant to represent the changing flow of the river Tagus. To us and other tourists is looks like a pond full of sludge. But it is art not looking it’s best. It is meant to be a fountain so it should have some water flowing which I’m sure would make it more appealing.
We continued our walk through the winding medieval cobblestone streets.
Like many of the old cities throughout Spain there was a Jewish Quarter. Walking around the Jewish Quarter there were different tiles on the ground and walls.
In the Jewish Quarter we walked past Santa Maria La Blanca which is one of the oldest synagogues in Europe. It was built in the 12th century and is now a museum.
Further on we came across the Monasterio de San Juan. It is an Isabelline Franciscan monastery built by Catholic monarchs to celebrate the victory of the Battle of Toro. We didn’t go inside and apparently we missed something very special.
The artist El Greco who was actually Greek but he lived most of his life in Toledo. Toledo has a museum dedicated to El Greco. He is best known for the haunting elongated figures in many of his paintings.
We came out the other end of Toledo at the San Martin Bridge which is known for being one of the longest fortified bridges of its time. It crosses the Tagus River and has beautiful views across the town and surrounding hills.
After we left the town of Toledo we stopped at a sword making factory. Toledo has been famous for centuries for its steel and sword making. The swords were known for their strength and lightness which was due to the unique forging method used in Toledo. Toledo steel today is still famous for scissors, knives and other cutting tools.
An interesting fact is that Toledo is where the armor for Lord of the Rings was made.
At the factory we also observed the art of Damascene jewelry production. Damascening is the Moorish art of inlaying gold or silver threads into black steel in a decorative pattern. The skill is used to decorate plates, earrings, bracelets and large pendants. It was fascinating to watch.
From Toledo we had a couple of hours drive to Sergovia.
Sergovia is another world heritage site and picturesque old city.
On arrival in Sergovia you could not miss one of the main attractions, the Roman aqueduct. It is one of best preserved Roman engineering works with more than 160 arches. It is made from 24,000 blocks of granite and without mortar! It also survived the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Amazing!
From the aqueduct we walked further into the town. In the main plaza, Plaza Mayor, is Segovia’s Cathedral. It is located at the highest point of the town and is the last gothic style cathedral to be built in Spain.
The final part of our visit to Sergovia was the Alcázar. It started out a fortress during Roman times. It was built high on a huge rocky cliff so was the perfect position to protect the the city. It eventually became the Royal Palace.
With its many pointy turrets it looked like it was out of a fairy tale and is said to be Walt Disney’s inspiration for the Cinderella castle.
The interior was very ornate throughout with a mixture of Christian and Moorish styles.
After the palace tour we were on the bus back to Madrid. It was a long day! It was peak hour and we weren’t keen to sit in traffic so we had our first Metro trip in Spain. It was a great decision and it was so easy.
We decided we needed to have another paella before leaving Spain. We were lucky enough to get into a traditional Spanish restaurant and had an amazing seafood paella. It had great crispy socarrat.
After dinner we went back to the hotel and watched the football.
The next day, our last day, we went to the National Archeological Museum. It had a huge collection!! One of the current collections is based on the Iberian Peninsula, from pre-history to early modern age. Stephen loved it!
After the museum we went off to find somewhere for lunch. It was really cold so it had to be inside.
It was our last night in Madrid and of our trip so we went out for a nice dinner. We went to Mercado del la Reina again which was next door to our hotel. After a quick dinner we went back to pack our bags to go home.
We had the most amazing holiday in Spain but we were ready to go home. We were going home with some wonderful memories of yummy food and wine, fun times with friends and family, many different cities full of interesting architecture and a really nice Granada ceramic bowl. 😊