Toledo

Bret Kessler

  Week number two in the program was a much more adventurous week than the previous. This is the first time the group did not sleep in the host parents homes. Instead we stayed in Toledo for one night in a wonderful hostel in an ancient city. The following two nights our group made the decision to travel from Toledo to Madrid for the rest of the weekend. There we rented a room near the center of the city for ten people. First and foremost Toledo was a tremendous sight to see. It is a very old city located on a hill next to a river and walls along the front side. The old city was so well maintained that it looks like architects built them within the last few years. We received a tour from a wonderful guide who was extremely educational, entertaining, and professional. He spoke a mix of Spanish and English for the best experience possible. In Toledo we learned of all the different architecture within the city and how all the different groups of people and religions had come together to form a real mixing pot of a city. One of the most impressive pieces of architecture in the city would have to be the old Cathedral. It is the third largest in the world and the beauty of it could only be truly understood in person. After the amazing day and a half in Toledo our group traveled to Madrid, the capital of Spain. There we broke off in to a couple groups to experience exactly what everyone wanted. Some people went to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium while others visited the many art museums in the city, took bus and Segway tours, and toured the old palace in Madrid.